Rex Stout - Red Box, The

She nodded again. Wolfe said, Tell me what happened.”

The blonde took a breath. “Well, we started to talk about the show and the customers and so on. Nothing special. We did that about three minutes, and then suddenly Molly said she forgot, and she reached under a coat and pulled out a box-”

“Permit me. What were Miss Lauck's words?”

“She just said she forgot, she had seme loot-”

“No. Please. What did she say? Her exact words.”

The blonde stared at him. “Well, if I can. She said, let's see: ‘Oh, I forgot, girls, I've got some loot. Swiped it as clean as a whistle.’ While she was saying that she was pulling the box from under the coat-”

“Where was the coat?”

“It was her coat, lying on the table.”

“Where were you?”

“Me? I was right there, standing there. She was sitting on the table.”

“Where was Miss Frost?”

“She was-she was across by the mirror, fixing her hair. Weren't you, Helen?”

The sylph merely nodded. Wolfe said:

“And then? Exactly. Exact words.”

“Well, she handed me the box and I took it and opened it, and I said-”

“Had it been opened before?”

“I don't know. It didn't have any wrapping or ribbon or anything on it. I opened it and I said, ‘Gee, it's two pounds and never been touched. Where'd you get it,

Molly?’ She said, ‘I told you, I swiped it Is it any good?’ She asked Helen to have some-”

“Her words.”

Miss Mitchell frowned. “I don't know. Just ‘Have some, Helen,’ or ‘Join the party, Helen’-something like that. Anyway, Helen didn't take any-”

“What did she say?”

“I don't know. What did you say, Helen?”

Miss Frost spoke without swallowing. I don't remember. I just had had cocktails, and I didn't want any.”

The blonde nodded. “Something like that. Then Molly took a piece and I took a piece-”

“Please.” Wolfe wiggled a finger at her. “You were holding the box?”

“Yes. Molly had handed it to me.”

“Miss Frost didn't have it in her hands at all?”

“No, I told you, she said she didn't want any. She didn't even look at it.”

“And you and Miss Lauck each took a piece-”

“Yes. I took candied pineapple. It was a mixture; chocolates, bonbons, nuts, candied fruits, everything. I ate it. Molly put her piece in her mouth, all of it, and after she bit into it she said-she said it was strong-”

“Words, please.”

“Well, she said, let's see: ‘My God, it's 200 proof, but not so bad, I can take it.’ She made a face, but she chewed it and swallowed it. Then…well…you wouldn't believe how quick it was-”

“I'll try to. Tell me.”

“Not more than half a minute, Fm sure it wasn't. I took another piece and was eating it, and Molly was looking into the box, saying something about taking the taste out of her mouth-”

She stopped because the door popped open. Llewellyn Frost appeared, carrying a paper bag. I got up and took it from him, and extracted from it the opener and glass and bottles and arranged them in front of Wolfe. Wolfe picked up the opener and felt of a bottle.

“Umph. Schreirer's. It's too cold.”

I sat down again. “It'll make a bead. Try it.” He poured. Helen Frost was saying to her cousin:

“So that's what you went for. Your detective wants to know exactly what I said, my exact words, and he asks Thelma if I handled the box of candy…”

Frost patted her on the shoulder. “Now, Helen. Take ft easy. He knows what he's doing…”

One bottle was empty, and the glass. Frost sat down. Wolfe wiped his lips.

“You were saying, Miss Mitchell, Miss Lauck spoke of taking the taste out of her mouth.”

The blonde nodded. “Yes. And then-well-all of a sudden she straightened up and made a noise. She didn't scream, it was just a noise, a horrible noise. She got off the table and then leaned back against it and her face was all twisted…it was…twisted. She looked at me with her eyes staring, and her mouth went open and shut but she couldn't say anything, and suddenly she shook all over and grabbed for me and got hold of my hair…and…and…”

“Yes, Miss Mitchell.”

The blonde gulped. “Well, when she went down she took me with her because she had hold of my hair. Then of course I was scared. I jerked away. Later, when the doctor…when people came, she had a bunch of my hair gripped in her fingers.”

Wolfe eyed her. “You have good nerves, Miss Mitchell.”

“I'm not a softy. I had a good cry after I got home that night, I cried it out.

But I didn't cry then. Helen stood against the wall and trembled and stared and couldn't move, shell tell you that herself. I ran to the elevator and yelled for help, and then I ran back and put the lid on the box of candy and held onto it until Mr. McNair came and then I gave it to him. Molly was dead, I could see that. She was crumpled up. She fell down dead.” She gulped again. “Maybe you could tell me. The doctor said it was some kind of acid, and it said in the paper potassium cyanide.”

Lew Frost put in, “Hydrocyanic. The police say-it's the same thing. I told you that. Didn't I?”

Wolfe wiggled a finger at him. “Please, Mr. Frost. It is I who am to earn the fee, you to pay it. – Then Miss Mitchell, you felt no discomfort from your two pieces, and Miss Lauck ate only one.”

“That's all.” The blonde shivered. 'It's terrible, to think there's something that can kill you that quick. She couldn't even speak. You could see it go right through her, when she shook all over. I held onto the box, but I got rid of it as soon as I saw Mr. McNair.”

“Then, I understand, you ran away.”

She nodded. “I ran to the washroom.” She made a face. 1 had to throw up. I had eaten two pieces.”

“Indeed. Most efficient.” Wolfe had opened another bottle, and was pouring. “To go back a little. You had not seen that box of candy before Miss Lauck took it from under the coat?”

“No. I hadn't.”

“What do you suppose she meant when she said she had swiped it?”

“Why-she meant-she saw it somewhere and took it.”

Wolfe turned. “Miss Frost. What do you suppose Miss Lauck meant by that?”

“I suppose she meant what she said, that she swiped it. Stole it.”

“Was that customary with her? Was she a thief?”

“Of course not. She only took a box of candy. She did it for a joke, I suppose.

She liked to play jokes-to do things like that.”

“Had you seen the box before she produced it in that room?”

“No.”

Wolfe emptied his glass in five gulps, which was par, and wiped his lips. His half-shut eyes were on the blonde. “I believe you went to lunch that day with