Over My Dead Body

I said, "Excuse me. There are times when you get mad and there are times when I get mad. I'll make a concession. I was going to hit him and then talk, but I'll talk first."

I put my face fourteen inches from Barrett's. "You. I am restraining myself. You have implied that this office has a stooling department. What evidence have you got to back that up? Talk like a man whether you are one or not. I warn you I'm mad. Have you got any evidence?"

"I… I didn't mean-"

"Have you?"

"No."

"Are you sorry you said it?"

"Yes."

"Don't say it to oblige me. I'd rather you refused to say it. You are sorry?"

"Yes."

"Marshmallows," I muttered, and went back to my chair.

Wolfe said, "You'll have to learn to control that, Archie. Physical duress, unless carried to an intolerable extreme, is a miserable weapon." He wiggled a finger at Barrett. "Not that I object to duress when it's necessary, as it is now. It doesn't matter what it was that moved Madame Zorka to tell you about her phone call to me; the fact is that she did so; nor does it matter what form of persuasion you used on her. It's obvious that you hid her, or at least you know where she is, since it was you who got her to pack up and go-"

Barrett started off. I circled around him on the lope to head him off at the door. Wolfe snapped at his back:

"Come back here! Unless you want everyone sniffing on the trail of Bosnian forest concessions and Yugoslav credits-"

I admit that Wolfe's form of duress was more effective than mine. Mine had made him eat a bite of crow, but Wolfe's apparently drained him of his blood. Three steps from the door he stopped and stiffened, and his cheeks went pasty. He turned slowly then, to face Wolfe. I went back to my chair and sat and enjoyed looking at him.

He wet his lips with his tongue, twice. Then he moved, clear to the corner of Wolfe's desk, and squeaked down at him: "What are you talking about? Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Certainly. About banditry. A euphemism for it is international finance. In this case represented by the well-known firm of Barrett & De Russy."

"And what about it?"