Rex Stout - Nero Wolfe 41 Read Free

never leave my house on business. It would—”
    “You have Saul Panzer and Fred Durkin and Orrie Cather.”
    Ordinarily that would have touched him, her rattling off their names like that, but not then. “I wouldn’t ask them to take the risk,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect Mr. Goodwin to take it. Anyway, it would be futile and fatuous. You say ‘stop him.’ You mean, I take it, compel the FBI to stop annoying you?”
    “Yes.”
    “How?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Nor do I.” He shook his head. “No, madam. You invited it, and you have it. I don’t say that I disapprove of your sending the books, but I agree with the lawyers that it was quixotic. The don endured afflictions; so must you. They wont keep it up forever, and, as you say,you’re not a congressman or a drudge with a job to lose. But don’t send any more books.”
    She was biting her lip. “I thought you were afraid of nobody and nothing.”
    “Afraid?” I can dodge folly without backing into fear.”
    “I said no other man alive could do it.”
    “Then you’re in a box.”
    She got her bag and opened it, took out the checkfold and pen, wrote again, the stub first as before, stepped to his desk and picked up the first check and replaced it with the new one, and returned to the chair.
    “That hundred thousand dollars,” she said, “is merely a retainer. I will pay all expenses. If you succeed, your fee, determined by you, will be in addition to the retainer. If you fail, you will have the hundred thousand.”
    He leaned forward to reach for the check, gave it a good look, put it down, leaned back, and closed his eyes. Knowing him, I knew what he was considering. Not the job; as he had said, it was preposterous; he was looking at the beautiful fact that with a hundred grand in the till on January fifth he would need, and would accept, no jobs at all for the rest of the winter, and the spring, and even into the summer. He could read a hundred books and propagate a thousand orchids. Paradise. A corner of his mouth twisted up; for him that was a broad grin. He was wallowing. That was okay for half a minute, a man has a right to dream, but when it got to a full minute I coughed, loud.
    He opened his eyes and straightened up. “Archie? Have you a suggestion?”
    So it had bit him good. It was conceivable that he might even commit himself, partially at least, and of course that wouldn’t do. The best way to prevent it was to get her out of there quick.
    “Not offhand,” I said. “No suggestion. I have a comment. You said that if she’s being tailed she was followed here, but if her phone’s tapped they didn’t have to bother to tail her because they heard her secretary making the appointment.”
    He frowned. “And this house
is
under surveillance.”
    “Possibly. It could be that it isn’t as bad as she thinks it is. Of course she wouldn’t stretch it deliberately, but—”
    “I don’t ‘stretch’ things,” she cut in.
    “Of course not,” I told her. “But,” I told Wolfe, “people who aren’t used to being annoyed annoy easy. We can check the tailing part right now.” I turned. “Did you come in a taxi, Mrs. Bruner?”
    “No. My car and chauffeur are outside.”
    “Fine. I’ll take you out and wait there while you leave and see what happens.” I stood up. “Mr. Wolfe can let you know tomorrow what he decides.” I went to the couch for the sable.
    It worked. She didn’t like it. She had come to hire Nero Wolfe, and she hung on for five minutes trying to clinch it, but she soon saw that she was only riling him and got up and invited her coat. She was up on Wolfe all right. Aware that he didn’t like to shake hands, she didn’t offer, but when I followed her out to the stoop she gave my hand a firm warm clasp, having gathered that I was going to be in on the decision. There were a couple of icy spots on the seven steps of the stoop, and I took her elbow down to the sidewalk, and the chauffeur was there at the open