The Second Confesion

I have to be in court at two o'clock and I'd like to finish this if possible.” “You can stay here,” Sperling said, leaving his chair, eager to co-operate. He looked at Wolfe. “I see you've finished your beer. If you'll come-” Wolfe put his hands on the chair arms, got himself erect, took three steps, and was facing Archer. “As you say, I own a car. If Mr Goodwin is taken away without first notifying me, and without a warrant, this affair will be even more regrettable than it is now. I don't blame you for wanting to talk with him; you don't know him as well as I do; but I owe it to you to say that you will be wasting valuable time.” He marched to the door, with Sperling at his heels, and was gone.

Dykes asked, “Will you want me?” “I might,” Archer said. “Sit down/ Dykes moved to the chair Wolfe had vacated, sat, took out a notebook and pencil, inspected the pencil point, and settled back. Meanwhile Noonan walked across and deposited himself in the chair Sperling had used. He hadn't been invited and he hadn't asked if he was wanted. Naturally I was pleased, since if he had acted otherwise I would have had to take the trouble to change my opinion of him.

Archer, his lips puckered, was giving me a good look. He spoke. “I don't understand you, Goodwin. I don't know why you don't see that your position is impossible.” That's easy,” I told him. “For exactly the same reason that you don't.” “That I don't see it's impossible? But I do.” “Like hell you do. If you did you'd be on your way by now, leaving me to Ben Dykes or one of your assistants. You've got a busy schedule ahead of you, but here you still are. May I make a statement?” “By all means. That's just what I want you to do.” “Fine.” I clasped my hands behind my head. “There's no use going over what I did and when. I've already told it three times and it's on the record. But with this news, that it was Mr Wolfe's car that killed him, you don't have to bother any more with what anybody was doing, even me, at eight o'clock or nine or ten. You know exactly when he was killed. It couldn't have been before nine-thirty, because that's when he got out of the cab at the entrance. It couldn't have been after nine-fifty, because that's when I got in the car to drive to Chappaqua.