The Father Hunt

In the office after lunch I told Wolfe what Saul and I had decided about the approach, including my phone calls to Nathaniel Parker and Lily, and then reported. "I did one thing," I said, "and learned one thing. I arranged for the client to stay put in Miss Rowan's penthouse until further notice, and I learned that in nineteen forty-four Floyd Vance had a telephone at an office at Ten East Thirty-ninth Street. There wasn't time to go and have a look, but I know that the wreckers haven't got to that block and the old buildings on the south side are still there. Unless Saul got something hotter we'll go and surround it."

Wolfe looked at Saul.

"Nothing even warm," Saul said. "It always helps to see a subject, but Archie had already seen him, so it's no

news that he's a middle-aged slouch who may have been quite a fine figure twenty-three years ago. He has two little rooms, with him in one and a blonde with too much lipstick in the other, and when I asked about his past and present clients he either had very little to show or he wasn't showing me. Of course he wanted to know who Parker's client was, that was natural, but he pressed me on it more than he should have. I was getting so little that I almost made a mistake. I thought of asking him if he had ever had a television producer for a client, but of course I didn't. I was thinking on my way there that it might be possible to g&t something with a nice collection of his fingerprints on it, but he was right there with me in that little room. If he locks the door when he leaves that would be no problem. The lock's an ordinary Wingate. Archie or I could open it with our eyes shut."

Wolfe shook his head. "We have no use for fingerprints now. Possibly later."

"I know, but I thought it would be nice to have them. I mention it only because I can't match what Archie got -that nineteen forty-four address." Saul looked at me. "It's still August and the weekend starts in a couple of hours." He got up. "Let's go, you can plan it on the way."