Prisoner's Base

"Poops." I took them in. "Last Tuesday, six days ago, I sat on a bench in this building with handcuffs on. You may remember also that Mr. Wolfe was conveyed to Leonard Street under a warrant, and you know how he felt about that. Wanting to make a scene, he announced that I was his client, and he was stuck. He had to go through some motions, and he did; and acting for him, I pulled Sarah Jaffee in, and she got it. That threw me off balance, and I made a mistake. I asked to work with you because I thought that way I would be in it more, and I guess I have been, but where are we? And Mr. Wolfe is sore as a pup, and you know damn well he is, and yet you have the gall to ask me to ask him this, because you think if you ask him he'll say no. I think so too, but I also think he'll say no if I ask him. Take your pick-would you rather have him say no to you or to me?"

"We want him to say yes," Skinner declared.

"So do I, but I don't think there's a glimmer. Do you want me to try?"

"Yes."

"When do you want to stage it? Today?"

"As soon as possible. We can have them there in half an hour."

I looked at my wrist; it was ten to nine. I might catch him before he went up to the plant rooms. "Which phone do I use?"

Skinner indicated one of the five on his desk, even going so far as to lift the receiver and hand it to me as I stepped over. I gave the number and soon had Wolfe's voice.

"Archie. Have you finished breakfast?"

"Yes." He didn't sound so peevish. I knew him so well, and all the thousand shades and keys of his voice, that one "yes" gave me the tune. He added, "Fritz tells me you had yours here."

"Yeah, I needed to rinse off. I'm calling you at the request of the People of the State of New York."

"Indeed."

"As requested by quite a mixture-the Police Commissioner and two of his deputies, the District Attorney, a bunch of inspectors and deputy inspectors, not to mention Sergeant Purley Stebbins. I'm talking from the private office of the Commissioner-you know it; you've been here. After these days and nights of camaraderie with them-is that the way to pronounce it?"

"Almost."

"Good. I am held in high esteem by the whole shebang, from Commissioner all the way down to Lieutenant Rowcliff, which is quite a distance. Wanting to show me what they think of me, they are bestowing a great honor on me. Having a request to make of you, they are letting me make it. They're all sitting here gazing at me so tenderly I've got a lump in my throat. You ought to see them."