“Oh.” A little gasp floated after that. “I had hopes... I just decided ten minutes ago. Mr. Wolfe, it is very urgent. If you could possibly...”
“If you would describe the urgency.”
“I’d rather not, on the telephone — but that’s silly. It’s my uncle, Andrew Hibbard, he went to see you two weeks ago, you may remember. He has disappeared.”
“Indeed. When?”
“Tuesday evening. Four days ago.”
“You have had no word of him?”
“Nothing.” The female Hibbard’s voice caught. “Nothing at all.”
“Indeed.” I saw Wolfe’s eyes shift to take in the clock — it was four minutes past one — and shift again towards the door to the hall, where Fritz stood on the threshold, straight for announcing. “Since ninety hours have passed, another one may be risked. At a quarter past two? Will that be convenient?”
“If you can’t... all right. I’ll be there.”
Two receivers were returned simultaneously to their racks. Fritz spoke as usual: