“Hello?” He was as indignant as I had been.
“Archie. Get this, because we may be interrupted. Sarah Jaffee phoned me. Her keys were missing from her bag, and the elevator man had let her in. I said I would go up to her and told her what to do meanwhile. I came, and I’m phoning from her apartment. She did what I told her to, but she’s here on the floor dead. Hit on the head and then strangled. The next time she’s in danger she should phone someone else. I don’t know when I’ll be home.”
“Archie.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I said it is vainglorious to reproach yourself for lack of omniscience. That is also true of omnipotence. Report in as you can.”
“Right. Happy dreams.”
I pressed the knob down and held it for a moment, let it up, and dialed WA 9-8241. There I got a break, and I never needed one more — Sergeant Purley Stebbins was on duty. I will not claim that Purley loves me, but at least he will listen sometimes. I got him.
“Yeah, Goodwin?” he growled.
“I have information for you,” I told him, “but first I would appreciate an answer to one question. Have you got tails tonight on any of the suspects in the Eads case?”
“Who wants to know?”