I offered to connect him with Wolfe in the plant rooms, but he said not to disturb him, he could give it to me.
He had had a little trouble.
The Clara Fox larceny charge was being handled by an Assistant District Attorney named Frisbie whom Morley knew only fairly well, and Frisbie hadn’t seemed especially inclined to open up, hut Morley had got some facts.
A warrant for Clara Fox’s arrest, and a search warrant for her apartment, had been issued late Monday afternoon.
The apartment had not been searched because detectives under Frisbie’s direction had gone first to the garage where she kept her car, and had found in it, wrapped in a newspaper under the back seat, a package of hundred dollar bills amounting to $30,000.
The case was considered airtight.
Frisbie’s men no longer had the warrant for arrest because it had been turned over to Inspector Cramer at the request of the Police Commissioner.
I thanked Morley and hung up and went upstairs to the plant rooms and told Wolfe the sad story.
He was in the tropical room trimming wilts.
When I finished he said,
“We were wrong, Archie.
Not hyenas.
Hyenas wait for a carcass. Get Mr. Perry on the phone, connect it here, and take it down.”
I went back to the office.
It wasn’t so easy to get Perry.
His secretary was reluctant, or he was, or they both were, but I finally managed to get him on and put him through to Wolfe.
Then I began a fresh page of the notebook.
Perry said he was quite busy, he hoped Wolfe could make it brief.
Wolfe said he hoped so too, that first he wished to learn if he had misunderstood Perry Monday afternoon.
He had gathered that Perry had believed Miss Fox to be innocent, had been opposed to any precipitate action, and had desired a careful and complete investigation.
Perry said that was correct.
Wolfe’s tone got sharp.
“But you did not know until after seven o’clock last evening that I was not going to investigate for you, and the warrant for Miss Fox’s arrest was issued an hour earlier than that.
You would not call that precipitate?”
Perry sounded flustered.
“Well … precipitate … yes, it was. It was, yes. You see … you asked me yesterday if I am not the fount of justice in this organization.
To a certain extent, yes.
But there is always … well … the human element.
I am not a czar, neither in fact nor by temperament.
When you phoned me last evening you may have thought me irritable—as a matter of fact, I thought of calling you back to apologize.
The truth is I was chagrined and deeply annoyed.
I knew then that a warrant had been issued for the arrest at the instance of Mr. Muir.
Surely you can appreciate my position.
Mr. Muir is a high official of my corporation.
When I learned later in the evening that the money had been found in Miss Fox’s car, I was astounded … I couldn’t believe it … but what could I do?
I was amazed….”
“Indeed.” Wolte still snapped. “You’ve got your money back.
Do you intend to proceed with the prosecution?”
“You don’t need to take that tone, Wolfe.” Perry sharpened a little. “I told you there is the human element.
I’m not a czar.
Muir makes an issue of it.
I’m being frank with you.
I can’t talk him off.
Granted that I could kick the first vice-president out of the company if I wanted to, which is a good deal to grant, do you think I should?
After all, he has the law—”
“Then you’re with him on it?”
A pause.
“No.
No, I’m not.
I… I have the strongest… sympathy for Clara—Miss Fox.