Chapter 6 Who is the murderer II

Nelly Graham opened her mouth to reply, then decided to laugh instead. It was a real laugh, no giggle.

I raised a brow. "Your subconscious taking over?" I inquired.

"No." She sobered. "I couldn't help it. It struck me, of course Jordy killed her. He couldn't bear the thought of Clara's husband being unfaithful to her, it was an insult to her womanhood, so he killed Nora. Do you blame me for laughing?"

"No. I'll laugh too when I get around to it. Does anything else strike you? A motive for him you wouldn't laugh at?"

"Of course not. It's ridiculous. You're just floundering around. Have you finished with me?"

I looked at Bolton. His eyes were closed. "For now, yes," I told her, "unless Mr. Bolton thinks I skipped something."

"How can he? You can talk in your sleep, but you can't think." She stood up. "What are you going to do?" "Find a murderer and stick pins in him. Or her."

"Not sitting here you aren't. Don't bother, I know the way out. Why don't you go and tackle Darren Watson? I'll go with you."

"Thanks, I'll manage." "Where did he take Clara?"

"Either to Homicide East, two-thirty West Twentieth, or to the District Attorney's office, one-fifty-five Leonard. Try Twentieth Street first."

"I will." She turned and was off. I followed, to let her out, but she was a fast walker and I would have had to trot to catch up. When I reached the door she had it open. I stepped out to the stoop and watched her descend to the sidewalk and turn west. The floodlights and ropes and police cars were gone, and so was Judy cab. My wrist watch said five minutes past midnight

I went in and shut the door. I returned to the office and found Bolton on his feet with his eyes open. "I assumed," I said, "that if you wanted something from her I hadn't got you would say so."

"Naturally."

"Have you any comments?"

"No. It's bedtime."

"Yeah. Since you're with me on this, which I appreciate, perhaps I'd better sleep here. If you don't mind."

"Certainly. You own your bed. I have a suggestion. I presume you intend to have a look at that place in the morning, and to see Mr. Watson. It might be good for me to see him too."

"I agree. Thank you for suggesting it. If they haven't got him downtown I'll have him here at eleven o'clock." I made it eleven because that was his earliest hour for an appointment, when he came down from his two-hour session up in the plant rooms with the orchids.

"Make it a quarter past eleven," he said.

"I will be engaged until then with Mr. Bernard." I opened my mouth and closed it again. "Didn't you phone him not to come?"

"On the contrary, I phoned him to come. On reflection I saw that I had been hasty. In my employ, as my Agent, you had made a commitment, and I was bound by it. I should not have repudiated it. I should have honored it, and then dismissed you if I considered your disregard of the rules intolerable." "I see. I can understand that you'd rather fire me than have me quit."

"I said if I lifted my shoulders and dropped them. "It's a little complicated. If I have quit you can't force me. If I haven't quit I am still on your payroll, and it would be unethical for me to have Miss Nest as my client. It would also be wrong for you to accept pay from me for helping me with the kind of work you are paying me to do. If you return the twenty-five to me and I return the fifty to Miss Nest, I will be deserting an innocent fellow being in a jam whom I have accepted as a client, and that would be inexcusable. It looks to me as if we have got ourselves in a fix that is absolutely hopeless, and I can't see-"

"Confound it," he roared, "go to bed!" and marched out.