In the Best Families

After I had bathed and shaved and got into clean pyjamas, and answered a couple of phone calls from journalists, and moseyed down to the office and fooled around a while, someone did walk in. When I heard the front door open I made for the hall as if I had been expecting another package of sausage, and there was

Fritz. He turned from closing the door, saw me, and beamed.

“Ah! Archie! You escaped? '

“I'm out on bail. He seemed to want to shake hands, and I was willing. “Thanks for your note. How's the new job?

“Terrible. I'm played up. Mr Wolfe?

“I know nothing about Mr Wolfe. I ate half a jar of pate.

He stopped beaming. “Mr Vukcic is going to sell this house.

“He's going to offer it for sale, which is not the same thing.

“Perhaps not. He sighed. “I'm tired. Mr Vukcic said there is no reason why I should not sleep here but I should ask you. It would be good for me-I am so used to that room…

“Certainly. I'm used to mine too. I'm going to sleep here until further notice.

“Good. He started for the kitchen, stopped, and turned. “Are you going to look for him?

“No! Hearing myself shout, it seemed a relief and I did it again. “I am not! I went to the stairs and started up. “Good night.

“Good night, Archie.

I was on the landing when his voice came. Til get your breakfast! I don't have to leave until ten!

“Swell! I called back. “We'll never miss him!

The next day, Tuesday, I had no time to raise a lump. There were dozens of phone calls, from newspapers, former clients, friends, and miscellaneous. One was from

Calvin Leeds, asking me to go up there to see him, and I told him I had had enough of Westchester for a while. When he insisted, I agreed to receive him at the office at two o'clock. I took advantage of another call, from Lon Cohen at the Gazette, to ask about my recent cell mate, Max Christy. Lon asked why I wanted to know. Lon is a good guy, but no newspaperman on earth can answer the simplest question without asking you one first, and more if possible.

“Just curious, I told him. “I met him in jail over the weekend, and thought he was charming. I don't want a biography, just a line or two.

“For quotation?

“No.

“Right. He's comparatively new to this section, but he's a fast mover. Not really big yet. As far as I know, the only thing he's close to right in town is a string of rooms for transients. He seems to be specialising on little week-end roundups in the suburbs.

“Just games, or women, or what?