The Rubber Band

At the dinner table, of course, business was out. Nothing was said to Clara Fox about the call for help from Mike Walsh or Perry's visit. In spite of the fact that she had a rose pinned on her, she was distinctly down in the mouth and wasn't making any effort in the way of peddling charm, but even so, appraising her coolly, I could see that she might be a real problem for any man who was at all impressionable. She had been in the plant rooms with Wolfe for an hour before six o'clock, and during dinner he went on with a conversation which they had apparently started then, about folk dances and that sort of junk. He even hummed a couple of tunes for her, after the guinea chicken had been disposed of, which caused me to take a firm hold on myself so as not to laugh the salad out of my mouth. At that, it was better than when he tried to whistle, for he did produce some kind of a noise.

With the coffee he told her that the larceny charge had been dropped.

She opened her eyes and her mouth both. "No, really? Then I can go!" She stopped herself and put out a hand to touch his sleeve, and color came to her cheeks. "Oh, I don't mean… that was terrible, wasn't it? But you know how I feel, hiding…"

"Perfectly." Wolfe nodded. "But I'm afraid you must ask us to tolerate you a little longer. You can't go yet."

"Why not?"

"Because, first, you might get killed. Indeed, it is quite possible, though I confess not very likely. Second, there is a development that must still be awaited. On that you must trust me. I know, since Archie told you of Lord Clivers' statement that he has paid-"

I didn't hear the finish, because the doorbell rang and I wasn't inclined to delay about answering it. I was already on pins and I would soon have been on needles if something hadn't happened to open things up. I loped down the hall.

It was only Johnny Keems, whom I had sent home over an hour before. Wondering what for, I let him in. He said, "Have you seen it?"

I said, "No, I'm blind. Seen what?"

He pulled a newspaper from his pocket and stuck it at me. "I was going to a movie on Broadway and they were yelling this extra, and I was nearby so I thought it would be better to run over with it than to phone-"

I had looked at the headlines. I said, "Go to the office. No, go to the kitchen. You're on the job, my lad. Satisfactory."