Plot It Yourself

Dexter took a breath. “Jacobs claimed that the plot of his novelette was original and unique, also the characters, and that the plot and characters of Hold Fast to All I Give You, Echols’s novel, were obviously a steal. He said he would be glad to let us inspect his manuscript-that’s how he put it-and would give us a copy if we wanted one. His presumption was that someone at Norris and Baum had either told Echols about it or had let him read it. Everyone at Norris and Baum denied it, and so did Echols, and we at Title House believe them. Utterly. But a plagiarism suit is a tricky thing. There is something about the idea of a successful author stealing his material from an unsuccessful author that seems to appeal to ordinary people, and juries are made up of ordinary people. It dragged along for nearly a year. The final decision was left to Echols and his attorney, but we at Title House approved of it. They decided not to risk a trial. Jacobs was paid ninety thousand dollars for a general release. Though we were not obligated by contract. Title House contributed one-fourth of it, twenty-one thousand, five hundred.”

“It should have been half,” Harvey said, not arguing, just stating a fact.

Wolfe asked, “Did you get a copy of Jacobs’s manuscript?”

Dexter nodded. “Certainly. It supported his claim. The plot and characters were practically identical.”

“Indeed. Again, Mr Harvey, it seems to be too late.”