Murder by the Book

They kept getting into squabbles about anything and everything. For instance, when Wolfe was asking about Dykes's reaction to the disbarment of O'Malley, and was told by Corrigan that Dykes had written him a letter of resignation, Wolfe wanted to know when. Sometime in the summer, Corrigan said, he didn't remember exactly, probably in July. Wolfe asked what the letter had said.

* "I forget how he put it," Corrigan replied, "but he was just being scrupulous. He said he had heard that there was talk among the staff that he was responsible for O'Malley's trouble, that it was baseless, but that we might feel it would be harmful to the firm for him to continue. He also said that it was under O'Malley as senior that he had been made office manager, and that the new regime might want to make a change, and that therefore he was offering his resignation."

Wolfe grunted. "Was it accepted?"

"Certainly not. I called him in and told him that we were completely satisfied with him, and that he should ignore the office gossip."

"I'd like to see his letter. You have it?"

"I suppose it was filed-" Corrigan stopped. "No, it wasn't I sent it to Con O'Malley. He may have it."

"I returned it to you," O'Malley asserted.

"If you did I don't remember it."

"He must have it," Phelps declared, "because when you

showed it to me-no, that was another letter. When you showed me Dykes's resignation you said you were going to send it to Con."

"He did," O'Malley said. "And I returned it-wait a minute, I'm wrong. I returned it to Fred, in person. I stopped in at the office, and Jim wasn't there, and I gave it to Fred."

Briggs was blinking at him. "That," he said stiffly, "is absolutely false. Emmett showed me that letter." He bunked around. "I resent it, but I'm not surprised. We all know that Con is irresponsible and a liar."

"Goddam it, Fred," Phelps objected, "why should he lie about a thing like that? He didn't say he showed it to you, he said he gave it to you."

"It's a lie! It's absolutely false!"

"I don't believe," Wolfe interposed, "that the issue merits such heat. I would like to see not only that letter but also anything else that Dykes wrote-letters, memoranda, reports -or copies of them. I want to know how he used words. I would like that letter to be included if it is available. I don't need a stack of material-half a dozen items will do. May I have them?"

They said he might.

When they had gone I stretched, yawned, and inquired, "Do we discuss it now or wait till morning?"