Over My Dead Body

She almost smiled at him. "I knew you would ask zat. A friend was very kind to me."

"Is the friend's name Donald Barrett?"

She sat silent a moment, just looking at him, and then said, "But I am foolish. Zaire is no disgrace. Anyway, eet ees known to a few people, and you would ask and find out. Zee kind friend who lent me money ees Mr Barrett. He ees, what you call eet, silent partner."

"You're in debt to Mr Barrett, then?"

"Debt?" She frowned. "Oh, debt. Yes, very much."

Wolfe nodded. "I sympathize with you, madame. I hate being in debt. Some people don't seem to mind it. By the way, those people in Yugoslavia-those who might be in danger if you told us the rest of your name-are they relatives of yours?"

"Yes, some. Some relatives."

"Are you Jewish?"

"Oh, no. I am very old Yugoslavian family."

"Indeed. Nobility?"

"Well…" She pulled her shoulders up and together, and released them again.

"I see. I won't press that. The danger to your relatives-would that be on account of your activities in New York?"

"But I have no activities in New York, except my business."

"Then I don't understand how revealing your name would place your relatives in peril."

"Zat ees… eet would be suspect."

"What would be suspect?"

She shook her head.

Cramer growled, "We know damn well she's not normal. I could have told you that much. When we went through her apartment this morning-"

Zorka's head jerked around at him and she squeaked in indignation, "You went through my apartment!"

"Yes, ma'am," he said calmly. "And your place of business. Anybody that stages the kind of performance you did last night can expect some unwelcome attention. You're lucky you're not down at headquarters right now phoning for your kind friend to furnish bail for you, and that's exactly where you'll be when we're through here, maybe." He resumed to Wolfe, "There's not a thing, not a scratch of anything, at her home or office either, that takes you back further than a year ago, the time she came to New York. That's why I say we already knew she wasn't normal."

"Did you find a passport?"

"No. That's another thing-"

"Where is your passport, madame?"

She looked at him. She wet her lips twice. "I am in zees country legally," she declared.

"Then you must have a passport. Where is it?"

For the first time her eyes had a cornered look. "I weel explain… to zee propaire officaire…"

"There's nothing improper about me," Cramer said grimly.

Zorka spread out her hands. "I lost eet."