The Inspector stopped for a couple of pulls at his pipe. When that had been attended to he screwed his nose up at me and demanded, “Why, do you think it was suicide?”
“Hell no. I think Chapin killed him. And maybe Harrison, and maybe Hibbard. I’m just waiting to see you and Nero Wolfe and the Epworth League prove it on him. Also I’m annoyed about Elkus. If you get Elkus wrong you may gum it.”
“Uh-huh.” Cramer screwed his nose again. “You don’t like me after Elkus? I wonder if Nero Wolfe will like it. I hope not to gum it, I really do. I suppose you know Elkus has got a shadow on Paul Chapin? What’s he suspicious about?”
I lifted my brows a little, and hoped that was all I did. “No. I didn’t know that.”
“The hell you didn’t.”
“No. Of course you have one, and we have...” I remembered that I never had got hold of Del Bascom to ask him about the dick in the brown cap and pink necktie. “I thought that runt keeping the boys company down there was one of Bascom’s experts.”
“Sure you did. You didn’t know Bascom’s been off the case since yesterday morning. Try having a talk with the runt. I did, last night, for two hours. He says he’s got a goddam legal right to keep his goddam mouth shut. That’s the way he talks, he’s genteel. Finally I just shooed him away, and I’m going to find out who he’s reporting to.”
“I thought you said, Elkus.”
“That’s my idea. Who else could it be? Do you know?”
I shook my head. “Hope to die.”