In the Best Families

It was a hot August night, and as I walked along that block I was sweating a little myself, especially my left armpit under the holster. There was a solid string of parked cars at the curb, and when the Chewy stopped and its door opened and my name was called, not loud, I had to squeeze between bumpers to get to it. As I climbed in and pulled the door shut the man in the front seat, behind the wheel, swivelled his head for a look at me and then, with no greeting, went back to his chauffeuring, and the car started forward.

My companion on the back seat muttered at me, “Maybe you ought to show me something.

I got out my display case and handed it to him with the licence-detective, not driver's-uppermost. When we stopped for a light at Second Avenue he inspected it with the help of a street lamp, and returned it. I was already sorry I had wasted an evening. Not only was he not Zeck; he was no one I had ever seen or heard of, though I was fairly well acquainted, at least by sight, with the high brass in the circles that Max Christy moved in. This bird was a complete stranger. With more skin supplied for his face than was needed, it had taken up the slack in pleats and wrinkles, and that may have accounted for his sporting a pointed brown beard, since it must be hard to shave pleats.

As the car crossed the avenue and continued west, I told him, “I came to oblige

Max Christy-if suggestions might help any. I'll only be around till Saturday.

He said, “My name's Roeder, and spelled it.

I thanked him for the confidence. He broadened it. “I'm from the West Coast, in case you wonder how I rate. I followed something here and found it was tied in with certain operations. I'd just as soon leave it to local talent and go back home, but I'm hooked and I have to stick. Either he preferred talking through his nose or that was the only way he knew. “Christy told you we want a man tailed?

“Yes. I explained that I'm not available.

“You have got to be available. There's too much involved. He was twisted around to face me. “It'll be harder than ever now, because he's on guard. It's been messed up. They say if anyone can do it you can, especially with the help of a couple of men that Nero Wolfe used. You can get them, can't you?

“Yeah, I can get them, but I can't get me. I won't be here.

“You're here now. You can start to-morrow. As Christy told you, five C.s a day.

It's a straight tailing job, where you're working for a man named Roeder from