Mystery Murder

e office to ask Bolton if he would like to receive a caller. Anyway I would not do it. I could not step aside and let her enter by the door I had opened with no questions asked since there wa

idestepped to pass her, and was starting down

n Coupe?" My eyes slanted down to

ot very polite, shutting the door in my face." She spoke in jerks, as

s house. Rin

ee you too. Let m

her into the front room and go and badger Wolfe into seeing her, but as things stood I didn't even put it in thoughts. "I'm very sorry," I said, "but I no longer work here any more. I just quit my job. I am now on

ot in t

You're

e. "I don't believe

nd tomorrow there will be a front-page spread, 'Ivan Coupe, the famous private detecti

She let loose and backed up a step. "I beg your pardon. I

t think,

e better than him. I want some advice-no, not advice exactly, I wan

York I would work for, my only possible program was to set up for myself, and before I even

with the driver gone." A glance had shown me that there was no one behind the wheel of the cab at the curb. Probably, hav

t here? It shouldn't take very long-I just want you to help me win a bet." She moved, d

, and after she paid me I could slip a buck under the door for rent. I sat down beside

asked. "No, thanks, I'll tru

l as in cabs, and we had an argument, and she bet me fifty dollars she could prove that something dangerous could happen in a cab that couldn't happen anywhere else. She thought up some things, but I made her admit they could happen in other places too, and then she said what if a woman cab driver left her empty cab to

k at her. "You don't

't look

stead of a cab, and why didn't you tell her that? Second, where's the danger? She merely fin

ldn't have been the same if he had been driving a private car. And the only way I can win the bet is to prove that it wouldn't be dangerous. She doesn't know how the dead woman got in the cab or anything about it. All she has to do is get the body out of the cab, but that might be dangerous unless she did it just right, and that's what I want you to tell m

opped squinting. "

She stuck her fingers in the pocket of her jacket, a grayish number with

certainly wouldn't take your money without kno

l right. My name is Clara Nest. M

f questions. The dead woman she fin

ow coul

he knew her when

e di

left her empty cab to go into a

g. I don't know. T

ou are so frank and intelligent and pleasing to look at that I wouldn't dream of doubting you. A man who was sap enough to size you up wrong might even suspect you of feeding him a phony, and go and take

er cap screened her brow. "I guess so." She wasn't at all sure. "B

you didn't know enough about what you're supposed to do when you find a dead body. First and foremost, you're supposed to notify the police im

he nodded

cab, and where would she go to ditch it, and would she have to wait until late at night, and so on, I admit it has possibilities and I could make a lot of practical suggestions. But you have to show that it could be done without danger, and that's too big an order.

help. You kn

I beg you

re curled into

ld make some pract

only an idea. By the way, I took one thing for granted that I shouldn't have that your fri

bed. There was a knife,

ving a cab without a license, but driving off with a dead body with a knife sticking in it, and dum

d it right! Not if no one ever knew! I told you one thing wrong-she

wled. "Give me so

and stare. See that police car? If it

r stopped her held her down. She opened the purse and took out fold

stare at police cars. Stay put and keep your mouth sh

k you should live up to it, so I crossed to the door on my side and pulled it open. The seat was empty, but in front of it was a spread of black canvas held up by whatever was under it. The cop, lifting a corner of the canvas, snarled at me, "Back up, you," and I retreated h

I said wi

" the cop barked.

ready

your name?" "Coupe. Ivan Coupe. T

d I know about you

not. I'm n

ue with onlookers, His head jerked around. "Climb out, Bill. DOA. I'll call in." The cop behind the wheel wiggled out, and the one comm

will begin arriving. They will not be strangers to me. Since as far as I know you merely came to get me to tell you how to win a bet

y arm again. "You l

at the curb -oh, I haven't mentioned that, that there's a dead woman in the taxi. I mention it now because naturally I would, and naturally I would stick around to watch developments. I'm talking to keep you fr

ed a little, but she held on

ings, and stick to it. If you try a fancy lie, or a mixture of truth and lies, or part of the truth but try to save some, you're sunk. Of cou

to leave

tion they wouldn't rather leave it to than me, on account of certa

to a stop behind the prowl car, and Insp