“I’m listening,” Cramer growled.
“Take them in as material witnesses, and hold them without bail if possible. Starting immediately, collect as many as you can of the former staff of that hospital. There were scores who survived, and other scores who were not on duty at the time. Get all of them if possible, spare no effort, and have them look at these people and say if they have ever seen any of them. Meanwhile, of course, you will be working on Miss Maturo, but you have heard the denials of the other five, and if you get reliable evidence that one of them has lied I’m sure you will need no further suggestion from me. Indeed, if one of them has lied and leaves this room in custody with that lie undeclared, that alone will be half the battle. I’m sorry—”
“Wait a minute.”
All eyes went to one spot. It was Jack Ennis, the inventor. His thin colorless lips were twisted, with one end up, but not in an attempt to smile. The look in his eyes showed that he had no idea of smiling.
“I didn’t tell an exact lie,” he said.
Wolfe’s eyes were slits. “Then an inexact lie, Mr. Ennis?”
“I mean I didn’t visit that hospital as a hospital. And I didn’t have dealings with them, I was just trying to. I wanted them to give my X-ray machine a trial. One of them was willing to, but the other two talked him down.”
“When was this?”
“I was there three times, twice in December and once in January.”
“I thought your X-ray machine had a flaw.”