I looked at my wrist; it was ten to nine. I might catch him before he went up to the plant rooms. “Which phone do I use?”
Skinner indicated one of the five on his desk, even going so far as to lift the receiver and hand it to me as I stepped over. I gave the number and soon had Wolfe’s voice.
“Archie. Have you finished breakfast?”
“Yes.” He didn’t sound so peevish. I knew him so well, and all the thousand shades and keys of his voice, that one “yes” gave me the tune. He added, “Fritz tells me you had yours here.”
“Yeah, I needed to rinse off. I’m calling you at the request of the People of the State of New York.”
“Indeed.”
“As requested by quite a mixture — the Police Commissioner and two of his deputies, the District Attorney, a bunch of inspectors and deputy inspectors, not to mention Sergeant Purley Stebbins. I’m talking from the private office of the Commissioner — you know it; you’ve been here. After these days and nights of camaraderie with them — is that the way to pronounce it?”
“Almost.”
“Good. I am held in high esteem by the whole shebang, from Commissioner all the way down to Lieutenant Rowcliff, which is quite a distance. Wanting to show me what they think of me, they are bestowing a great honor on me. Having a request to make of you, they are letting me make it. They’re all sitting here gazing at me so tenderly I’ve got a lump in my throat. You ought to see them.”
“How long are you going to drag this out?”