In the Best Families

Something like a million times I had seen Wolfe, faced with a belligerent statement from a caller, lean back and close his eyes. I thought I might as well try it, and did so. But the springs which let the chair's back slant to the rear were carefully adjusted to the pressure of Wolfe's poundage, not mine, and I had to keep pushing to maintain the damn' thing in the leaning position.

“A man who comes forty miles for an explanation, I said, with my eyes closed,

“is entitled to one. What needs explaining?

“Nero Wolfe's behaviour does.

“That's nothing new. It was too much of a strain keeping the chair back in a leaning position, and I straightened up. “It often has. But that's not my department.

“I want to see him.

“So do I.

“You're a liar, Goodwin.

I shook my head, my lips tight. “You know, I said, “I have probably told as many lies as any man my age except psychos. But I have never been called a liar as frequently as in the past twenty-four hours, and I have never stuck so close to the truth. To hell with it. Mr Wolfe has gone south to train with the

Dodgers. He will play shortstop.

That won't help any, Leeds said, patient but determined, “that kind of talk. If you don't like being called a liar, neither do I, and the difference is that I'm not. The district attorney says I'm lying, because Nero Wolfe has suddenly disappeared, and he disappeared because he doesn't dare answer questions about my cousin Sarah's visit to him here, and that proves that your report of that visit is false, and since my report is the same as yours mine is false too. Now that sounds logical, but there's a flaw in it. The flaw is their assumption that his disappearance was connected with my cousin's visit. I know it couldn't have been, because there was nothing about our talk that day that could possibly have had such a result. I have told them that, and they think I'm lying. As long as they think I'm lying, and you too, they'll have their minds on that and they won't find out who killed my cousin and why-and anyway, I don't want to be suspected of lying when I'm not, especially not in connection with the murder of my cousin.

Leeds paused for breath and went on, “There's only one way out that I can see, and that's for you to tell them the real reason for Wolfe's disappearance-or, better still, he ought to tell them himself. I want you to put this up to him.