Murder by the Book

"Okay," I conceded. " 'Put Not Your Trust' was the title of Baird Archer's novel. At last you've got a man on base, but by a fluke. I hereby enter it for the record in coincidences that the item you specially requested had that notation on it and you spotted it. If that's how-"

"Pfui," Wolfe snorted. "There was nothing coincidental about it, and any lummox could have interpreted that notation."

"I'm a superlummox."

"No." He was so pleased he felt magnanimous. "You got it for us. You got those women here and scared them. You scared them so badly that one or more of them felt it necessary to

concede a connection between Baird Archer and someone in that office."

"One of whom? The women?"

"I think not. I prefer a man, and it was the men I asked for material written by Dykes. You scared a man or men. I want to know which one or ones. You have an engagement for this evening?"

"Yes. With a blond switchboard operator. Three shades of blond on one head."

"Very well. Find out who made that notation on Dykes's letter in that square distinctive hand. I hope to heaven it wasn't Dykes himself." Wolfe frowned and shook his head. "I must correct myself. All I expect you to learn is whose hand that notation resembles. It would be better not to show the letter and the notation itself."

"Sure. Make it as tough as you can."

But it wasn't as tough as it sounded because the handwriting was so easy to imitate. During the afternoon I practiced it plenty before I prepared my bait. When I left for my date at 6:40 I had with me, in the breast pocket of my newest lightweight blue suit, one of the items that had been sent us- a typewritten memorandum from Leonard Dykes-with a penciled notation in the margin made by me:

13

BLANCHE DUKE surprised me that evening. She had two shots of her special formula-gin, vermouth, grenadine, and Pernod-before dinner, and then quit. No more. Also she wore a nice simple blue dress and went easy with cosmetics. Also, most important, she could dance much better than Sue Dondero. On the whole, while she was not something for the Bobolink to stare at, she certainly needed no excuses, and she made the Bobolink band seem even better than it was. By ten o'clock I would have been perfectly willing to split the check with our client. But I was there on business.