“Archie!

I turned. Wolfe's head with its big oblong face was protruding from a window of the front room.

“Yes, sir, I said brightly.

“Who brought that package?

I told him Fleet Messenger Service.

When the breeze through the hall had cleared the air I returned to the kitchen and Fritz joined me. We gave the package a look and found it was quite simple: a metal cylinder with a valve, with a brass rod that had been adjusted so that when the package was opened so was the valve. There was still a strong smell, close up, and Fritz took it to the basement. I went to the office and found

Wolfe behind his desk, busy at the phone.

I dropped into my chair and dabbed at my runny eyes with my handkerchief. When he hung up I asked, “Any luck?

“I didn't expect any, he growled.

“Right. Shall I call a cop?

“No.

I nodded. “The question was rhetorical. I dabbed at my eyes some more, and blew my nose. “Nero Wolfe does not call cops. Nero Wolfe opens his own packages of sausage and makes his own enemies bite the dust. I blew my nose again. “Nero

Wolfe is a man who will go far if he opens one package too many. Nero Wolfe has never-

“The question was not rhetorical, Wolfe said rudely. “That is not what rhetorical means.

“No? I asked it. I meant it to be rhetorical. Can you prove that I don't know what rhetorical means? I blew my nose. “When you ask me a question, which God knows is often, do I assume-

The phone rang. One of the million things I do to earn my salary is to answer it, so I did. And then a funny thing happened. There is absolutely no question that it was a shock to me to hear that voice, I know that, because I felt it in my stomach. But partly what makes a shock a shock is that it is unexpected, and