“Only as a favor to your cousin?
Wasn't Molly Lauck your friend? Wasn't she murdered? You aren't interested in helping with that?”
It didn't jolt her much.
She swallowed again, but stayed steady.
“Interested-yes.
Of course.
But I've told the police-I don't see what Lew-I don't see why you-” She stopped herself and jerked her head up and demanded,
“Haven't I said I'll answer your questions?
It's awful-it's an awful thing-”
“So it is.” Wolfe turned abruptly to the blonde. “Miss Mitchell.
I understand that at twenty minutes past four last Monday afternoon, a week ago yesterday, you and Miss Frost took the elevator together, downstairs, and got out at this floor.
Right?”
She nodded.
And there was no one up here; that is, you saw no one.
You walked down the corridor to the fifth door on the left, across the corridor from Mr. McNair's office, and entered that room, which is an apartment used as a rest room for the four models who work here.
Molly Lauck was in there.
Right?”
She nodded again.
Wolfe said, Tell me what happened.”
The blonde took a breath.
“Well, we started to talk about the show and the customers and so on.
Nothing special.
We did that about three minutes, and then suddenly Molly said she forgot, and she reached under a coat and pulled out a box-”
“Permit me.
What were Miss Lauck's words?”
“She just said she forgot, she had seme loot-”
“No. Please. What did she say? Her exact words.”
The blonde stared at him.
“Well, if I can. She said, let's see:
‘Oh, I forgot, girls, I've got some loot.
Swiped it as clean as a whistle.’
While she was saying that she was pulling the box from under the coat-”
“Where was the coat?”
“It was her coat, lying on the table.”
“Where were you?”
“Me?
I was right there, standing there.
She was sitting on the table.”
“Where was Miss Frost?”
“She was-she was across by the mirror, fixing her hair.
Weren't you, Helen?”
The sylph merely nodded.
Wolfe said:
“And then?
Exactly. Exact words.”
“Well, she handed me the box and I took it and opened it, and I said-”
“Had it been opened before?”
“I don't know.
It didn't have any wrapping or ribbon or anything on it.
I opened it and I said,