The Saint Sees it Through by Leslie Charteris

Author:Leslie Charteris [Charteris, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2014-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

3

This brought motionless silence to Dr Zellermann. He eyed the Saint coldly for a long moment. Then he said, “Are you in the habit of breaking and entering?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a habit, old boy. The word habit has connotations of dullness. As a matter of fact, I should say I have no habits whatever, as such, unless you classify breathing as a habit. That is one to which I cling with—on occasion—an almost psychotic firmness. There have been times, I admit, when certain persons, now among the dear departed, have tried to persuade me to give up breathing. I am glad to say that their wiles had no effect on my determination.”

The doctor shook his head irritably.

“You know you committed a felony?”

“By going on breathing?”

Dr Zellermann raised his voice slightly.

“By breaking into my office.”

“Technically, I suppose I did,” Simon confessed. “But I was sure you’d understand. After all, I was only applying your own pet philosophy. I felt like doing it, so I did.”

“As the victim,” Zellermann said, “I’m surely entitled to hear your reason.”

The Saint grinned.

“Like the bear that came over the mountain, to see what I could see. Very interesting it was, too. Did Ferdinand Pairfield do your decorating?”

Dr Zellermann’s face was impassive.

“A philosophy, Mr Templar, is one thing. Until the world adopts that philosophy, the law is something else. And under the present laws you are guilty of a crime.”

“Aren’t you sort of rubbing it in a bit, Ernst?” Simon protested mildly.

“Only to be sure that you understand your position.”

“All right then. So I committed a crime. I burgled your office. For that matter, I burgled the late Mr Foley’s apartment too—and his murder intrigues me just as much as you. So what?”

Dr Zellermann turned his head and glanced across the room. He made an imperious gesture with a crooking finger.

The Saint followed his gaze and saw two men in inconspicuous blue suits at a far table detach themselves from the handles of coffee cups. One of them pushed something small and black under the table. Both rose and came toward Dr Zellermann’s table. They had that deadpan, slightly bored expression which has become an occupational characteristic of plain-clothes men.

There was no need for them to show their badges to convince the Saint, but they did.

“You heard everything?” Dr Zellermann asked.

The shorter of the two, who had a diagonal scar on his square chin, nodded.

Simon ducked his head and looked under the table. He saw a small microphone from which a wire ran down the inside of one of the legs of the table and disappeared under the rug. The Saint straightened and wagged an admiring head.

“That, my dear doctor, is most amusing. Here I thought that I was talking privately, and it would be your word against mine in any consequent legal name-calling. It simply didn’t occur to me that you’d…er…holler copper.”

Dr Zellermann paid no attention to Simon. He spoke to Scar-chin.

“You know this man is the Saint, a notorious criminal, wanted in various

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