“Goodwin’s story,” Cramer growled. “I mean her story. What do you think?”
Wolfe’s eyes came open a little. “What followed seems to support it. I doubt if she would have arranged for that” — he flipped a hand in the direction of the office across the hall — “just to corroborate a tale. I accept it. I credit it.”
“Yeah. I don’t need to remind you that I know you well and I know Goodwin well. So I wonder how much chance there is that in a day or so you’ll suddenly remember that she had been here before today, or one or more of the others had, and you’ve got a client, and there was something leading up to this.”
“Bosh,” Wolfe said dryly. “Even if it were like that, and it isn’t, you would be wasting time. Since you know us, you know we wouldn’t remember until we got ready to.”
Cramer glowered. Two scientists came in from across the hall to report. Stebbins came to announce the arrival of an assistant district attorney. A dick came to relay a phone call from a deputy commissioner. Another dick came in to say that Homer Carlisle was raising hell in the front room. Meanwhile Wolfe sat with his eyes shut, but I got an idea of his state of mind from the fact that intermittently his forefinger was making little circles on the polished top of the table.
Cramer looked at him. “What do you know,” he asked abruptly, “about the killing of that Doris Hatten?”
“Newspaper accounts,” Wolfe muttered. “And what Mr. Stebbins has told Mr. Goodwin, casually.”
“Casual is right.” Cramer got out a cigar, conveyed it to his mouth, and sank his teeth in it. He never lit one. “Those damn houses with self-service elevators are worse than walk-ups for a checking job. No one ever sees anyone coming or going. If you’re not interested, I’m talking to hear myself.”
“I am interested.” Wolfe’s eyes stayed shut.
“Good. I appreciate it. Even so, self-service elevator or not, the man who paid the rent for that apartment was lucky. He may have been clever and careful, but also he was lucky. Never to have anybody see him enough to give a description of him — that took luck.”