“Sure, it’s always me.” I was hurt. “What I did, I got a shave, and Ed had a customer and I had to wait, so I talked with Purley and looked at a magazine — no, I started to but didn’t — and with Inspector Cramer and then with Janet, Miss Stahl to you, and with Ed while I was in the chair — that is, he talked—”
“What did you say to Mr. Cramer?”
“Practically nothing. Just answered a civil question.”
“What did you say to Mr. Stebbins?”
I thought I knew now where he was headed and hoped to God I was right. “Oh, just asked what was going on, and he told me. I’ve told you about it.”
“Not verbatim. What did you say?”
“Nothing, damn it! Of course Purley wanted to know what brought me there, and I told him I — say, wait a minute! Maybe you’re right at that! He asked me if I had seen Carl or Tina this morning, and I said sure, I had put them here in the front room and told them to wait, and if he would step on it—”
“Ha!” Wolfe snorted. “I knew it! Your confounded tongue. So that’s it.” He looked at Cramer. “Why have you waited to pounce?” he asked, trying not to sound too contemptuous, for after all Cramer was drinking his beer. “Since Archie has rashly disclosed our little secret, it would be useless for me to try to keep it. That’s what we use the front room for mainly, to keep murderers in. You’re armed, I suppose? Go in and get them. Archie, open the door for him.”
I went to the door to the front room and pulled it open, not too wide. “I’m scared of murderers myself,” I said courteously, “or I’d be glad to help.”
Cramer had a glass half full of beer in his hand, and it may well be that that took the trick. Bullheaded as he was, he might have been capable of getting up and walking over for a look into the room, even though our build-up had convinced him it was empty, not caring how much we would enjoy it or how silly he would look coming out. But the glass of beer complicated it. He would either have to take it with him or reach first to put it down on the little table — or throw it at Wolfe.