Wolfe straightened up. “Indeed. Get a doctor, Archie.”
She started to turn around at him, and I stopped her. She protested, “I don’t need a doctor. I got here, I can get home again. I just wanted to show you, and ask you—”
“Yes, madam. For the moment my judgment must prevail... if you please...”
I was at the phone, giving a number. Someone answered, and I asked for Dr. Vollmer. She said he wasn’t there, he was just leaving, if it was urgent she might be able to catch him out in front. I started to ask her to do that, then it occurred to me that I might be quicker at it myself, and I hung up and took it on the trot. Fritz was in the hall dusting and I told him to stick around. As I hopped down the stoop I noticed a taxi there at the curb: our visitor’s of course. A couple of hundred feet east Dr. Vollmer’s blue coupé was standing, and he was just getting in. I sprinted for him and let out a yell. He heard me and by the time I got there he was out on the sidewalk again. I told him about the casualty that had dropped in on us, and he got his bag out of the coupé and came along.
In my business I’ve seen it proved a hundred times that one thing you never want to leave in the bureau drawer is your curiosity. As we turned in at our stoop I took another look at the taxi standing there. I nearly lost my aplomb for a second when the driver looked straight at me and tipped me a wink.
I went on in with the doc. Fritz was in the hall and told me that Wolfe had gone to the kitchen and would return when the doctor had finished. I told Fritz for God’s sake not to let him get started eating, and took Vollmer into the office. Dora Chapin was still in her chair. I introduced them, and he put his bag on the desk and went to take a look at her. He poked around a little and said she might have to be sewed up and he could tell better if he could wash her off. I showed him where the bathroom was and said there were bandages and iodine and so on, and then said:
“I’ll call Fritz in to help you. I’ve got an errand out front. If you need me I’ll be there.”
He said all right, and I went to the hall and explained Fritz’s new duties to him. Then I went out to the sidewalk.
The taxi was still there. The driver wasn’t winking any more; he just looked at me. I said, Greetings.”
He said, “I very seldom talk that much.”