Over My Dead Body

"Sure, it's simply beautiful." Cramer abruptly got up. "But… there's a couple of little things. So far as is known, she and no one else was in that room with him, and for the purpose of lunging at him with an йpйe. Then the alibi Faber gives her is one of those neat babies that could be 99 per cent true and still be a phoney. All you've to subtract would be the part about his seeing and speaking with Ludlow as Miss Tormic left the end room. I don't claim to know any reason why Faber-"

The interruption was the entrance of Fritz. Inside the door a pace he halted to get a nod from Wolfe, and then advanced to the desk and extended the card tray. Wolfe took the card, glanced at it, and elevated his brows.

He told Fritz to stand by, and looked up at Cramer, who was standing, speculatively.

"You know," he said, "since you're leaving anyway, I could easily finesse around you by having this caller shown into the front room until you're gone. But I really do like to co-operate when I can. One of your ten inmates up there has got loose. Unless they've let him go in order to follow him. which I believe is a usual tactic."

"Which one?"

Wolfe glanced at the card again. "Mr Rudolph Faber."

"You don't say." Cramer stared at Wolfe's face for seven seconds. "This is a hell of time of night for a complete stranger to be making an unexpected call."

"It certainly is. Show him in, please, Fritz."

Cramer turned to face the door.

I chalked up one for the chinless wonder. He may have been shy on chin, but his nerve was okay. While there may have been no reason why the unlooked-for sight of Inspector Cramer's visage should have paralysed him with terror, it must have been at least quite a surprise, but he did no shrinking or blanching. He merely halted in a manner that should have made his heels click but didn't, lifted a brow, and then marched on.

Cramer grunted something at him, grunted a good-night to Wolfe and me, and tramped out. I got up to greet the newcomer, leaving the front hall politeness to Fritz. Wolfe submitted to a handshake and motioned the caller to the chair that was still warm after Cramer. Faber thanked him and blinked at him, and then turned on me and demanded:

"How did you get away up there? Bribe the cop?"