The Father Hunt

Wolfe's shoulders went up a little and down. "Very well, sir, I'll talk, but it will go faster if you accept the realities of the situation. You say I won't hector you, but I already have. I bullied you into coming this morning, and in doing so I completely exposed my position. I made it clear that you are faced with an alternative: either you will answer my questions about certain matters, answers that will satisfy me, or I will give the police information that will move them to investigate thoroughly your relations over the years with two people-Floyd Vance and Carlotta Vaughn, later Elinor Denovo. If you are not conversant with criminal law you may not know why the police will be concerned. Floyd Vance's lawyer, if he knows he can't get his client acquitted, and he can't, because of evidence supplied by Mr. Goodwin and me, will try to get a verdict of accidental homicide or second-degree murder. The police and the* District Attorney will want a verdict of first-degree murder, and to get it they will need to establish a motive. You could verify this by communicating with the police or the District Attorney, but of course you can't do that, since you don't want the details of your connection with those two people to be disclosed. And they would inevitably be disclosed; once; the police get the concrete evidence of the connection, the – checks you sent to Elinor Denovo during those twenty-

three years, they will uncover all the facts. That's a task for which they are admirably equipped."

Wolfe turned a hand over and said, with no change of tone, "You had an early breakfast and a long ride. Will you have refreshment of any kind? Coffee or other drink? A sandwich, pastry, fruit? Thyme honey on corn fritters?"

Jarrett's jaw worked. "Damn your impudence." He ignored the offer of refreshments, which was a pity, for he had never tasted Fritz's corn fritters coated with wild thyme honey. "This is blackmail," he said, "but even if I would pay, you couldn't deliver. If you don't tell the police about those checks McCray will, or one of the others."

"No. Not possibly. They have no knowledge, not even a suspicion, of any connection between you and Floyd Vance. Only Mr. Goodwin and I have that."

"You do not. There is no connection. If you-"

"Mr. Jarrett. Don't talk nonsense. Accept the realities. The mere mention of Floyd Vance's name brought you to the telephone, and what I added brought you here. Pfui. Confound it, you're not well."