I will not say that I smirked as I got these sordid facts scratched into my notebook, but I admit that I had no difficulty in keeping back the tears.
Wolfe, having got answers to all the questions that had occurred to him, leaned back and heaved a sigh. “I can understand,” he murmured, “that you felt impelled to get rid of this nettle by passing it on to someone. But even if I grasped it for you, what then? What do I do with it?”
“I don’t know.” It is supposed to make people feel better to tell their troubles, but apparently it made Dorothy feel worse. She sounded as forlorn as she looked.
“Moreover,” Wolfe went on, “what are you afraid of? The property, including the bank balance, now belongs to you. It would be a waste of time and money for the District Attorney’s office to try to get you indicted and brought to trial, and it wouldn’t even be considered. Unless Mr. Donaldson is an idiot he knows that. Tell him so. Tell him I say he’s a nincompoop.” Wolfe wiggled a finger at her. “Unless he thinks you killed your father and wants to help get you electrocuted. Does he hate you that much?”
“He hates me,” Dorothy said harshly, “all he can.”
“Why?”
“Because once I let him think I might marry him, and he announced it, and then I changed my mind. He has strong feelings. It was strong when he loved me, and it is just as strong now when he hates me. Any way he can use that check to hurt me, he’ll do it.”
“Then you can’t stop him, and neither can I. The forged check and your father’s memorandum are legally in his possession, and nothing can keep him from showing them to the police. Does he ride horseback?”
“Oh, my God,” Dorothy said hopelessly. She stood up. “I thought you were clever! I thought you would know what to do!” She made for the door, but at the sill she turned. “You’re just a cheap shyster too! I’ll handle the dirty little rat myself!”
I got up and went to the hall to let her out, to make sure that the door was properly closed behind her. When I was back in the office I sat down and tossed the notebook into a drawer and remarked, “Now she’s got us all tagged. I’m a coward, you’re a shyster, and the executor of her father’s estate is a rat. That poor kid needs some fresh contacts.”