The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)

"Later maybe. Shall I wait until Mrs Bruner comes?"

"Not necessarily. She said you would ask me some questions."

"Then I will. What did you do before?"

"I was a stenographer at the Bruner Corporation, and then Mr Thompson's secretary, the vice-president."

"Have you ever worked for the government? For instance, for the FBI?"

She smiled. "No. Never. I was twenty-two years old when I started with the Bruner Corporation. I'm twenty-eight now. You're not taking notes."

"In here." I touched my forehead. "What gave you the idea that the FBI is tailing you?"

"I don't know it's the FBI. But it must be, because nobody else would."

"How sure are you you're being tailed?"

"Oh, I'm positive. I don't keep looking behind me, nothing like that, but my hours here are irregular, I leave at different times, but when I go to the bus stop a man always comes and gets on after me, and he gets off where I do. The same man."

"Madison Avenue bus?"

"No, Fifth Avenue. I live in the Village."

"When did it start?"

"I'm not sure. The first I noticed him was the Monday after Christmas. He's there in the morning, too. And in the evening, if I go out. I didn't know it was done like that. I thought if you followed someone you didn't want her to know it."

"It depends. Sometimes you do want her to know. It's called an open tail. Can you describe the man?"

"I certainly can. He's six or seven inches taller than me, about thirty years old, maybe a little more, a long face with a square chin, a long thin nose, a small straight mouth. His eyes are a kind of greenish gray. He always has his hat on, so I don't know about his hair."

"Have you ever spoken to him?"

"Of course not."

"Have you reported it to the police?"

"No, the lawyer said not to. Mrs Bruner's lawyer. He said that if it's the FBI they can always say it's a security check."

"So they can. And do. By the way, did you suggest sending people copies of that book to Mrs Bruner?"

Her brow went up. It was a nice smooth brow. "Why, no. I hadn't read it. I only read it afterwards."

"After you got a tail?"

"No, after she decided to send all those copies."

"Do you know who did suggest it to her?"

"I don't know if anyone did." She smiled. "I suppose it's natural, your asking me that, since you're a detective, but to me it would seem more natural to ask her. Even if I knew someone suggested it, I don't think-"