The Father Hunt

"No, a studio in the Bronx. That's why she took her car. Of course I went over all this with the police. They said she left the studio a little after ten that evening, and I told them she probably went for a drive. She often did. She said it relaxed her. I never saw her relaxed, not really."

"Who went to the preview with her?"

"No one." Thome emptied his glass and put it on ttc stand, started a hand for the bottle, and pulled it back. "That's marvelous cognac."

"Help yourself. I have nine bottles left. We'll start with that Friday and work back. How much were you with Elinor that morning?"

"Not much. There was a staff conference, but she had to leave it when someone came. Later I-"

"Who came?"

"A woman from an agency about a replacement their client didn't like. Just routine. Agencies' clients never like anything. Later I dictated some notes to her. Of course I had my secretary and she had hers, but she still did shorthand, and dictating to her made it different. It came out better. She was a very remarkable woman. She had offers of twice, three, or four times as much as she could make with me, agencies and public-relations people, but she turned them all down."

"Why?"

"I don't know. My guess was that they were mostly big outfits and she liked the complete freedom she had with me."

"What if I asked you to tell me everything you heard her say that morning? Could you do it?"

"My God, no. Anyway it was just business. There couldn't possibly have been anything with any hint of what was going to happen to her that night. You know, I might be better at this if I knew why you think it was premeditated murder. Goodwin told me it was Amy's in-tution. Isn't a hit-and-run nearly always just a hit-and-run?"

"Yes. I would Eke to oblige you, Mr. Thorne, if only as a token of Miss Denovo's appreciation of your willingness to help, but I can't divulge information that the police are reserving. Only five hours ago a police officer of high rank, discussing that hit-and-run with Mr. Goodwin, said, 'He got a cigar out to light it while he was parked on Second Avenue waiting for her, and there she came.' If I were free to tell you more I would. Help yourself to brandy. If you please, Archie, beer?"

That was a fair example of how to lie while sticking to