Some Buried Caesar

"He couldn't have. It doesn't wait that long to kill. The question of how he got it… that's one thing we came over here to discuss." McMillan faced Osgood. He hesitated a second and said, "Look here, Fred, say we sit down. I'm about played out. We want to ask you something."

Osgood said curtly, "Come to the veranda."

I controlled a grin. By gum, he wasn't going to have a mud lark sitting within his walls. They all moved, Wolfe followed, and I brought up the rear, after a glance to see that Nancy was just getting up from her chair and Bronson was no longer visible through the French window. I requested her not to forget to ask the servants what Wolfe had told her, and she nodded,

When I got to the veranda they were seated in a group in the wicker chairs and McMillan was telling Osgood, "We all want it cleared up and that's why Pratt and I came over here. Waddell will be along pretty soon. Someone had an idea, it doesn't matter who, after Caesar was found dead, and we thought it was only fair to tell you about it before it is followed up. If you want to know why I came to tell you… I came because everybody else was afraid to. It's Wad- dell's job, or Sam Lake's, not mine, and it will be up to them to investigate it if they decide to, but they asked me to come and discuss it with you first. Pratt offered to come, but we knew how far that would get and it might even lead to some more violence of which we've had plenty, so I came, and he came along with what I would call good intentions… he can tell you-"

Pratt began, "The fact is, Fred-"

"My name's Osgood, damn you!"

"All right. Take your name and stick it up your chimney and go to hell."

Osgood ignored him and demanded, "What do you want to discuss, Monte?"

"About Clyde," McMillan said. "You're going to be sore. naturally, but it won't help any to fly off the handle. The fact is that Clyde was in that pasture. What for? Waddell and Sam Lake, and Captain Barrow of the state police, admit that Nero Wolfe's reconstruction of it is possible, but it's hard to believe, and one reason it's hard is that if somebody did all that, who was it? That's Chiefly what has them stumped."

"Not unique," murmured Wolfe.