Rex Stout - The Mother Hunt (Rex Stout Library)

Yes. Mr. Bingham came half an hour ago. I was at lunch; I haven't seen him. I told him through Fritz that I would not see him unless he got Mr. Haft and Mr. Krug to come, and he used the telephone. He was putting Brie on a cracker. What took you so long? Was she difficult?

No. I dawdled. I was afraid to lunch with you. I thought you might throw your plate at me. Is Krug coming?

I don't know.

You actually wouldn't have seen Bingham if he had balked?

Certainty I would. But he had to wait until I finished lunch, and he might as well try to get the others. He aimed a finger at me. Archie. I am making an effort to control myself. I advise you to do the same. I realize that the provocation is as insupportable for you. The doorbell rang. I moved, but Wolfe snapped, No. Fritz will go. Have some cheese. Coffee? Get a cup.

Fritz had gone. I got a cup and poured, and plastered a cracker with Brie. I was controlling myself. It might be Willis Krug at the door, but it might be Inspector Cramer, and if so, fur would fly. But when Fritz returned he said he had shown Mr. Krug to the office, and I took too big a sip of hot coffee and scalded my tongue. Wolfe took another cracker, and cheese, and then another. Finally he asked me politely if I wanted more, pushed his chair back, rose, thanked Fritz for the meal as always, and moved. I followed.

As we entered the office Leo Bingham bounced up out of the red leather chair and boomed, Who the hell do you think you are?

Wolfe detoured around him. My route was between Wolfe's desk and the other two. Wolfe sat and said, Sit down, Mr. Bingham.

By God, if you. Sit down! Wolfe roared.

I want to. Sit down!

Bingham sat.

Wolfe eyed him. In my house I do the bawling, he said. You came to see me, uninvited. What do you want?

I was invited, Julian Haft said. What do you want? His thin tenor was close to a squeak.

I didn't come to go on the air, Bingham said. You wanted Krug and Haft, and here they are. When you're through with them I'll speak with you privately.

Wolfe's head turned slowly to the right, to take his eyes past Haft to Krug, who was nearest me, and back again to the left. It saves time, he said, to have all three of you, because I wish to ask each of you the same question. And no doubt each of you would like to ask me the same question. Your question would be, why was a picture of Carol Mardus among those I sent you on Tuesday? My question is, why did none of you identify it?

Bingham blurted, You sent it to them too?

I did.

Where did you get it?

I'm going to tell you, but with a long preamble. First, to clear the way, you should know that what I told you in this room nearly six weeks ago was pure invention. Mrs. Valdon had received no anonymous letters.

Bingham and Krug made noises. Haft adjusted his balloon-tired cheaters to stare better.

Wolfe ignored the noises. It wasn't about anonymous letters that Mrs. Valdon came to me, it was about a baby that had been left in the vestibule of her house. She hired me to learn who had left it there and who its mother was. And father. I failed miserably. After a week of fruitless effort I decided to try the conjecture that Mrs. Valdon's late husband had been the father, and I asked her to get the cooperation of three or four of his close associates. You know how that resulted. Mr. Upton refused my request. Each of you three gave me a list of the names of women who had been in contact with Mr. Valdon in the spring of last year, the period when the baby had been conceived. I remark in passing that the name of Carol Mardus was on none of the lists.

She's dead, Bingham blurted. She is indeed. Of course the procedure was to learn if any of the women listed had given birth to a baby at the time indicated. Four of them had, but the babies were all accounted for. That effort, again fruitless, took nearly four weeks. Close to desperation, I tried another conjecture, that the mother of the baby would like to see it, and I arranged for publication but perhaps you saw the page in the Gazette about Mrs. Valdon?

They all had.

It worked. Hidden cameras were attached to the baby carriage, and pictures were taken of everyone who stopped for a look. That was the source of the pictures that were sent to each of you gentlemen on Monday and Tuesday. Each of you reported that he recognized none of them, but Mrs. Valdon recognized Carol Mardus and named her. Inquiry disclosed that she had gone to Florida last September, had remained there into the winter, had entered a hospital on January sixteenth under an alias and given birth to a baby, and had returned to New York on February fifth, with the baby. Obviously I had found the mother of the baby left in Mrs. Valdon's vestibule, since the newspaper article had lured her to Washington Square to look at it. Naturally I wished to see her, and yesterday morning Mr. Goodwin was going to telephone her, but she anticipated him. She phoned when, Archie?

Ten minutes to nine.

And came shortly after twelve. She had She came here? Leo Bingham. Yes, sir. She had learned that inquiries had been made about her and wanted to know why. I told her, and I asked questions, but she answered only three of them that she knew you, Mr. Bingham, and you, Mr. Haft, and that neither of you, nor Mr. Krug, her former husband, was the father of the baby. She sat there he pointed to Bingham in the red leather chair while I asked several other questions, but answered none of them, and rose abruptly and departed. And now she's dead.

No one spoke. Bingham was leaning forward, his elbows on the chair arms, his jaw clamped, his eyes fastened on Wolfe. Krug's eyes were closed. In profile his long bony face looked even longer. Haft's mouth was screwed up and he was blinking. From the side I could see his eyelashes flick behind the cheaters.

So that's why she… Krug said, and let it hang.

You've admitted you're a liar, Bingham said.

You say she didn't answer your questions, Haft said. Then she didn't say she was the mother of the baby.

In words, no. Implicitly, yes. I am being open. Since she is dead, and since Mr. Goodwin was present, we could give any account we pleased. I am reporting candidly. It is indubitable that Carol Mardus was the mother of the baby left in Mrs. Valdon's vestibule and that she was gravely disquieted to learn that I knew it and could demonstrate it. It is all but certain that some other person, X, was in some manner deeply involved, that she told X of her conversation with me, and that X, fearing that she would disclose his involvement, killed her. I am going to find X and expose him.

This is… fantastic, Krug said.

You may be candid, Haft said, but it seems to me what kind of involvement? He killed her just because he was involved in leaving a baby in a vestibule?

No. Does the name Ellen Tenzer mean anything to you, Mr. Haft?

No.

To you, Mr. Krug?

Ellen Tenzer? No.

Bingham asked, Wasn't that the name of the woman whose body was found in a car? Strangled? A few weeks ago?

It was. She was a retired nurse. She had boarded the baby that was left in Mrs. Valdon's vestibule, and Mr. Goodwin found her and spoke with her, and X killed her. The menace from Carol Mardus was not only that she would disclose his involvement with the baby, whatever it was, but that she knew he had murdered Ellen Tenzer.