Rex Stout: The Rodeo Murder

Dunning turned his head to see where his chair was, and sat. He pulled his shoulders up and lifted his chin. “What information?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you its nature,” Wolfe said. “I doubt if the District Attorney would want me to give you the particulars. But first, what fixed my attention on you? You did — something that you said when you were here yesterday morning. I didn’t worm it out of you, you volunteered it, that on Monday at Miss Rowan’s place you noticed that Mr. Eisler wasn’t on the terrace and you looked around for him, inside and outside. I asked you when, and you said — I quote you verbatim: ‘It wasn’t long after Miss Rowan went in for some more coffee — maybe three minutes, maybe more than that.’ That was entirely too pat, Mr. Dunning. You were accounting for your absence in case it had been remarked on by anyone, and more important, you were accounting for your appearance in the rear of the penthouse in case you had been observed. And you did it gratuitously; I hadn’t asked for it.”

“I said it because it was true.” Dunning licked his lips.

“No doubt. But it suggested the question, what if, instead of looking for him, you were killing him? What if, having got the rope from the closet and concealed it under your jacket, you got Eisler to go with you to that shack on some pretext, or to meet you there? That attracted me. Of the persons there you were the only one whose absence during that period could be established; you yourself avowed it. But then the question, what impelled you? Had you had a cogent motive? To avenge his misconduct with Miss Karlin or with another woman or women?”

Wolfe shook his head. “That seemed unlikely, though not impossible. More probably it had been some other factor of your relations with him. But when I put Mr. Panzer and Mr. Durkin on your trail I told them to explore all avenues, and they did so. They found no hint that you had a personal interest in any of the young women Mr. Eisler had pestered, but they gathered facts that were highly suggestive. By the way, a detail: on the phone last evening I asked Miss Rowan if you knew of that shack in the rear of the penthouse, and she said that you not only knew of it, you had been in it. You went there on Sunday to make sure that the terrace would be cleared of obstructions so the ropes could be manipulated, and she took you to the shack to see the grouse that were hanging there. Is that correct, Miss Rowan?”

Lily said yes. She didn’t look happy. Since it was beginning to look as if she was going to get her money’s worth, she should have been pleased, but she didn’t look it.

“That’s a lie,” Dunning said. “I didn’t know about that shack. I never saw it.”

Wolfe nodded. “You’re desperate. You knew I wouldn’t arrange this gathering unless I had discovered something of consequence, so you start wriggling; you try to implicate Mr. Fox, your word against his, and you deny you knew of the shack, your word against Miss Rowan’s. Indeed, you started wriggling yesterday, when you had your wife phone the police in an effort to implicate Mr. Goodwin. Probably you have learned that something has been taken from your hotel room. Have you inspected the contents of your suitcase since ten o’clock last evening? The old brown one in the closet that you keep locked?”

“No.” Dunning swallowed. “Why should I?”

“I think you have. I have reason to believe that an envelope now in my safe came from that suitcase. I have examined its contents, and while they don’t prove that you killed Wade Eisler they are highly suggestive of a possible motive. I said I’ll tell you the nature of the information I have but not the particulars. However, you may have one detail.” His head turned. “Mr. Greve. You told Mr. Panzer that in the past two years you have purchased some three hundred horses, two hundred steers and bulls, and a hundred and fifty calves, in behalf of Mr. Dunning. Is that correct?”

Harvey didn’t look happy either. “That’s about right,” he said. “That’s just rough figures.”

“From how many different people did you buy them?”

“Maybe a hundred, maybe more. I scouted around.”

“How did you pay for them?”

“Some I gave them a check, but mostly cash. They like cash.”

“Your own checks?”

“Yes. Roger made deposits in my account, eight or ten thousand dollars at a time, and I paid out of that.”

“Did Mr. Dunning tell you not to divulge the amounts you paid for the animals?”

Harvey screwed up his mouth. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I. I am earning a fee. You are exposing a man who made you a party to a swindle and who is almost certainly a murderer. Did he tell you not to divulge the amounts?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Has anyone asked you to?”

“Yes. Wade Eisler. About ten days ago. I told him Roger had all the records and he’d have to ask him.”

“Did you tell Mr. Dunning that Mr. Eisler had asked you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a lie,” Dunning said.

Wolfe nodded. “Again one person’s word against yours. But I have the envelope, and I have the names of three other men who have made purchases for you under similar arrangements, and Mr. Durkin and Mr. Panzer have spoken with them. Two of them were asked for figures recently by Wade Eisler, as was Mr. Greve. I don’t know how much you cheated Eisler out of, but from the contents of the envelope I surmise that it was many thousands.” His head turned. “Saul and Fred, you will escort Mr. Dunning to the District Attorney’s office and deliver the envelope and the information you have collected. Archie, get the envelope from the safe.”

I moved. As I passed behind Dunning’s chair he started up, but Saul’s hand on one shoulder and Fred’s on the other stopped him. As I opened the safe door Wolfe said, “Give it to Saul. Miss Rowan, do you want Mr. Goodwin to phone the District Attorney to expect you?”

I had never seen Lily so completely got. “Good lord,” she said, “I didn’t realize. You couldn’t drag me. I wish I hadn’t... No, I don’t... but I didn’t realize how — how hard it is.”

“You’re not going?”

“Of course not!”

“You, Mr. Greve? You might as well. If you don’t you’ll be sent for later.”

“Then I’ll go later.” Harvey was on his feet. “We’ve got a show on.” He looked at Cal and Mel. “What about it? Think you can handle a calf if I hold his tail?”

“But we can’t,” Nan Karlin said. “Just go and — we can’t! ”

“The hell we can’t,” Cal Barrow said. “Come on, Laura.”

One snowy morning in January I got a letter from Cal Barrow.

Dear Archie:

You used them two dots like that when you wrote me on the typewriter so if you can I can. I read in the paper today about Roger Dunning getting convicted and Laura said I ought to write you and I said she ought to and she said did I want her writing letters to the man she should have married instead of me: and so it went. Remember when I said about that blowout I didn’t want to stink it up, well it sure got stunk up. We are making out pretty well here in Texas but it is cold enough to freeze the tits on a steer if he had any. Laura says to give you her love but don’t believe it. Best regards.

Yours truly:

Cal