The wound in Shayne’s head throbbed dully, distracting his thoughts. He poured cognac into the glass on his desk and drank it, swiveled back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
The drink relaxed his body and eased the pain, and his mind became more alert. Ann Margrave had indicated that Vulcan not only had a good chance of winning the suit without resorting to murder, but that Carrol was determined to throw in the sponge, as soon as his wife’s influence was completely removed by divorce, and admit he had connived with Margrave to withhold from them a discovery which, under his contract, was their property.
If Ann could be believed.
That was an important point — a crucial point, maybe. It was quite possible that Ann was blinded by her hatred of Nora. At the moment, Shayne was willing to bet a large sum that Ann was the author of the anonymous notes Carrol had received about his wife.
Why Margrave had called him in on the murder investigation was still an enigma. There was the matter of public relations, of course. Quite naturally, the police had refused to consider the Vulcan Corporation a serious suspect. Perhaps Margrave merely sought headlines and sensational news stories by hiring Shayne to investigate the corporation. It was an exciting theory, and one that would be eagerly picked up by the press throughout the country, if a man with Michael Shayne’s reputation were to make such a statement. No matter how guiltless the corporation, or what the outcome of the investigation, some of the stigma would linger. It might well affect the judgment of a jury when the suit against Carrol’s estate came to trial.
Another disquieting question, at the moment, was whether or not Margrave had been aware of Nora’s plan to quash the divorce, and did he know that Nora believed Michael Shayne to be the man who had arranged it for her? If so, he had certainly given no indication of that knowledge or belief during their interview. Still, it was quite possible, and he considered the ramifications of the idea thoroughly.
Had Nora communicated with Margrave since Carrol’s death to tell him how the plan had miscarried?
There were so many things he didn’t know, he reminded himself irritably. He made a mental list.
The identity of Ludlow.
The identity and motive of the man who tried to kill him.