In the Best Families

“This is a terrible thing, an awful thing. It is established that Mrs Rackham was stabbed to death out there in the woods-and the dog that was with her. We have the knife that was used, as you know-it has been shown to you-one of the steak knives that are kept in a drawer here in the dining-room-they were used by you at dinner last evening. We have statements from all of you, but of course

I'll have to talk further with you. I won't try to do that now. It's after three o'clock, and I'll come back in the morning. I want to ask whether any of you has anything to say to me now, anything that shouldn't wait until then. His eyes went over them. “Anyone?

No sound and no movement from any quarter. They sure were a chatty bunch. They just stood and stared at him, including me. I would have liked to relieve the tension with a remark or question, but didn't want to remind him that I was present.

However, he didn't need a reminder. After all the others, including the servants, had cleared out, Leeds and I were moving towards the door when Ben

Dykes' voice came. “Goodwin!

Leeds kept going. I turned.

Dykes came to me. “We want to ask you something.

“Shoot.

District Attorney Archer joined us, saying, “In there with Noonan, Ben.

“Him and Noonan bring sparks, Dykes objected. “Remember last year at

Sperling's?

Til do the talking, Archer stated, and led the way to the hall and along to the smaller room where Noonan was still seated at the table, conferring with a colleague-the one who had brought me from Hillside Kennels. The colleague moved to stand against the wall. Noonan arose, but sat down again when Archer and

Dykes and I had pulled chairs up.

Archer, slightly plumper than he had been a year ago, with his round red face saggy and careworn by the stress of an extremely bad night for him, put his forearms on the table and leaned at me.

“Goodwin, he said earnestly but not offensively, “I want to put something up to you.

“Suits me, Mr Archer, I assured him. “I've never been ignored more.

“We've been busy. Lieutenant Noonan has of course reported what you told him.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe. Almost impossible to believe. It is well known that Nero Wolfe refuses dozens of jobs every month, that he confines himself to cases that interest him, and that the easiest and quickest way to interest him is to offer him a large fee. Now I-

“Not the only way, I objected.