“Please not so loud. Please. Then you know he’s dead?”
“Yes. I saw him. I don’t want a table. Where’s Felix?”
“Felix is up in the office with two men. They came and said Marko had been shot and killed. He left the dinner to Leo and me and took them upstairs. No one has been told except Vincent at the door because Felix said Marko would not want the dinner to be spoiled. It makes me want to vomit to see them eating and drinking and laughing, but it may be that Felix is right — and the face he had, it was no time to argue. Do you think he is right? I would myself want to put everybody out and lock the door.”
Wolfe shook his head. “No. Felix is right. Let them eat. I’m going upstairs. Archie?” He headed for the elevator.
The third floor of the building had been remodeled a year or so previously to provide an office in front and three private dining rooms to the rear. Wolfe opened the door to the office, without knocking, and entered, and I followed. The three men in chairs over by a table turned to us. Felix Martin, a wiry, compact little guy with quick black eyes and gray hair — in his uniform, of course — got up and started toward us. The other two stayed put. They rated uniforms too, one an inspector’s and the other a sergeant’s, but didn’t wear them to work.
“Mr. Wolfe,” Felix said. You didn’t expect a voice so deep from one that size, even after you were acquainted with it. “The worst thing on earth! The worst thing! Everything was going so fine!”
Wolf gave him a nod and went on by to Inspector Cramer. “What have you got?” he demanded.
Cramer controlled himself. His big round face was always a little redder, and his cold gray eyes a little colder, when he was exercising restraint. “I know,” he conceded, “that you’re interested in this one personally. Sergeant Stebbins was saying to me that we would have to make allowances, and I agreed. Also this is one time when I’ll gladly take all the help you’ll give, so let’s all take it easy. Bring chairs, Goodwin.”
For Wolfe I went and got the one at Marko’s desk because it was nearer the size desired than any of the others. For myself I wasn’t so particular. As I was joining the party Wolfe was demanding, not taking it easy at all, “Have you got anything?”
Cramer tolerated it. “Anything hot, no. The murder was committed just two hours ago.”