“Of course not. I suppose I deserve it.”
“You don’t object?”
“No.”
“Then it isn’t necessary. You are Mrs. Fromm. Before you leave, an understanding and a question. The understanding: my decision whether to accept your retainer and work for you will be made tomorrow; you are not now my client. The question: do you know who the woman was who drove that car Tuesday and spoke to the boy?”
She shook her head. “Make your decision tomorrow, that’s all right, but you won’t report this visit before then?”
“No. That’s understood. The question?”
“I’m not going to answer it now because I can’t. I don’t really know. I expect to answer it tomorrow.”
“But you think you know?” Wolfe insisted.
“I won’t answer it.”
He frowned at her. “Mrs. Fromm. I must warn you. Have you ever seen or heard of a man named Matthew Birch?”