That could mean only one thing: Huck was buying something expensive for a woman�one of those three." "Why? There are other women." Lewent shook his head. "Not for Huck. He can't walk, and he hasn't been out of the house more than two or three times since my sister died. No woman ever comes to see him. It's one of those three. You might think Paul or I could discover which one, but it's not so simple. He has his meals in his room or his study, and we see very little of him. Paul has tried approaching the women on it, and I have made a few little 10 efforts in that direction myself, but it's a delicate business." "Make friends with all three of them." "It couldn't be done. They're too jealous of one another." "Wait until you see one of them wearing the gift from Tiffany's. That will settle it." "It would settle me too. It would be too damned obvious. None of them is a numskull." "But," Wolfe objected, "it will be equally obvious if she is flushed by Mr. Goodwin� in consultation with me." "I don't expect him to flush her. I don't want him to." Lewent slid forward on the smooth leather seat. "My God, can't you find out things without people knowing it? I couldn't take Goodwin into that house to cross-examine them about their relations with Huck, even if I wanted to. It is my father's house, but Huck owns it. We'll have to use a subterfuge, especially for Goodwin to talk with Huck. I just decided�" He was stopped by a noise from Wolfe� an explosive noise, half grunt and half snort. It was meant for a stopper. Lewent's quick little gray eyes widened in startled inquiry. "What's the matter?" "You." Wolfe was mildly disgusted. "I 11 might conceivably engage to pry into the amatory designs of a wealthy widower if I were hard put and the bait was spectacular, but as it is you're wasting your time. And mine. Good day, sir." It sounded positively final. Lewent's pinched little mouth worked from side to side and up and down. "You mean you won't do it." "That's right." "I didn't think you would, but I thought I'd try it that way." He clasped his hands together. "So here goes. Now this is confidential."