The Mother Hunt (Rex Stout Library)

I didn't invite one. He swiveled back to her. I don't suppose it was naked in the blanket?

Oh no. It was dressed too much. A sweater, a corduroy hat, corduroy overalls, a T-shirt, an undershirt, rubber pants, and diaper. Oh, and booties. It was dressed all right.

Any safety pins?

Certainly, in the diaper.

Was the diaper uh fresh?

No. It was a mess. It had probably been on for hours. I changed it before the doctor came, but I had to use a pillow case.

I cut in. A bet, since you asked my opinion. One will get you twenty that if a woman pinned the paper to the blanket, it wasn't the one who dressed him.

No comment. He turned his head for a look at the wall clock. An hour till lunch. He took in through his nose all the air he had room for, which was plenty, let it out through his mouth, and turned to her. It would be necessary to get more information from you, much more, and Mr. Goodwin can do that as well as I. My commitment would be to learn the identity of the mother and establish it to your satisfaction, and to demonstrate the degree of probability that your husband was the father, with no warranty of success. Is that correct?

Why… yes. If you. No, I'll just say yes.

Very well. There's the formality of a retainer.

Of course. She reached for her bag. How much?

No matter. He pushed back his chair and rose. A dollar, a hundred, a thousand. Mr. Goodwin will have many questions. You will excuse me.

He crossed to the door and in the hall turned left, toward the kitchen. Lunch was to be shad roe in casserole, one of the few dishes on which he and Fritz had a difference of opinion that had never been settled. They were agreed on the larding, the anchovy butter, the chervil, shallot, parsley, bay leaf, pepper, marjoram, and cream, but the argument was the onion. Fritz was for it and Wolfe dead against. There was a chance that voices would be raised, and before I got my notebook and started in on the client I went and closed the door, which was soundproofed, and on my way back to my desk she handed me a check for one thousand and 00/100 dollars.