The Second Confesion

So at that time the identity of William Reynolds-whether it was Mr Rony or another person-was an open question.” Wolfe turned a hand up. “But twenty-four hours later it was no longer open.

Whoever William Reynolds was, almost certainly he wasn't Louis Rony. Not only that, it was a workable assumption that he had murdered Rony, since it was better than a conjecture that he had dragged the body behind a bush in order to search it, had found the membership card, and had taken it. I made that assumption, tentatively. Then the next day, Tuesday, I was carried a step further by the news that it was my car that had killed Rony. So if William Reynolds had murdered Rony and taken the card, he was one of the people there present. One of those now in this room.” A murmur went around, but only a murmur.

“You've skipped something,” Ben Dykes protested. “Why did it have to be Reynolds who murdered and took the card?” “It didn't,” Wolfe admitted. These were assumptions, not conclusions. But they were a whole; if one was good, all were; if one was not, none. If the murderer had killed and searched the body to get that card, surely it was to prevent the disclosure that he had joined the Communist Party under the name of William Reynolds, a disclosure threatened by Rony-who was by no means above such threats. That's where I stood Tuesday noon. But I was under an obligation to my client, Mr Sperling, which would be ill met if I gave all this to the police-at least without trying my own hand at it first. That was what I had decided to do'-Wolfe's eyes went straight to Sperling-”when you jumped in with that confounded statement you had coerced Mr Kane to sign. And satisfied Mr Archer, and fired me.” His eyes darted to Kane. “I wanted you here for this, to repudiate that statement. Will you? Now?” “Don't be a fool, Web,” Sperling snapped. And to Wolfe, “I didn't coerce him!” Poor Kane, not knowing what to do, said nothing. In spite of all the trouble he had caused us, I nearly felt sorry for him.

Wolfe shrugged. “So I came home. I had to get my assumptions either established or discredited. It was possible that Mr Rony had not had the membership card on his person when he was killed. On Wednesday Mr Goodwin went to his apartment and made a thorough search-not breaking and entering, Mr Stebbins.” “You say,” Purley muttered.