The Rubber Band

Finally he murmured, "That's it. Confound you, Archie, did you know it? Is that why you brought it here?"

I asked courteously, "Have you gone cuckoo?"

He ignored me. "But of course not. It's your fate again." He closed his eyes and sighed a deep sigh, and murmured, "Rubber Coleman. The Rubber Band. Of course." He opened his eyes and flashed them at me. "Saul is downstairs? Send him up at once."

"What about Clivers?"

He went imperious. "Wait in the office. Send Saul."

Knowing there was no use pursuing any inquiries, I hopped back down to the kitchen door and beckoned Saul out into the hall. He stuck his nose up at me and I told him, "Wolfe wants you upstairs. For God's sake watch your step, because he has just found the buried treasure and you know what to expect when he's like that. If he requests anything grotesque, consult me.

I went back to my desk, but of course plant records were out. I lit a cigarette, and took my pistol out of the drawer and looked it over and put it back again, and kicked over my wastebasket and let it lay.

There were steps on the stairs, and Saul's voice came from the door. "Let me out, Archie. I've got work to do,"

"Let yourself out. What are you afraid of?"

I stuck my hands in my pockets and stretched out my legs and sat on my shoulder blades and scowled. Ten minutes after Saul had left the phone rang. I uttered a couple of expletives as I reached for it, thinking it was one of the pack with another howl, but Saul Panzer's voice was in my ear. "Archie? Connect me with Mr. Wolfe."

I thought, now that was quick work, and plugged and buzzed. Wolfe's voice sounded. "Nero Wolfe."

"Yes, sir. This is Saul. I'm ready."

"Good. Archie? You don't need to take this."

I hung up with a bang and a snort. My powers of dissimulation were being saved from strain again. But that kind of thing didn't really get me sore, for I knew perfectly well why Wolfe didn't always point out to me the hole he was getting ready to crawl through: he knew that half the time I'd be back at him with damn good proof that it couldn't he done, which would only have been a nuisance, since he intended to do it anyway. No guy who knows he's right because he's too conceited to be wrong can be expected to go into conference about it.

Five minutes after that phone call from Saul the fun began. I got a ring from Wolfe upstairs. "Try for Lord Clivers."