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〃And now；〃 I plained； 〃I'll never be able to make him take back calling me a liar。 Sure； glad to help。 e along； Inspector。〃
Chapter Twenty
Since so far as I knew I was still on the Naylor…Kerr payroll； it was a good thing they didn't work Saturdays； because Saturday morning I didn't get out of bed until noon was in plain sight。 At that I had been there something short of six hours； having got home just as the sun was taking its first slanting look at Thirty…fifth Street。
Coincidence was right。 On Thirty…ninth Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues； not thirty feet from the spot where the body of Waldo Wilmot Moore had been found nearly four months before； a car had run over Kerr Naylor； flattening his head and breaking his bones。 I had appreciated； better than I had when he had told me about it； the difficulties Kerr Naylor had encountered when he had gone to the morgue to identify the remains of Waldo Moore； but there had been no doubt about it。 It was unquestionably Naylor； when you had made the mental adjustment required by the transformation of a sphere into a disk。
To go on with the coincidence； the body； which had been discovered by a taxi driver at twelve…forty A。M。； had been there unnoticed for some time； anyway over half an hour； if the guess of the Medical Examiner on the time of death was any good。 Not only that…and this was really stretching it too far…the car that had run over him had been found parked on Ninety…fifth Street just west of Broadway； in front of a branch laundry； in the identical spot where the car that had finished Moore had been found。 On that one I had to hand it to Inspector Cramer。 One of his first barks on arriving at the scene had been at a squad dick； telling him to beat it to Ninety…fifth Street and go over the cars parked in that block。 Showing that an inspector knows a coincidence when he sees one。 Already； before I had left to go home for a nap； the owner of the car had been brought in from Bedford Hills and thoroughly processed。 The processing was mostly unnecessary； since it was easily established that he had reported to the police at eleven…eighteen that his car had been stolen from where he had parked it on Forty…eighth Street； having driven to town to go to the theater； and having； as lots of boobs do every day； forgotten to lock the car or even take the key。
It had taken two laboratory men； working with spotlights on the tires of the car where it stood on Ninety…fifth Street； to get the proof that it was the one that had rolled over Naylor； and that was one more detail of the coincidence。
Part of the time I had been a kibitzer； but had been made to feel wele throughout because Inspector Cramer wanted me handy to answer some more questions when he got a chance to work them in； between other chores。 During all the hours he made no reference to Wolfe's objectionable behavior； and mine； in trying to stir up a murder stink when there had been no murder； and I； knowing he was busy and it would aggravate him； brought it up only eight or nine times。 Even then he didn't have me bounced because he wanted me around。 The first session with him I stalled a little on the ground that it would be outrageous for me to betray the confidence of a client； but when he got to the point of a certain tone I gave him everything that I knew he would soon be getting elsewhere anyway。 I told him all； or nearly all； about the folks I had been meeting down at Naylor…Kerr； including； of course； such details as the impression Ben Frenkel had been carrying around since December。 When I had tried to loosen Gwynne Ferris up by threatening to tell the cops all and let them take a crack at her I hadn't dreamed I would actually be doing so within ten hours。
Cramer shifted headquarters three times； taking me along。 For half an hour or so he worked outdoors there on Thirty…ninth Street and then moved inside； to the 18th Precinct Station House on Fifty…fourth Street。 Around three o'clock he moved again； to his own hangout； the office of the squad on Twentieth Street； and an hour later made another transfer； this time to the office of Deputy missioner O'Hara at Center Street。 O'Hara himself was there and things had really started to hum。 I was right in the middle of it and was even given the pleasure of an interview with the Deputy！ missioner himself。 From the way he started in on me it was a fair inference that he not only regarded me as a damn liar but also had inside dope to the effect that I had done it all myself； and that when I had got home and joined Wolfe and Cramer in the office at 11：30 I had just e； not from a movie； but from parking the murder car on Ninety…fifth Street。 Since I had already given Cramer all the information I had that could help any； I thought I might as well let O'Hara keep his illusions and fed him a peck or more of miscellaneous lies such as I didn't know how to drive a car and in strict confidence I had not been at a movie； but in a hotel room with the wife of a prominent politician whom I would rather die than name。 Eventually O'Hara caught on and there was quite a scene。
Kerr Naylor's sister had of course been notified； not on the phone； but by dispatching Lieutenant Rowcliff to her house on Sixty…seventh Street。 When Rowcliff returned…we were then at the 18th Precinct Station House…Jasper Pine was with him； having had his sleep broken into after all。 Pine had been taken by Rowcliff； on their way； to identify the body； and since I knew from having done it myself how jolly that was； I didn't blame him for looking a little pale。 He didn't have the appearance of a man overe by grief； but neither did he look like a top executive with everything under control。 Cramer； having learned that both he and his wife disclaimed any knowledge of Kerr Naylor's whereabouts Friday evening and had no idea of what he might have been doing on Thirty…ninth Street； spent only a short time on him and then gave him back to Rowcliff for more talk。 I spoke just sixteen words to him。 As he started away with Rowcliff he confronted me and demanded； 〃Did Naylor tell you what you reported to me？ That he knew who had killed Moore？〃
〃Yes；〃 I said。 〃If I had wanted to make something up I could have done better than that。〃
Before the night shift was through I met other acquaintances； after we got down to Centre Street。 Not Hester Livsey。 The dick who was sent for her came back with a report that her mother； with whom she lived in Brooklyn； had stated that her daughter was not there and had not been home that evening because she had gone straight from work to Grand Central to catch a train； to spend the week…end with friends in Westport； Connecticut。 She had furnished the name of the friends； and they had been phoned to。 No answer。 But Cramer and his boys were moving fast and in all directions。 They had phoned the Westport police； who had made a call on the friends and reported back that Hester Livsey was there； snug in bed； having arrived on a train that had reached Westport at one…nine A。M。 Since it takes around seventy minutes； not eight hours； for a train to go from Grand Central to Westport； the caller had insisted on speaking to Miss Livsey and had done so。 She had stated that she had decided to take a later train and that how she had spent the evening in New York was her own business。 Told of the death of Kerr Naylor； she repeated her statement； and said that she knew nothing about Mr。 Naylor and that her association with him was extremely remote； since he was head of a large department and she was merely a stenographer。 Asked if she would return to New York in the morning so the police could talk with her； she refused； saying that she couldn't possibly tell them anything helpful。
There was a report from a sergeant who had had a chat with Sumner Hoff in his apartment in the East Fifties。 Hoff had been able to contribute nothing； but was quite willing； as a responsible citizen； to cooperate with the police in the investigation of a crime…which sounded to me like a distinct and encouraging improvement in his manners。
Bell ringing and door knocking had produced no results at the Greenwich Village room…and…bath tenanted by Rosa Bendini。 In her case there was no mother around to get information from； and no one else in the building knew where Rosa was。 I had a healthy conviction； knowing as I do what a liking for panionship can lead to； that when Rosa showed up her mind would be a blank as to where she had spent Friday night； but that was one of the things I didn't municate to Cramer； not wanting to lower his opinion of American womanhood。 They thought they might find her with her husband； where he lived with his folks on Washington Heights； but no。 Harold Anthony； hauled out of bed； dressed and came down to Centre Street without being asked。 His story was that he hadn't seen Rosa since Wednesday evening； when she had left him and me to fight it out on the sidewalk in front of Wolfe's house； and as for him； he didn't know Kerr Naylor from Adam； and had spent Friday evening at a basketball game at the Garden； where he had gone by his lonesome； and had then walked all the way home…some six miles…to use up energy。
I asked him； 〃So you got some energy back in the