Роберт Голдсборо - Murder in E Minor

“Mr. Milner, this is Miss Lily Rowan and Mr. Archie Goodwin,” Parker said formally. I was expecting a limp paw, but I got a surprisingly strong handshake. That’s one in your favor, I thought, but I still wonder what Maria sees in you.

“Mr. Milner, Mr. Parker, please come in and sit down,” Lily said, gesturing toward her ballroom-sized living room. “I’m sure you’d both like a drink; Mr. Goodwin is taking orders.” She smiled sweetly at me, and I made for the bar. Parker took his usual dry martini, and Milner, who must have wondered what the hell was going on, asked for a sherry. I refilled Lily’s and my Scotch, and we all sat looking at each other.

“Any problems?” I asked Parker. “Anybody from the press there when you posted bond?”

“Not a soul,” Parker said. “It went very smoothly. Although” — he turned to Milner — “I think this gentleman was most surprised at finding himself free.”

“Yes,” Milner said in a strong voice that didn’t go with the rest of him. “I’m wondering who I have to thank, and why. I’m happy, of course, but—”

He stopped talking and stared over my left shoulder. I turned and saw Maria standing in the doorway wearing a robe. They looked at each other without saying anything, and finally Maria, unconscious of how she was dressed, ran over and embraced him as he stood up. “I’ve been so worried,” she said, burying her face in his chest.

“It’s all right,” he said. “As long as you know it wasn’t me, everything’s all right.”

Lily stood and eyed Parker and me. “Gentlemen, I suggest we finish our drinks in the sunroom and let these two have a few minutes together.”

We dutifully filed out, but Maria and Milner hardly noticed. At that point, they would have been oblivious of anything that measured less than seven on the Richter scale. “I know you both have a lot of questions about what’s going on,” I said as we took our seats in the sunroom. “I’ve got to get back home now and report to you-know-who, but eventually I’ll explain all of it. You’re having the two lovers for dinner, right?” I asked Lily, and she nodded. “Okay, Mr. Wolfe wants to see Milner at nine. The three of you can come over in a cab, because I doubt that the two of them will want to be apart for long, and you can keep Maria company in the front room while we’re talking. I don’t think Milner will balk at coming, especially after Maria explains to him that we’re the ones who sprung him.”

I turned to Parker: “You said everything went smoothly getting Milner out. Does that also mean Mr. Wolfe’s name wasn’t connected with the bond in any way?”

“Right, Archie, although everybody in town knows I’m Nero Wolfe’s attorney, so it won’t take a great intellect to figure out who was behind the move.”

“True enough,” I said, “but at least they’ll harass you first, before coming to us.” Parker smiled and allowed as how he could handle the harassment just fine. At that, we both stood, thanking Lily for the hospitality.

“Think nothing of it,” she said in a low voice. “I have last-second overnight guests and suspected murderers as dinner companions all the time.”

I scratched my right cheek just below the ear and winked at her as we walked out. Parker and I went our separate ways in taxis, with mine delivering me to the brownstone at a quarter to six. I had time to clean up a little of the deskwork before Wolfe came down and I gave him the word that everything was ready.

After his “Very satisfactory” and a ring for beer, he asked for a verbatim fill-in. He was particularly interested in my reaction to Milner. “Short, meek, generally unimpressive to look at, but he has a strong handshake,” I said. “As I told you, I didn’t hear him speak more than a sentence or two, but there’s something about him I like. Your next question is: Do I think he killed Stevens? My gut reaction is nine-to-two against, but don’t ask me to explain it, because I can’t — except that I don’t think he’s capable of killing anything larger than a full-grown mosquito.”

Wolfe poured the first bottle of beer into his glass and drained half of it. “Assuming that I form a similar opinion after talking to Mr. Milner, I suggest we have him stay here, at least tonight. Do you think it absolutely necessary for Miss Radovich and Miss Rowan to accompany him here?”

I said yes, it was a good idea to have them come along. Maria would ensure that Milner came, and Lily in turn was insurance that the twosome wouldn’t have an irrational last-minute impulse to fly off to God-knows-where. Wolfe shrugged, resigning himself to having two women under his roof for a few hours. The very thought was enough to make him ring for more beer.

I’d like to be able to report that Wolfe’s session with Gerald Milner was productive and stimulating, but that would be overstating things. Actually, the evening started well enough, with the three of them — Maria, Lily, and Milner — arriving right at nine, after Wolfe and I had finished off Fritz’s veal birds a l’italienne and two helpings of pecan pie, with ample time left over for coffee in the office.

I answered the bell, and after relieving them of their coats in the hall, ushered all three into the office. This time Wolfe stayed glued to his chair as I introduced Milner and said something about how Lily hadn’t been over in some time.

Wolfe tilted his head at the women. “I’d invite you to sit, but I think Mr. Goodwin has explained the need for us to talk alone to Mr. Milner. You’re welcome to stay in the front room, and Mr. Brenner can serve you dessert and coffee or some other beverage if you wish.”

“I’ve already spoken to Maria about this,” Lily said with a smile, “and what she’d really like is to look at your orchids. For that matter, I never get tired of seeing them myself.”

“Indeed?” Wolfe said. Lily knew that one guaranteed route to Wolfe’s vanity was to ask to see the orchids — it was a request he almost never denied. Theodore was visiting his sister in New Jersey, so Wolfe buzzed Fritz, who instantly materialized in the doorway. “Fritz, would you please accompany Miss Rowan and Miss Radovich to the plant rooms? They can stay as long as they wish, and afterward they may want dessert or other refreshment in the front room.” Fritz ushered the women out, and I aimed Milner at the red leather chair, settling in at my desk with notebook and pen.

Wolfe eyed our guest. “Mr. Milner, would you like anything to drink? Coffee, perhaps? A cocktail?”

“No, nothing, thank you,” Milner said. He seemed just as ill-at-ease as when he’d walked into Lily’s apartment a few hours earlier. “There are some questions I’d like to ask, though,” he said, clearing his throat.

“No doubt,” Wolfe replied. “And likely you’ll get answers in the course of our discussion. Please indulge me first, however. As you’ve probably been told, I posted your bond.” Milner nodded. “You also probably know I am acting on behalf of Miss Radovich.” Another nod.

Wolfe shifted in the chair. “I’ve been hired by Miss Radovich to find the murderer of her uncle. She is convinced of your innocence, although I begin with no such preconception. Any investigation of Milan Stevens’s death must begin with you, and because I never leave this house on business, it was necessary for you to come here.”

“Yes, but—”

“If you please, Mr. Milner,” Wolfe said, turning over a hand. “Let me continue. The most expeditious way to get through the evening is by humoring me. First — did you kill Milan Stevens?”

Milner sighed and looked up. “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been asked that by the police,” he said in a tired voice. “Sometimes they phrased it as a question, other times they made it sound like an outright statement and dared me to contradict them. But my answer was always the same: No, I didn’t kill him. I couldn’t have; I probably respected him more than just about any man I’ve ever known.”