Over My Dead Body

Chapter Eleven

Barrett growled at me, "Didn't I ask you to wait?"

"It doesn't matter," I soothed him. "When my mind is on business-"

"Why," Belinda Reade cried in i

She was working on one herself, and the ingredients for plenty more were handy on a little table. Zorka was having one, too. She had raised herself to her elbow on the chaise-longue and was smiling at me foolishly, without any intention, apparently, of saying anything.

Barrett said, "Be quiet, Bel. This fellow came. " He turned to Zorka. "He came for you. My God, look at you-both of you." He frowned at her and switched at me: "You explain it to her "

"Thees ees no time," Zorka declared in an injured tone, "for explanations "

"Have a drink," Miss Reade insisted. "I have never had a drink with a detective, and especially such a darned good-looking detective " She patted the divan and tugged at the negligйe to cover a knee. "Sit here by me and have a drink "

"Don't be a damned fool," Barrett told her Zorka tittered. "She only wants to make you jealous, Donald. Because you make her jealous of the Tormic girl "

"Bah," said Miss Reade. "Have a drink! What's your name?"

"Call me Archie " It struck me that a little reinforcement might help, so I stretched for the bottle and a glass. Then I drew back and turned to Barrett. "But excuse me. If you're the host. "

"This is Miss Reade's apartment," he said stiffly. "But you came here-"

"Please have a drink," the lady begged me.

"Thanks, I will " I poured a good one and tossed it off, and then advised Barrett, "You ought to have a shot yourself. You're under a strain " I confronted Zorka. "The idea is this. After you phoned me at Nero Wolfe's office and told me-"

"What? After what?"

I went closer so she could focus easier "After you phoned and told me you saw Miss Tormic putting something in my overcoat pocket-"

"But I didn't! I? I phoned you?" She waved her glass at Belinda, spilling a drop or two on the rug, and said in a hurt tone, "Don't let him have another drink! He says I phoned him!"

"Maybe you did, darling. You phone so many men. I wouldn't blame you for phoning him. I like him."

"But I didn't!"

"Well, you should have " Belinda used the blue eyes on me. "Have a drink, Percy "

"Not Percy, Archie Percy was the one that got murdered."

"Oh " She frowned at me. "That's right. That's why we started drinking, to forget about it. Brrrh " She shivered, "And I called you Percy! How fu

"No," Barrett declared curtly. "This fellow-"

"But of course it's fu

Barrett tapped me on the shoulder "You know, you came-"

"Yeah, I know " I faced Zorka. She had the fixed smile on again I would have given an hour's sleep to know how many drinks she had had "About your phoning me," I said. "Maybe I was just trying to brag. It's my one weakness, bragging about women phoning me. The fact is, I came along with Donald Barrett to save him some trouble. I had to come to 48th Street anyway, to get my car. He told me he had asked you to come and spend the night with Miss Reade, but after the talk we had that wasn't necessary, so he supposed you would want to go home, and that's really what I came for, to take you home. Isn't that right, Barrett?"

"I didn't agree-"

"Isn't that right?"

"Well. yes."

"Sure it is. So if you'll just put on a coat-you don't need to bother to dress-we can take your bag and suitcase-"

"What for?" she demanded.

"Why, if you're going home you'll want your luggage-"

"I'm not going home."

"My God, it's nearly daylight-"

"I'm not going home. Am I going home, Belinda?"

"You are not. Even if you were, you wouldn't go with him. I don't like him. Didn't you hear me say I remembered that I don't like him?"

I poured myself another drink, drank it, sat down on the end of the chaise-longue next to Zorka's feet and considered the situation. It had various aspects, the basic problem being whether she was or was not honestly stoozled. If she was, she wouldn't be worth a damn to Wolfe even if I got her there. But I had my reputation to consider. Over a period of years Wolfe had sent me many places many times, to bring him everything from a spool of thread to a Wall Street broker, and I had batted mighty close to a thousand. Besides that, if I went back without her I knew what Wolfe would say: and in addition to that, her silly smile aggravated me.

I stood up and told Barrett in a cold inflexible tone, "It's up to you, brother. You got her here, now you can get her out."

"He didn't get me here," Zorka said. "I came here myself."

"How do you expect me to get her out?" Barrett demanded. "Carry her?"

Zorka said, "Nobody had better touch me. Nobody!"

Belinda said, "Nobody had better touch anybody. Especially you, you good-looking bum."

Barrett said, "I brought you here. That's all I agreed to do. I didn't agree-what's the idea?"

I ignored him and continued on around the head of the divan to where a red-enamelled phone was resting on a long narrow table. He scowled at me while I dialled a number. Belinda commanded him.

"Tackle him, Do

A voice sounded in my ear: "This is Nero Wolfe."

I said, "Hullo, Police Headquarters? Give me Inspector Cramer of the homicide squad."

Wolfe's voice said, "Indeed. Go ahead."

Barrett leaned across the divan at me and started to expostulate. I waved a hand at him to subside, and talked again:

"Hello, Homicide Division? I want to talk to Inspector Cramer. Oh, he has. Who is this talking? Sergeant Finkle? I guess you'll do. This is Archie Goodwin of Nero Wolfe's office. I want to report a development on the Ludlow mur-"

Barrett's hand shot out and pushed the cradle down and held it.

"Don't be a sap," I told him politely. "Even if I don't want to start a rough house-"

"What are you going to tell him?"

"Where he can find a woman who says she saw Miss Tormic put something in my pocket and is now saying she didn't say it."

"You're a goddam fool. You're supposed to be protecting Miss Tormic."

"I know I am. But in the long run the truth is the best protection against-"

"Truth, hell. Do you realize they can trace that call?"

I shrugged. "I presume so. If they do, they'll ring back. Then, if they don't get satisfaction, I presume they'll send somebody here, and it would be bad tactics not to let them in. And, of course, if they find Zorka and me here-"

He had his jaw clamped. "You dirty, treacherous-"

I shrugged.

Miss Reade said, "I am darned sick and tired of hearing about that Tormic! As far as I am concerned, Archie-"

"Be quiet!" Barrett told her savagely. "You know damn well-" He bit it off and wheeled to Zorka. "You'll have to go, and go quick! Get a move on!"

"But," she protested, "you told me-"

"I don't care what I told you! This double-crossing. " He grabbed her shoulder and got her upright. He was pretty masterful in a real emergency. "Where's your coat? Where's your shoes and stockings? To hell with stockings. Shoes!"

He raced to the far end of the room and through a door. I went in the opposite direction, to the foyer, and got my hat and coat and put them on. Then I opened the closet door, thinking to help, but stood bewildered at the array of fur-bearing animals hanging there. I thought what's the difference, and reached for one, but felt my elbow seized from behind and heard Belinda's voice: