Over My Dead Body

"Two years ago-nearly. My father gave me money for a trip to Paris-and I got a job there and learned to design-and I met Donald Barrett, and he suggested-"

"Where did you get the name Zorka?"

"I saw it somewhere-"

"Have you ever been in Yugoslavia?"

"No."

"Or anywhere in Europe besides Paris?"

"No."

"Is what you said last night-about the reason for your phoning here and then running away to Miss Reade's place-is that the truth?"

"Yes, it is. Like a fool, an utter fool"-she gulped-"I let my conscience bother me because it was murder. If I hadn't done that, none of this…" She flung out her hands. "Oh, can it be-can't this be-?" Her chin was quivering.

"Miss Bupp!" Wolfe thundered. "Don't you dare! Archie, get her out of here! Get her out of the house!"

"Zat weel be a plaizhoore," I said.

Chapter Sixteen

Wolfe looked up at the wall clock and said, "Ten minutes to four. I'll have to leave you pretty soon to go up to my plants."

We were comparatively peaceful again. The two dicks had departed with Miss Bupp, and Lieutenant Rowcliff had been phoned to expect her at headquarters for a little talk.

Cramer said, "It could be a frame, you know. We've tried some of her friends and associates, too. We heard she was a Turk, a Hungarian, a Russian Jew, and maybe part Jap. It won't hurt any to check it up."

Wolfe shook his head, grimaced and muttered, "Ottumwa, Iowa."

"I guess so," the inspector admitted. "Does that shove you off on to a siding?"

"No. It merely…" Wolfe shrugged.

"It merely leaves you still waiting at the station, huh?" Getting no answer, he regarded Wolfe a moment and then went on: "As far as I'm concerned, I'm still playing these. If you go up to your plants, I go along. If you go to the kitchen to mix salad dressing-"

"You don't mix salad dressing in the kitchen. You do it at the table and use it immediately."

"All right. No matter what you go to the kitchen for, I go too. It's plainer than ever that you know where the kernel is in this nut and I don't. Take the fact of Donald Barrett chasing this Zorka Bupp away so we couldn't get at her. I would get fat trying to put the screws on Donald Barrett, with both the commissioner and the district attorney having a bad attack of bashfulness. Wouldn't I? But you don't even waste time with Donald. You have his old man, John P. himself, coming right here and walking right into your office. That goes to show."

Wolfe looked at me. "Archie. Find out if Theodore failed to understand that when I sent a gentleman to look at orchids-"