The Rubber Band

"Where else would I be?"

That kind of childishness never riles me. I grinned at the old goat, said, "Okay," and left him.

Outside in the corridor, down a few paces toward the directors' room, a group of four or five men stood talking. I saw Perry was among them, and approached. He saw me and came to meet me.

I said, "Nothing more tonight, Mr. Perry. Let's let Mr. Muir have a chance to cool off. I'll report to Nero Wolfe."

Perry frowned. "He can phone me at my home any time this evening. It's in the book."

"Thanks. I'll tell him."

As I passed Miss Vawter on my way out, still sitting in the corner with her magazine, I said to her out of the side of my mouth, "See you at the Rainbow Room."

IV

DOWN on the sidewalk the shades of night were not keeping the metropolitan bipeds from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Striding north toward 35th Street, I let the brain skip from this to that and back again, and decided that the spot Clara Fox was standing on was probably worse than hot, it was sizzling. Had she lit the fire herself? I left that in unfinished business.

I got home just at six o'clock and, knowing that Wolfe wouldn't be down for a few minutes yet, I went to the office to see if the Wyoming wonder had thought of any new suspicions and if his colleagues had shown up. The office was empty. I went through to the front room to see if he had moved his base there, but it was empty too. I beat it to the kitchen. Fritz was there, sitting with his slippers off, reading that newspaper in French. I asked him, "What did you do with him?"

"Qui? A}i, Ie monsieur-" Fritz giggled. "Excuse me, Archie. You mean the gentleman who was waiting."

"Yeah, him."

"He received a telephone call." Fritz leaned over and began pulling on his slippers. "Time already for Mr. Wolfe!"

"He got a phone call here?"

Fritz nodded. "About half an hour after you left. More maybe. Wait till I look." He went to the stand where the kitchen phone extension was kept, and glanced at his memo pad. "That's right. Five-twenty-six. Twenty-six minutes past five."

"Who was it?"

Fritz's brows went up. "Should I know, Archie." He thought he was using slang. "A gentleman said he wished to speak to Mr. Scovil in case he was here, and I went to the office and asked if it was Mr. Scovil, and he talked from your desk, and then he got up and put on his hat and went out."

"Leave any message?"