Over My Dead Body

"Hallo, Ernie? Archie Goodwin. That's right. How's about things? Fine, thanks, everything rosy. I'm studying to be a detective. Not on your life. Say, listen, I'm pulling a stunt and I want you to do me a favour. Send a bellboy in uniform over to the Maidstone Building, Room 3259. Wait, get this: a small one, about five foot three, and not a fat one. With a cap on, don't forget the cap. With a dark complexion if you've got one like that. Yep, dark hair and eyes. Good. Have him bring a parcel with him containing all his own clothes, everything, including hat. Right. Oh, not long. He can be back there within an hour, only you'll have to give him another uniform. Oh, no. Just a stunt I'm pulling. I'm playing a trick on a feller. I'll describe it when I see you. Make it snappy, will you, Ernie?"

I rang off, took the expense roll from my pocket, peeled off a ten, and tendered it to the secretary. "Here, run down to the nearest store and get a pair of black, low-heeled oxfords that will fit her. Like what a bellboy might wear. Step on it."

She looked critically at Carla's feet. "Five?"

Carla nodded. Driscoll told the secretary:

"Give him back that money." He got out his wallet and produced a twenty-dollar bill. "Here. Get a good pair."

She took it, handed me mine, and went. She may have been chilly, but she wasn't a goof.

Carla said, "I don't go."

"Oh." I looked at her. "You won't?"

"No."

"Would you rather go to police headquarters and entertain the homicide squad?"

"I won't-I want to go away. I must go away. Mr Driscoll said he would help me."

"Yeah. Well, he wasn't quick enough on his feet. Even after all his fencing lessons. Anyway, you would have been nabbed downstairs. Do you realize at all the kind of spot you're inhabiting right now?"

"I realize-" She stopped to make her voice work, "I'm in a terrible fix. Oh-terrible! You don't know how terrible!"

"Wrong again. I do know. Would I be staging a damn fool stunt like this to get you to Nero Wolfe if I didn't?"

"It won't do any good to take me to Nero Wolfe. I won't talk to him. I won't talk to anybody."

Driscoll went over and stood in front of her. "Look here, Miss Lovchen," he said, "I don't think that's a sensible attitude. If you don't want to talk to the police, I can understand that. You may have a reason that's absolutely commendable. But sooner or later you'll have to talk to somebody, and if you're not careful it will be a lawyer, and then you are up against it. From what I have heard of this Nero Wolfe…"