It may not be fair to call it a squeak, but it was close to it. He was harassed and I felt sorry for him. In addition to everything else, he was going to be late at court, as he realized when he took another look at his watch. He ignored me and spoke to Dykes.
“I’ve got to go, Ben. Take care of these papers. If anyone wants to leave the place you can’t hold them, the way it stands now, but ask them not to leave the jurisdiction.”
“What about Wolfe and Goodwin?”
“I said anyone. We can’t hold them without a warrant, and that will have to wait. But the car stays where it is. Immobilize it and keep a guard on it. Have you tried it for prints?”
“No, sir, I thought—”
“Do so. Thoroughly. Keep a man at the car and one at the entrance, and you stay. You might have another try at the servants, especially the assistant gardener. Tell Mr. Sperling that I’ll be back some time between five and six — it depends on when court adjourns. Tell him I would appreciate it if they can all find it convenient to be here.”
He trotted out without even glancing at me, which I thought was uncalled for.
I grinned at Ben Dykes, strolled insolently out of the room, and went in search of Wolfe, to do a little mild bragging. I found him out at the greenhouse, inspecting some concrete benches with automatic watering.
Chapter 12
A couple of hours later Wolfe and I were up in the bedroom. He had found that the biggest chair there, while it would do for a short stretch, was no good for a serious distance, and therefore he was on the bed with his book, flat on his back, though he hated to read lying down. His bright yellow shirt was still bright but badly wrinkled, worse than it ever was at home, since he changed every day; and both his yellow socks showed the beginnings of holes at the big toes, which was no wonder, considering that they hadn’t been changed either and were taking the push of more than an eighth of a ton for the second day.