Wolfe marched to the big old walnut rack and reached for his overcoat. After I had held it for him and handed him his hat I got my coat and slipped into it and then took a look through the glass. The stoop was empty. A burly figure was at the bottom of the steps. I unbolted the door and opened it, followed Wolfe over the sill, pulled the door shut, and made sure it was locked. A gust of wind pounced on us, slashing at us with sleet. I wanted to take Wolfe’s elbow as we went down the steps, thinking where it would leave me if he fell and cracked his skull, but knew I hadn’t better.
He made it safely, got his back to the sleety wind, which meant that Cramer had to face it, and raised his voice. “I don’t like fighting a blizzard, so let’s get to the point. You don’t want these people talking with me, but there’s nothing you can do about it. You have blundered and you know it. You arrested Mr. Goodwin on a trumpery charge. You came and blustered me and went too far. Now you’re afraid I’m going to explode Mr. Koven’s lies. More, you’re afraid I’m going to catch a murderer and toss him to the district attorney. So you—”
“I’m not afraid of a goddam thing.” Cramer was squinting to protect his eyes from the cutting sleet. “I told you to lay off, and by God you’re going to. Your suit against Koven is a phony.”
“It isn’t, but let’s stick to the point. I’m uncomfortable. I am not an outdoors man. You want to enter my house. You may, under a condition. The five callers are in my office. There is a hole in the wall, concealed from view in the office by what is apparently a picture. Standing, or on a stool, in a nook at the end of the hall, you can see and hear us in the office. The condition is that you enter quietly — confound it!”
The wind had taken his hat. I made a quick dive and stab but missed, and away it went. He had only had it fourteen years.
“The condition,” he repeated, “is that you enter quietly, take your post in the nook, oversee us from there, and give me half an hour. Thereafter you will be free to join us if you think you should. I warn you not to be impetuous. Up to a certain point your presence would make it harder for me, if not impossible, and I doubt if you’ll know when that point is reached. I’m after a murderer, and there’s one chance in five, I should say, that I’ll get him. I want—”
“I thought you said you were discussing an action for damages.”
“We are. I’ll get either the murderer or the damages. Do you want to harp on that?”
“No.”
“You’ve cooled off, and no wonder, in this hurricane. My hair will go next. I’m going in. If you come along it must be under the condition as stated. Are you coming?”