In the Best Families

Even if his own safety is involved, he ought to manage somehow. If it was something about some client that made him disappear, in the interest of some client, then you can tell him from me that I saw him take a cheque from my cousin for ten thousand dollars and it seems to me he's under obligation to her as much as any other client, to protect her interests, in the wrong place about who killed her-and killed her dog too. His jaw quivered a little, and he clamped it tight.

“Do you mean, I inquired, “that suspicion is centred on you? How come?

“Not on me as-as a murderer, I don't suppose so, but on me as a liar, and you and Wolfe. Even though she left me a great deal of money-I'm not thinking about being arrested for murder.

“Who do you think ought to be?

“I don't know. He gestured. “You're trying to change the subject. It's not a question of me and what I think, it's you and what you're going to do. From what

I've heard of Wolfe, I doubt if it would help for you to tell him what I've said; I've got to see him and tell him myself. If he has really got to hide from somebody or something, do it however you want to. Blindfold me and put me face down in your car. I've got to see him. My cousin would have wanted me to, and he took her money.

I was half glad there for a moment that I did not know where Wolfe was. I had no admiration for Leeds' preference in pets, since I would put a woman ahead of a

Doberman pinscher any day, and there was room for improvement in him in a few other respects, but I couldn't help but admit he had a point and was not being at all unreasonable. So if I had known where Wolfe was I would have had to harden my heart, and as it was all I had to harden was my voice. It struck me then, for the first time, that maybe I shouldn't be so sore at Wolfe after all.

Leeds hung on for another quarter of an hour, and I prolonged it a little myself by trying to get something out of him about the progress the cops had made, without success. He went away mad, still calling me a liar, which kept it unanimous. What he got from me was nothing. What I got from him was that Mrs

Rackham's funeral would be the next morning, Wednesday. Not a profitable way to spend most of an hour, for either of us.

I spent what was left of the afternoon looking into the matter of sausage.