The Father Hunt

In arranging for Amy Denovo, who was eight inches shorter than me, to hear and see from the alcove I could have put phone books for her to stand on, but the show might last an hour or more, and for her price of admission, of twenty grand she deserved something better than standing room. So after breakfast Friday morning I took the kitchen stepladder to the alcove, sat on it, and found that my eyes were five inches above the center of the hole. I had never measured Amy and me to determine how much of my extra eight inches was below the hips and how much was above, but I decided that would be close enough.

Amy arrived at 10:21 and Saul at 10:29. I took Amy to the alcove, had her perch on the stepladder, slid the panel open, and saw that her eyes were about right. "The size of that seat," I said, "it's a good thing it's your fanny and not Mr. Wolfe's."

"What is this?" she demanded.

"For you, spectator sport. You're going to hear and see the man who sent those two hundred and sixty-four checks to your mother. Cyrus M. Jarrett is due at eleven o'clock, by appointment. We thought you ought to hear it firsthand, and with him in the red leather chair his face will be about ten feet from yours. Take a look."

She leaned to get her eyes closer to the hole. "Won't he see me?"

"No. From that side it's just a picture."

She turned to me, "But why do… What's he going to say?"

"We're waiting to hear him. Among other things he may tell us, and you, the name of your father. That may-"

The doorbell rang and I went, and it was Saul. I had told him what the program was and needed only to take him to the alcove and introduce him to the client who had paid him, through me, a little less than a grand in two weeks.

"Since you call me Archie," I told Amy, "you'll have to call him Saul not to hurt his feelings. He'll be here with you and if you get the idea that we're not asking Jarrett the right questions and decide to come and help, Saul will block you. Jarrett must not suspect that he has any audience but Mr. Wolfe and me. Have your shoes off, and if you feel a cough or a sneeze coming, for God's sake feel it soon enough to beat it to the kitchen." I looked at my watch. "He's due in twenty-five minutes, but he's driving ninety miles and he might be early. Saul will now take you to the kitchen for a coffee break. I'll be in the office taking tranquilizers to steady my nerves."

"You won't," Amy said. '