The Father Hunt

"If Saul will be free tomorrow morning ask him to come at ten, and call Fred and Orrie. Also at ten. When they come give them everything; they'll need it all and there's nothing we should reserve. You have seen Mr. Jarrett and I haven't. I need your opinion. Elinor Denovo's letter said, "This money is from your father.' We know it was sent by Mr. Jarrett, the first check two weeks after the birth, but it appears that he is not the father. Well? You have seen him. What impelled him?"

"Yeah, I've seen him." I drank coffee. "And heard him. God only knows. It might be for any one of a thousand reasons, including blackmail, that a man might send a

woman a grand every month for twenty-two years, but we decided to take Elinor's letter without salt, and there it is, this money is from your father. She couldn't have meant it came direct from Amy's father because it didn't, unless we crack Jarrett's alibi, and we won't. But she knew it came from Jarrett. Even if there was no understanding or arrangement, the checks were Seaboard Bank and Trust Company, and she knew they were from Jarrett. So this money is from your father really meant this money was sent to me by Cyrus M. Jarrett because a certain man was your father. Then all we have to do is tell Saul and Fred, while Orrie checks the alibi, to pick up Jarrett twenty-two years ago and find out what certain man he would feel obligated to that much and that long."

"His son."

"Oh, sure. The son comes first and foremost. You stole my line. I was going to stand up and say, 'Even a baboon could feel like that about a son, and Jarrett has got one,' and walk out." I stood up. "You have Saul's number if anything happens this evening. Eugene Jarrett might drop in for a chat."

I walked out.

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