“I’m eager to, Mr. Wolfe, I’m eager to. I have it all from Blanco. But of course it would be improper for me to divulge privileged communications, so I won’t. I can say this, that Hagh first saw Blanco only a month ago, to show him the document and consult him as to the method of putting in his claim immediately after June thirtieth, his former wife’s birthday, when she would come into possession of property worth millions. Blanco got me on the phone, and I checked at this end — chiefly Priscilla’s father’s will, which of course is on record. With that, and with the details supplied by Hagh, Blanco advised him not to wait for June thirtieth, when the property would pass to Priscilla, but to file his claim immediately with the trustee, Perry Helmar, demanding that half of the property be transferred to Hagh instead of Priscilla, and warning Helmar that he would be held responsible for any default.”
Irby raised his shoulders and dropped them. “That may have been good advice for Venezuela. Whether it was for here I don’t say. Anyhow Hagh took it, and a communication was sent to Helmar which Blanco wrote and Hagh signed, and a copy of it was sent to Priscilla. A copy came to me too, with photostats of the basic document and a full report of the situation, and instructions from Blanco that I should proceed with an action to restrain Helmar from making the transfer to Priscilla. I know a little law and I know where to find more, but I couldn’t find any that would do that trick. Even granting that Hagh’s claim was legally valid—”
“I’ll take your conclusion, Mr. Irby.”
“Very well. I so advised Blanco. He got no reply from Helmar, and none from Priscilla. I finally got to see Helmar — that was last week, Tuesday — and had a long talk with him, but it was completely unsatisfactory. He took no position at all; I couldn’t pin him down to a thing. I decided that under the circumstances it would not be unethical for me to see Priscilla Eads. I had already phoned to ask her if Helmar was her personal attorney, and she didn’t say yes or no. She refused to see me, but I persuaded her, and called at her apartment Friday afternoon. She admitted that she had signed the document in good faith, but soon afterward had changed her mind and asked Hagh to give it back, and he had refused. She offered to pay a hundred thousand dollars cash in settlement of the claim, and said that if Hagh didn’t accept that he would get nothing unless a court ordered it.”
“She made you that offer?”
“Yes, and I phoned Blanco in Caracas to report it. June thirtieth was only ten days away, and if Blanco’s strategy was sound there was no time to spare. But right there everything died. Blanco called Priscilla’s offer contemptible and wouldn’t discuss it. Helmar and Priscilla were both away over the weekend, and I couldn’t even locate them. Monday morning I started in again, but couldn’t get to either one, and I quit trying. Tuesday morning came the news that Priscilla had been murdered. Yesterday.”
Irby slid back in the chair for the first time. The movement had no effect on the dewdrops. He extended his hands as in appeal. “Think of it!” he pleaded. “The situation!”
Wolfe nodded. “Unsatisfactory.”
“Utterly,” the lawyer agreed. He repeated it. “Utterly. I saw no point in spending nine dollars on a phone call to Caracas; frankly, it seemed quite possible that there would be no reimbursement for outlay. I did try to get in touch with Helmar, but without success until noon today. I finally got him on the phone, and do you know what he does?” Irby slid forward again. “He impeaches the document! He denies she ever signed it! He implies that my client forged it! And only last Friday she admitted to me unequivocally that she wrote it with her own hand and signed it, and Margaret Caselli witnessed it!”
Irby hit the arm of the chair with his fist. “I phoned Blanco in Caracas!” He hit it again. “I told him to put Eric Hagh on the first plane for New York!” He hit it again. “And bring the original document with him!” He hit it again. “And I decided to see you!”