Gambit Read Online Free Page A

fling.”
    Fritz stood. That woman'Or the dictionary?”
    “I don’t want the beer,” Wolfe said. “Take it back.”
    Fritz turned and went. Wolfe took in a bushel of air through his nose as far down as it would go, and let it out through his mouth. “I agree,” he said.
    “Consideration of his guilt or innocence would be futile. Either we proceed on the assumption that he is innocent or we withdraw. Do you wish to get that stuff from the safe and go and return it to her?”
    “No. We took it and let her go. You know damn well why I didn’t try to stop you.
    It was too good to pass up - the chance of seeing you tackle one that was absolutely impossible.”
    “You’re prepared to assume that Mr. Blount is innocent?”
    “Hell, I have to. As you say.”
    “Then someone else is guilty. I begin by eliminating the cook and the steward.”
    “Good. That simplifies it. Why?”
    “Look at it. The arsenic was in the chocolate. Therefore if either -“
    “No. Not known. The only arsenic found was inside Jerin. The pot was full of fresh chocolate, no arsenic, the cup was clean, and no container was found. Not known.”
    “But it is.” Usually Wolfe’s tone had a trace of satisfaction when he corrected me, but that time he didn’t bother. “After four days of investigation the District Attorney charged Mr. Blount with murder. Blount couldn’t possibly have given Jerin arsenic in any medium other than the chocolate. Before arresting him, the possibility that the arsenic had been administered in some other medium had to be eliminated beyond question, and at that sort of inquiry the police are highly competent. Certainly they have established that Jerin didn’t swallow the arsenic before he arrived at the Gambit Club, and at the club he swallowed only the chocolate; otherwise they wouldn’t have charged Blount.”
    “Check,” I conceded. “The cook and steward?”
    This is not conclusive, only strongly probable. There they were in the kitchen,
    preparing the chocolate. One or both of them knew Mr. Jerin, had reason to wish him dead, knew he was coming to the club, and knew the chocolate was for him.
    Confine it to one. He puts arsenic in the chocolate. At the time he does so he doesn’t know that Mr. Blount will come for it; he supposes that it will be taken to the library by himself or his colleague. He doesn’t know that later Mr.
    Blount will bring the pot and cup down and rinse them out. He doesn’t know that any club member has an animus toward Mr. Jerin - unless you think I should allow that?”
    “No.”
    “He doesn’t know if there will be an opportunity for anyone else to put something in the chocolate. He does know that the police will certainly discover his connection, whatever it is, with Jerin. But he puts arsenic in the chocolate?”
    “No. At least we can save them for the last. Of course the cops have checked on them. With Blount and the cook and steward out, what you have left is the messengers. Unless someone sneaked in uninvited?”
    He shook his head. “Mr. Blount told his daughter only that he thought not, he wasn’t absolutely certain, but his table was near the door to the library. And it would have been foolhardy. Only the messengers were supposed to go in to Mr.
    Jerin, and anyone else entering would have been observed and noted. It would have been rash beyond sanity. I exclude it, tentatively. But there is one other possibility besides the messengers, Mr. Jerin himself. He had arsenic in a soluble capsule, put it in his mouth, and washed it down with the chocolate.
    Shall I deal with that?”
    “No, thanks. I don’t need help with that one. Deal with the messengers. I grant opportunity. He goes in to report a move, shutting the door. We assume that he shut the door on account of the noise made by the spectators moving around in the big room?”
    “Yes.”
    “Right. He knows that another messenger may enter at any moment, but he only needs five seconds. The pot is there on the