The Second Confesion

A look in the safe told me that if I was right in supposing that the specialist to be hired was Mr Jones, he hadn't been hired yet, for the fifty grand was still all there. That was a deduction from a limited experience. I had never seen the guy, but I knew two things about him: that it was through him that Wolfe had got the dope on a couple of Commies that had sent them up the river, and that when you bought from him you paid in advance. So either it wasn't to be him or Wolfe hadn't been able to reach him yet.

I had been hoping for a phone call from Weinbach before Wolfe descended at six o'clock, but it didn't come. When Wolfe entered, got seated behind his desk, and said, “Well?” I thought I was still undecided about including the stone in my report before hearing from Weinbach, but he had to know about Connie, so I kept on to the end. I did not, however, tell him that it was a remark of Madeline's that made me think of stones, thinking it might irritate him to know that a woman had helped out.

He sat frowning.

“I was a little surprised,” I said smugly, “that you didn't think of a stone yourself. Doc Vollmer said something rough and heavy.” “Pfui. Certainly I thought of a stone. But if he used a stone all he had to do was walk ten paces to the bridge and toss it into the water.” “That's what he thought. But he missed the water. Lucky I didn't take the attitude you did. If I hadn't-” The phone rang. A voice that hissed its esses was in my ear. Weinbach of the Fisher Laboratories hissed his esses. Not only that, he told me who he was. As I motioned to Wolfe to get on, I was holding my breath.

“That stone you left with me,” Weinbach said. “Do you wish the technical terms?”