The Second Confesion

Archer nodded. “These things usually are. If Rony loitered on the drive, and if your daughter was at the place of rendezvous at the time he was killed, why didn't she hear the car that killed him? She says she heard no car. That has been thoroughly tested. It is slightly downhill along the drive clear to the entrance. From the place of rendezvous, beyond that thicket, the sound of a car going down the drive is extremely faint. Even with a car going up the drive you have to listen for it, and last night there was some wind from the northeast. So Rony might have been killed while your daughter was there waiting for him, and she might have heard nothing.” “Then damn it, why so much talk about it?” Archer was patient. “Because that's all there is to talk about. Except for your daughter's statement, nothing whatever has been contributed by anyone. No one saw or heard anything. Mr Goodwin's contribution is entirely negative. He left here at ten minutes to ten-” Archer looked at me. “I understand that time is definite?” “Yes, sir. When I get in the car I have a habit of checking the dash clock with my wrist watch. It was nine-fifty.” Archer returned to Sperling. “He left at nine-fifty to drive to Chappaqua to make a phone call, and noticed nothing along the drive. He returned thirty or thirty-five minutes later, and again noticed nothing-so his contribution is entirely negative. By the way, your daughter didn't hear his car either-or doesn't remember hearing it.

Sperling was frowning. “I still would like to know why all the concentration on my daughter.” “I don't concentrate on her,” Archer objected. “Circumstances do.” “What circumstances?” “She was a close friend of Rony's. She says that she was not engaged to marry him, but she-uh, saw a great deal of him. Her association with him had been the subject of-uh, much family discussion. It was that that led to your engaging the services of Nero Wolfe, and he doesn't concern himself with trivialities. It was that that brought him up here yesterday, and his-” “It was not. He wanted me to pay for the damage to his plant rooms.” “But because he thought it was connected with your employment of him. His aversion to leaving his place for anything at all is well known. There was a long family conference-” “Not a conference. He did all the talking. He insisted that I must pay the damage.” Archer nodded. “You all agree on that. By the way, how did it come out? Are you paying?” “Is that relevant?” Wolfe inquired.