The Father Hunt

I lied. I could have dodged and wriggled, a lot of guff, that I hadn't known Carlotta Vaughn and therefore could only guess, and if and but and even so, but I preferred a straight lie. "Yes," I said, "she certainly would. It was a long time ago, but you may remember. When did you first see her?"

"That's easy. I'll never forget that first winter; I still have the scars. I started, rented that one room, in the fall • of nineteen forty-three, and I first saw Carlotta the next spring-early spring, April, or it could have been March. I suppose the first time was in the hall or the elevator, I don't remember."

"Then she was there in the spring and summer of nineteen forty-four."

She nodded. "That's right, nineteen forty-four."

"Do you remember when you saw her last?"

"Not definitely, no. Not to name a date, but when I hadn't seen her for a while I asked Floyd Vance about her and he said…" She frowned and shook her head. "Something vague. She had gone somewhere or something."

"Was that in summer, or fall, or winter?"

"Not winter. By November my business was beginning to show some signs of life, and I wanted to tell Carlotta, but she wasn't there. It was probably in October."

"That would make it a total of six or seven months. You said you didn't know if she worked for Floyd Vance, or with him. But she was there every day, in his office?"

"I don't know about every day. But most of the time, yes, she was there. He was in public relations. I don't know if he still is, I know nothing about him. He left Number Ten-I think it was two years after Carlotta left."

"I have the impression that your liking for Carlotta didn't extend to him,"

"It didn't. I didn't know him, really, and I didn't want to. He thought he was handsome and charming, and perhaps he was, but I thought he was-well, flashy. Not the kind of man I would work either for or with. And if you -good lord, is he your client?"

"He is not. I doubt if there are many men of any kind you would work for or with."

She smiled, more with her mouth than her eyes. "I've never tried and don't intend to. I wouldn't mind having a man of your kind working for me. How much does Nero Wolfe pay you?"

"Nothing. I work for love of the job. I meet interesting people like you. If I get fed up and quit I'll come and remind you. Speaking of quitting, do you suppose Carlotta quit Vance because her opinion of him was about the same as yours? She might have said-"