the lid from a steaming platter. At his left was Tina, and Carl was at his right, my place when there was no company. Wolfe saw me but finished his paragraph on mountain climbing before attending to me.
In time, Archie. You like veal and mushrooms.
Talk about infantile. His not being willing to sit to his lunch with unfed people in the house was all well enough, but why not send trays in to them'That was easy - he was sore at me, and I had called them foreigners.
I stepped to the end of the table and said, I know you have a paroxysm if I try to bring up business during meals, but eighteen thousand cops would give a months pay to get their hands on Carl and Tina, your guests.
Indeed. Wolfe was serving the veal and accessories. Why'
Have you talked with them'
No. I merely invited them to lunch.
Then dont until Ive reported. I ran into Cramer and Stebbins at the barber shop.
Confound it. The serving spoon stopped en route.
Yeah. Its quite interesting. But first lunch, of course. Ill go put the chain bolt on. Please dish me some veal'
Carl and Tina were speechless.
That lunch was one of Wolfes best performances; I admit it. He didnt know a damn thing about Carl and Tina except that they were in a jam, he knew that Cramer and Stebbins dealt only with homicide, and he had a strong prejudice against entertaining murderers at his table. Some years back a female prospective client had dined with us in an emergency, on roast Watertown goose.
It turned out that she was a husband-poisoner, and roast goose had been off our menu for a solid year, though Wolfe was very fond of it. His only hope now was his knowledge that I was aware of his prejudice and even shared it, and I took my seat at the end of the table and disposed of a big helping of the veal and mushrooms, followed by pumpkin puffs, without batting an eye.
He must have been fairly tight inside, but he stayed the polite host clear to the end, with no sign of hurry even with the coffee. Then, however, the tension began to tell. Ordinarily his return to the office after a meal was leisurely and lazy, but this time he went right along, followed by his guests and me. He marched across to his chair behind the desk, got his bulk deposited, and snapped at me, What have you got us into now'
I was pulling chairs around so the Vardas family would be facing him, but stopped to give him an eye.
Us'I inquired.
Yes.
Okay, I said courteously, if thats how it is. I did not invite them to come here, let alone to lunch. They came on their own, and I let them in, which is one of my functions. Having started it, Ill finish it. May I use the front room, please'Ill have them out of here in ten minutes.
Pfui. He was supercilious. I am now responsible for their presence, since they were my guests at lunch. Sit down, sir. Sit down, Mrs. Vardas, please.
Carl and Tina didnt know what from which. I had to push the chairs up behind their knees. Then I went to my own chair and swiveled to face Wolfe.
I have a question to ask them, I told him, but first you need a couple of facts. Theyre in this country without papers. They were in a concentration camp in Russia and theyre not telling how they got here if they can help it. They could be spies, but I doubt it after hearing them talk. Naturally they jump a mile if they hear someone say boo, and when a man came to the barber shop this morning and showed a police card and asked who they were and where they came from and what they were doing last night they scooted the first chance they got.
But they didnt know where to go so they came here to buy fifty bucks worth of advice and information. I got bighearted and went to the shop disguised as a Boy Scout.
You went'Tina gasped.
I turned to them. Sure I went. Its a complicated situation, and you made it worse by beating it, but you did and here we are. I think I can handle it if you two can be kept out of the way. It would be dangerous for you to stay here. I know a safe place up in the Bronx for
In time, Archie. You like veal and mushrooms.
Talk about infantile. His not being willing to sit to his lunch with unfed people in the house was all well enough, but why not send trays in to them'That was easy - he was sore at me, and I had called them foreigners.
I stepped to the end of the table and said, I know you have a paroxysm if I try to bring up business during meals, but eighteen thousand cops would give a months pay to get their hands on Carl and Tina, your guests.
Indeed. Wolfe was serving the veal and accessories. Why'
Have you talked with them'
No. I merely invited them to lunch.
Then dont until Ive reported. I ran into Cramer and Stebbins at the barber shop.
Confound it. The serving spoon stopped en route.
Yeah. Its quite interesting. But first lunch, of course. Ill go put the chain bolt on. Please dish me some veal'
Carl and Tina were speechless.
That lunch was one of Wolfes best performances; I admit it. He didnt know a damn thing about Carl and Tina except that they were in a jam, he knew that Cramer and Stebbins dealt only with homicide, and he had a strong prejudice against entertaining murderers at his table. Some years back a female prospective client had dined with us in an emergency, on roast Watertown goose.
It turned out that she was a husband-poisoner, and roast goose had been off our menu for a solid year, though Wolfe was very fond of it. His only hope now was his knowledge that I was aware of his prejudice and even shared it, and I took my seat at the end of the table and disposed of a big helping of the veal and mushrooms, followed by pumpkin puffs, without batting an eye.
He must have been fairly tight inside, but he stayed the polite host clear to the end, with no sign of hurry even with the coffee. Then, however, the tension began to tell. Ordinarily his return to the office after a meal was leisurely and lazy, but this time he went right along, followed by his guests and me. He marched across to his chair behind the desk, got his bulk deposited, and snapped at me, What have you got us into now'
I was pulling chairs around so the Vardas family would be facing him, but stopped to give him an eye.
Us'I inquired.
Yes.
Okay, I said courteously, if thats how it is. I did not invite them to come here, let alone to lunch. They came on their own, and I let them in, which is one of my functions. Having started it, Ill finish it. May I use the front room, please'Ill have them out of here in ten minutes.
Pfui. He was supercilious. I am now responsible for their presence, since they were my guests at lunch. Sit down, sir. Sit down, Mrs. Vardas, please.
Carl and Tina didnt know what from which. I had to push the chairs up behind their knees. Then I went to my own chair and swiveled to face Wolfe.
I have a question to ask them, I told him, but first you need a couple of facts. Theyre in this country without papers. They were in a concentration camp in Russia and theyre not telling how they got here if they can help it. They could be spies, but I doubt it after hearing them talk. Naturally they jump a mile if they hear someone say boo, and when a man came to the barber shop this morning and showed a police card and asked who they were and where they came from and what they were doing last night they scooted the first chance they got.
But they didnt know where to go so they came here to buy fifty bucks worth of advice and information. I got bighearted and went to the shop disguised as a Boy Scout.
You went'Tina gasped.
I turned to them. Sure I went. Its a complicated situation, and you made it worse by beating it, but you did and here we are. I think I can handle it if you two can be kept out of the way. It would be dangerous for you to stay here. I know a safe place up in the Bronx for
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