Murder by the Book

My associates wanted a luncheon conference, but I plead fatigue from my night on the plane and came here to my apartment. Again my subconscious had taken command, for it came to me in a rush of sudden surprise that I had irrevocably determined to kill myself. I did not dispute the decision. I calmly accepted it. The further decision, whether to leave behind me an account of my disaster and what led to it, has not yet been made. I have spent hours writing this. I shall now read it over and decide. If I send it at all it will go to you, since it is you who have destroyed me. Again here at the end, as at the beginning, what interests me most is my motive. What is it in me that wants to send this to you, or to anyone? But if I start on that I will never end. If I do send it I will not attempt to tell you what to do with it, since in any case you will do as you see fit. That is what I am doing; I am doing as I see fit.

That was all. I jiggled the sheets together, refolded them, slipped them into the envelope, and went and mounted the three flights to the plant rooms. Wolfe, wearing one of his new yellow smocks, was in the potting room inspecting the roots of some Dendrobiums he had knocked out of the pots. I handed him the envelope and told him, "You'll have to read this."

"When I come down."

"Cramer is coming at eleven. If you read it with him

sitting there he'll get impatient. If you talk with him without reading it I would prefer not to be present."

"What does it say?"

"A full confession. Betrayal of his partner, O'Malley, three murders-the works."

"Very well. I'll wash my hands."

He went to the sink and turned the faucet on.

20

WTPHIS," Wolfe told Inspector Cramer, "is correct not only

J- in substance but also in text."

He held in his hand a typed copy, brought by Cramer, of what Corrigan had said to us on the phone just before the bang, as reported by Wolfe to Sergeant Auerbaeh.

Cramer looked at me. "You were on the line too, Goodwin? You heard it?"

I nodded, arose, got the paper from Wolfe, read it, and handed it back. "Right. That's what he said."

"I want a statement to that effect signed by both of you."

"Certainly," Wolfe acceded. –

Cramer was in the red leather chair, leaning back comfortably, like a man intending to stay a while. "Also," he said, not belligerently, "I want a statement from Goodwin giving all details of his trip to California. But first I would like to hear him tell it."

"No," Wolfe said firmly.

"Why not?"