In the Best Families

Mr Wolfe. She came yesterday morning-Friday-at eleven o'clock, and had Leeds with her. She said that it had been her custom, since marrying Rackham three years and seven months ago, to give him money for his personal use when he asked for it, but that he kept asking for bigger amounts, and she began giving him less than he asked for, and last October second he wanted fifteen grand, and she refused. Gave him zero. Since then, the past seven months, he had asked for none and got none, but in spite of that he had gone on spending plenty, and that was what was biting her. She hired Mr Wolfe to find out where and how he was getting dough, and I was sent up here to look him over and possibly get hold of an idea.

I needed an excuse for coming here, and the dog poisoning was better than average. I fluttered a hand. “That's all.

“You say Leeds was with her? Noonan demanded.

“That's partly what I mean, I told Ben Dykes, “about Noonan's notion of how to ask questions. He must have heard me say she had Leeds along.

“Yeah, Dykes said dryly. “But don't be so damn' cute. This is not exactly a picnic. He spoke to Noonan. “Leeds didn't make any mention of this?

“He did not. Of course I didn't ask him.

Dykes stood up and asked Archer, “Hadn't I better send for him? He went home.

Archer nodded, and Dykes went. “Good God, Archer said with feeling, not to

Noonan or me, so probably to the People of the State of New York. He sat biting his lip a while and then asked me, “Was that all Mrs Rackham wanted?

That's all she asked for.

“Had she quarrelled with her husband? Had he threatened her?

“She didn't say so.

“Exactly what did she say?

That took half an hour. For me it was simple, since all I had to use was my memory, in view of the instructions from Wolfe to give them everything but the sausage. Archer didn't know what my memory is capable of, so I didn't repeat any of Mrs Rackham's speeches verbatim, though I could have, because he would have thought I was dressing it up. But when I was through he had it all.