Prisoner's Base

On the face of it that suggestion was gracious and generous, and maybe it was, but the situation was complicated. If we had been engaged on the case in the usual manner, and, after dope, I had taken Lon to Pierre's for a feed, it would of course have gone on the expense account and we would have been reimbursed. But this was different. If I listed it as an expense Wolfe was stuck unless he billed me as client. If I didn't list it I was stuck and there could be no deduction on an income-tax report, either Wolfe's or mine, which wouldn't do at all.

So I phoned Lon, and he came and ate kidneys mountain style, and carameled dumplings, instead of a Pierre steak, which was convenient and economical but had its drawback-namely, that I usually dispose of six of those dumplings and this time was limited to four; and Wolfe had to be content with seven instead of ten. He took it like a man, filling the gap with an extra helping of salad and cheese.

Back in the office after dinner, I had to hand it to Lon. He was full of food as good as a man can hope for anywhere, and wine to go with it, but he was not blurry. My phoning him twice and the invitation to dine had him set either to take or to give, whichever was on the program, and as he relaxed in one of the yellow chairs, sipping B B, his eyes darted from Wolfe to me and back again.

Wolfe's chest billowed with a deep sigh. "I'm in a pickle, Mr. Cohen," he declared. "I am committed to investigate a murder and I have no entree. When Archie told you today that I was not interested in the death of Miss Eads it was the truth, but now I am, and I need a toehold. Who killed her?"

Lon shook his head. "I was intending to ask you. Of course you know it's out that she was here yesterday, that she left here not long before she was killed, so everybody takes it for granted that you're working on it. Since when have you needed an entree?"

Wolfe squinted at him. "Are you in my debt, Mr. Cohen, or am I in yours?"

"I'll call it square if you will."

"Good. Then I assume I have credit. I'll read your paper in the morning, and others too, but here we are now. Do you mind talking about it?"

Lon said he didn't mind a bit and proceeded to prove it. He talked for nearly an hour, with some questions from Wolfe and a few from me, and when he finished we may have been better informed but had nothing we could call an entree.