Rex Stout - The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)

It was ten minutes past eleven, so Wolfe would be down from the plant rooms, but he wasn't in the office. There was noise in the kitchen, the radio going loud, and I went there. Wolfe was standing by the big table scowling at Fritz, who was bending over to sniff at a slab of smoked sturgeon. They didn't hear me enter, but Fritz saw me when he straightened up, and Wolfe turned and demanded, "Where have you been?"

I told him I had a report. He told Fritz to have the cutlets ready at a quarter past two, he wasn't going to wait longer than that, and headed for the office, and I followed. I turned the radio on. As I brought a yellow chair around I saw three screwdrivers on his desk pad-one from my desk drawer and two from the kitchen, and I had to grin. He had the tools ready, himself. As I sat I told him I had assumed that he would eat an early lunch. He said no, if a man has guests he should be at table with them.

"Then there's plenty of time," I said, "to discuss a brief report. With so much on your mind I could save it, but you'll like to know that I have clinched the alternative we prefer. I went for a walk and happened to pass Sixty-three Arbor Street, and I happened to have a key in my pocket that fitted the lock on Sarah Dacos's door, so I went in and looked around, and in a hatbox in a closet I found a revolver, an S and W thirty-eight. One cartridge had been fired. As you know, Cramer told me that Althaus had a permit for an S and W thirty-eight and it wasn't in his apartment, though there was a box of cartridges in a drawer. So she-"

"What did you do with it?"

"I moved it. It seemed out of place in a box with a lady's hat, so I put it under a box spring on a couch."

He took a deep breath, held it in a second, and let it out. "She shot him," he growled.

"Right. As I was saying when you interrupted."

"Will she find it?"

"No. If she misses it she won't even look. My understanding of attractive young women. She might lam. If she does I'll have a problem. If she's gone and I tell Cramer about the gun I'll be up a tree. If I don't tell him I'll lie awake nights."

He shut his eyes. In two moments he opened them. "You should have told me you were going."

"I should not. It was a personal errand in which a quart of milk was involved. Even if she stays put I'll have a problem, if tomorrow night is a turkey. If and if. Just now I wanted to ring Hewitt from a booth and ask him if the orchids are packed. Shall I?"

"No. He's busy. I believe guns can be identified?"

"Sure. Scientists can do it now even if the number has been filed off. And Cramer will have the number of the one Althaus had a permit for."

"Then there will be no problem. I must see about that sturgeon." He left his chair and headed for the door. Short of it he stopped and turned, said, "Satisfactory," and went. I shook my head and went on shaking it as I replaced the yellow chair. "There will be no problem," for God's sake. I thought if I had an ego that size I'd be the boss of the FBI, and then realized that that wasn't exactly the way to put it. I returned the keys and gloves to the cabinet, went to the kitchen to get a glass of milk, since lunch would be late, and to listen to them discuss sturgeon.

With a couple of hours to go, possibly more, after the milk was down I made the rounds-first two flights up to my room, to see that everything was in order for the guests who would occupy my bed. Fritz isn't supposed to touch my room; it's mine, including the responsibility. It was okay, except that the two pillows I had got from the closet that morning weren't the same size, but that couldn't be helped. Then to the South Room, which is above Wolfe's, where two more guests would sleep on the twin beds. That visit was unnecessary, since Fritz never makes mistakes, but I had time to kill.

It got killed somehow.

I wasn't expecting them until two at the earliest, but I should have known better, since Saul was in charge. Wolfe was in the kitchen and I was in the front room, which adjoins the office, checking that blankets were on the sofa, when the doorbell rang and I glanced at my watch. Twenty to two, so it couldn't be the truck.

But it was. Going to the hall, I saw a big bozo in a leather jacket on the stoop. When I opened the door he boomed at me, "Nero Wolfe? Orchids for you!"

I stepped out. At the curb was a big green truck with red lettering on its side: NORTH SHORE TRUCKING CORPORATION. Another big bozo was at its rear, opening the doors. I said fairly loud that it was pretty damn cold for orchids and I would come and help. By the time I got my coat on and went out they had a box on the edge at the back and were pulling it around. I happened to know its exact size-three feet wide, five feet long, and two feet high-because I had packed boxes exactly like it with orchid plants on their way to dealers or exhibitions. On its side it was marked:

FRAGILE PERISHABLE

TROPICAL PLANTS

KEEP AS WARM AS POSSIBLE

I descended to the sidewalk, but they lifted it off and got the handles at the ends, obviously not needing any help, even up the steps. Above, Wolfe had the door open and they entered. The natural thing for me was to stay and guard the truck, so I did. There were five more boxes inside, all the same. One of the five would be quite a load even for those two huskies, but I didn't know which one. It proved to be the next to the last. As they eased it down and took the handles one of them said, "Jesus, these must be in lead pots," and the other one said, "Naw, gold." I wondered if there was a G-man close enough to hear. They got it up the stoop without a stumble, though it was close to three hundred pounds, counting the box-or I hoped it was. When they took the last one in I went along. Wolfe signed a receipt, and I gave each of them two bucks and got thanked and waited until they were on the sidewalk to shut the door and bolt it.

The boxes were strung along the hall, the radio in the office was on loud, and Wolfe was using a screwdriver on the third box from the end. I asked him if he was sure, and when he said yes, an X was chalked on it, I got another screwdriver. There were only eight screws, and in a couple of minutes we had them out. I lifted the top off, and there was Saul Panzer, on his side with his knees pulled up. I started to tilt the box, but Saul, who is undersized except for his ears and nose, twisted around and was on his knees and then his feet.

"Good afternoon," Wolfe said.

"Not very." Saul stretched. "I can talk?"

"Yes, with the radio."

He stretched again. "That was a ride. I hope they're alive."

"I want to be sure," Wolfe said, "that I have their names right. Mr Hewitt gave them to Archie on the phone."

"Ashley Jarvis. That's you. Dale Kirby is Archie. We'd better get them out."

That was the first and only time I have ever heard men introduced while boxed.

"In a moment," Wolfe said. "You have given them a full explanation?"

"Yes, sir. They are not to speak, not a word, unless you ask them to-or Archie. They don't know who has bugged the house and is watching it, or why, but they have bought Hewitt's promise that they are in no danger and won't be. He gave them five hundred dollars apiece and you are to give them another five hundred. He also gave them the statements signed by you. I think they'll do." He lowered his voice a little. "Kirby is better than Jarvis, but they'll do."