“It is usual for me to confer with anyone who might have useful information.” Wolfe glanced at the clock. “Let's see if we can't cut across, Mrs. Frost.
It is ten minutes to four.
I permit nothing to interfere with my custom of spending the hours from four to six with my plants upstairs.
As your brother-in-law said with amazing coherence, this thing is simple.
I do not deliver an ultimatum to Mr. Llewellyn Frost, I merely offer him an alternative.
Either he can pay me at once the amount I would have charged him for completing his commission-he knew before he came here that I ask high fees for my services-and dismiss me, or he can expect me to pursue the investigation to a conclusion and send him a bill.
Of course it will be much more difficult for me if his own family tries to obstruct-”
Mrs. Frost shook her head.
“We have no wish to obstruct,” she said gently. “But it is apparent that you have misconstrued a remark my daughter Helen made while you were questioning her, and we…naturally, we are concerned about that.
And then…if you are about to confer with the police, surely it would be desirable for you to understand…”
“I understand, Mrs. Frost.” Wolfe glanced at the clock. “You would like to be assured that I shall not inform Inspector Cramer of my misconstruction of your daughter's remark.
I'm sorry, I can't commit myself on that, unless I am either dismissed from the case now with payment in full, or am assured by Mr. Llewellyn Frost-and, under the circumstances, by you and your brother-in-law also-that I am to continue the investigation for which I was engaged.
I may add, you people are quite unreasonably alarmed, which is to be expected with persons of your station in society.
It is highly unlikely that your daughter has any guilty connection with the murder of Miss Lauck; and if by chance she possesses an important bit of information which discretion has caused her to conceal, the sooner she discloses it the better, before the police do somehow get wind of it.”
Mrs. Frost was frowning.
“My daughter has no information whatever.”
“Without offense-I would need to ask her about that myself.”
“And you…wish to be permitted to continue.
If you are not, you intend to tell Inspector Cramer-”
“I have not said what I intend.”
“But you wish to continue.”
Wolfe nodded.
“Either that, or my fee now.”
“Listen, Calida.
I've been sitting here thinking.” It was Dudley Frost. He sat up straight. I saw Wolfe get his hands on the arms of his chair. Frost was going on: “Why don't we get Helen down here?
This man Wolfe is throwing a bluff. If we're not careful we'll find ourselves coughing up ten thousand dollars of Helen's money, and since I'm responsible for it, it's up to me to prevent it. Lew says hell have it next week, but I've heard that before. A trustee is under the most sacred obligation to preserve the property under his care, and it couldn't be paid out of surplus income because you don't leave any surplus. The only way is to call this fellow's bluff-”
I was about ready to go to the cabinet for some more Irish, since apparently the previous serving had all been assimilated, when I saw it wouldn't be necessary.
Wolfe shoved back his chair and got up, moved around and stopped in front of Llewellyn, and spoke loud enough to penetrate the Dudley Frost noise:
“I must go.
Thank God.
You can tell Mr. Goodwin your decision.”
He started his progress to the door, and didn't halt when Dudley Frost called at him:
“Now here!
You can't run away like that! All right, all right, sir! All right!”
His target gone, he turned to his sister-in-law:
“Didn't I say, Calida, we'd call his bluff? See that? All it needs in a case like this-”
Mrs. Frost hadn't bothered to turn in her chair to witness Wolfe's departure.
Llewellyn had reached across for another grip on his father's knee and was expostulating:
“Now, Dad, cut it out-now listen a minute-”
I stood up and said,
“If you folks want to talk this over, I'll leave you alone a while.”
Mrs. Frost shook her head.
“Thank you, I don't believe it will be necessary.”
She turned to her nephew and sounded crisp:
“Lew,.you started this.
It looks as if you'll have to continue it.”
Llewellyn answered her, and his father joined in, but I paid no attention as I got at my desk and stuck a sheet of paper in the typewriter.
I dated it at the top and tapped it off.
To NERO WOLFE:
Please continue until further notice the investigation into the murder of Molly Lauck for which I engaged you yesterday, Monday, March 30, 1936.