“Yes,” she mumbled, “you’ve made it plain.”
Suddenly a shudder ran over her whole body, her head dropped forward, and her hands lifted to cover her face, her elbows on her knees. The shudder quit, and she froze like that. She held it so long that I decided another nudge was required, but before I got it out she straightened up and demanded, “What made you think I would do such a thing?”
“I don’t think. Mr. Wolfe does the thinking. I’m just a crummy little stooge.”
“You’d better go. Please go!”
I stood up and I hesitated. My feeling was that I had run through it smooth as silk, as instructed, but at that point I wasn’t sure. Should I make a play of trying to crowd her into a yes or no, or leave it hanging? I couldn’t stand there forever, debating it with her staring at me, so I told her, “I do think it’s a good offer. The number’s in the phone book.”
She had nothing to tell my back as I walked to the foyer. I let myself out, descended the three flights, walked to Lexington, found a phone booth in a drugstore, and dialed the number I knew best. In a moment Wolfe’s voice was in my ear.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m in a booth. I just left her.”
“In what mind?”
“I’m not sure. She had Carol Berk hid in a closet. After that had been attended to and we were alone I followed the script, and she was impressed. I’m so good at explaining things that she didn’t have to ask questions. The light wasn’t very good, but as far as I could tell the prospect of collecting ten grand wasn’t absolutely repulsive to her, and neither was the idea of flipping Miss Goheen into the soup. She was torn. She told me to go, and I though it wise to oblige. When I left she was in a clinch with herself.”
“What is she going to do?”