The Father Hunt

not like the office or the kitchen, because Wolfe is seldom in it and doesn't give a damn. When I entered, Amy Denovo was on a chair by a window. She stood up and said, "Well, here I am."

"So I see." I crossed to her. "It's nice to see you and I don't want to be rude, but I thought I made it clear yesterday."

"Oh, you made it clear enough." She started a smile but it didn't quite come. "But I decided I had to see you again, and see Nero Wolfe, I suppose, and so I… I did something." She had her bag, brown leather with a big clasp, under her left arm. She sat down and opened it, and took out a parcel wrapped in newspaper with rubber bands around it. She held it out and I took it, not wanting to be rude. "That's twenty thousand dollars," she said, "in hundred-dollar bills." Now the smile came. "You would call it twenty grand. Of course you'll want to count it."

No suitable words seemed to be ready for the tongue, so I gave them time by removing the rubber bands and unfolding the newspaper for a look. It was centuries, some new and some used, in batches fastened with paper clips, and they looked real when I flipped through some. There were ten in the batch I counted, and there were twenty batches. I rewrapped them in the newspaper and replaced the rubber bands.

"At five grand a week," she said, "that's enough for four weeks anyway."

From the hall the sound came of the elevator rattling to a stop. Wolfe was down from the plant rooms.

"The five grand was just the fee," I said. "It didn't include expenses. But that was a little special, it isn't always five grand a week. Are you telling me that you want to hire Nero Wolfe and you offer this as a retainer?"

"Yes. Certainly. Provided you're in charge."

"He's always in charge. I merely do the work."

"All right, if you do the work."

"I will. He only does the thinking. I'll explain it to him and then call you in. If you'll wait here?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it to anybody but you."

"Then it's out. He wouldn't take a client he hasn't seen. He never has and he never will."

She pressed her lips tight and took a couple of breaths, and finally said, "I guess I can. All right."

"Good. You won't cotton to him, but you can trust him as far as me." I tapped the package. "Do you want to tell me anything about this?"

"No, I don't. There's nothing to tell except there it is."

"I can assume it's in your possession legally?"

"Of course." She was still frowning. "I didn't rob a bank."