- Case
- Before Midnight
- Year Published
- 1955
- Case Introduction
- 12 - 19 April, 1955. LBA (Lippert, Buff, and Assa), the ad agency for Pour Amour perfume, has been running a trivia contest - given 20 short poems as clues, identify the historical women therein (only restriction: they are known to have used cosmetics). They're not concerned that the guy who made up the answers has been murdered, but that one of the contestants may have taken a copy of the answers from his body. So Wolfe technically isn't looking for a murderer...The assignment is to sort out the problem of the contest before midnight of the day the answers are due. Only quite a few things are thrown in his way...
- Notes
- Resolution
-
The contestants are all red herrings, of course. The promising young ad man was killed by Buff, who saw him as a professional threat and had been provoked (not justifiably, but it pushed him too far). Assa was killed because he could expose the killer. The cyanide used on Assa was taken from one of LBA's display cases, and Buff was careless about fingerprints.
Characters in the case:
Shines as a copywriter, but not creative. Short, plump, tan. Pernod drinker.
Character descriptionPartner in the advertising agency Lippert, Buff, and Assa.
Reserved notes for this caseMurder victim, poisoned in Wolfe's office during what would have been the big confrontation scene. (Fooled you, yes?)
Fritz prepared griddle cakes, oatmeal, shad roe with shallots, squabs with sausage and sauerkraut (which Archie says is one of his best dishes) during this case.
Wolfe offers an underfed guest Milk Toast and Our Own Bouillon, but the offer was politely refused and the dish wasn't served.
Character descriptionMaster chef in Wolfe's kitchen, has a small apartment in the basement. (In "Fer-De-Lance," his apartment is across from the plant room, not in the basement.) Swiss; native French speaker, served in WWI. Uninterested in murder, except whether a client is in the offing; gets anxious about household finance when Wolfe isn't working. Doesn't like to talk while cooking. Changes to his old slippers at 9 pm because of "things left on his feet by the war to remember it by". Implied he was a member of the Swiss Alpine Patrol during WWI.
Reserved notes for this case
White-haired, red-faced, getting old, wears a homberg. According to Heery, he's a good front man, and for presenting an outline of an institutional campaign to the head of a large corporation, he's as good as anybody and better than most. (Heery feels that Buff's approach doesn't sell cosmetics and never will, however.) Buff has never personally come up with an idea that was worth a dime.
Character descriptionPartner in the advertising agency Lippert, Buff, and Assa.
Reserved notes for this caseFelt threatened by Dahlman, gave in to temptation, and killed him during a confrontation about the paper in the wallet.
Suspects (quite correctly) that LBA cares about the contest so much that they don't care whether the murderer is caught or who it was.
Character descriptionInspector with NYPD, Homicide. Has tolerate / hate relationship with Wolfe. He respects Wolfe, but is greatly irritated by his eccentricities. Habitually chews (but rarely lights) cigars. Notably, Cramer lights a cigar in Wolfe's office during "Instead of Evidence" in which the murder weapon is an exploding cigar! First name is given as Fergus one time, but generally accepted as Lionel. Had a son in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Archie has called Mrs. Cramer on the phone more than once to reach the Inspector at home. Archie's favorite alias for him is "the man about the chair" or "any name with a double "d", e.g., Mr. Judd".
At no time is Inspector Cramer ever referred to in the books as "Lionel T." Cramer; his first name is given as "Fergus" in "Where There's a Will." There is a lone later reference to him as L.T.C. (The Silent Speaker), but never Lionel. Stout's biographer, John McAleer, asked Stout to explain the "Fergus"/"L.T.C" discrepancy; Stout replied: "No significance. Laziness. I didn't bother to check on whether he already had a first name. Of course, all discrepancies in the Nero Wolfe stories are Archie Goodwin's fault." (from "Royal Decree; Conversations with Rex Stout)
He is featured in a book by Stout called Red Threads, first published 1939, tracking down a killer with a young fashion designer. There is no reference to Nero Wolfe.
Reserved notes for this case
Murder victim (shot with a .45). He dreamed up the name of Pour Amour. The contest was his idea; he set all the questions.
Q1. Though Caesar fought to give me power,/and I had Antony in my grasp,/my bosom in the fatal hour/welcomed the fatal asp.
Q2. Married to one named Aragon, I listened to Columbus' tale,/and offered all my gems to pawn to buy him ships and sails.
Q(7 or 8). My eldest son became a peer,/although I couldn't write my name;/as Mr. Brown's son's fondest dear/I earned enduring fame.
Q9. By the law himself had earlier made, I could not be his legal wife; the law he properly obeyed, and loved me all my life.
Character descriptionRising star at LBA (Lippert, Buff, and Asa), the advertising agency. Ladies' man.
Reserved notes for this caseA1: Cleopatra VII.
A2: Isabella of Castile
A(7 or 8): Nell Gwynn, the English actress (see chapter 1, Wolfe explains it).
A9: Aspasia and Pericles.
Archie checked Hansen's background with him, since Parker wasn't available.
Character descriptionLaw clerk for Nathaniel Parker.
Reserved notes for this case
"Owes [Archie] a little courtesy from past events." Got Archie up to the 18th floor to see Younger without a fuss (room 1826).
Character descriptionFirst Assistant Security Officer at the Churchill.
Reserved notes for this case
Finalist, Pour Amour contest, who thought it would be a fitting irony for the perfume company to finance the Women's Nature League. Has had 300 league members researching for her, and thus has a huge advantage as the other contestants are detained in New York. Described as a hellcat by the partners of LBA. Can be manipulated by offering publicity as bait. :)
Character descriptionHead of the Women's Nature League (they're against cosmetics in any form). Lives in Los Angeles, California. *Very* homely, about Archie's height (5'11).
Reserved notes for this caseThe only contestant to deny that she received a copy of the answers in the mail.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
Reserved notes for this case
Baritone voice; doesn't look good in the red leather chair.
Character descriptionAttorney, a partner in a big mid-town firm with a fat practice. Reputation as a smooth operator. Counsel for Lippert, Buff, and Asa.
Reserved notes for this case
Owns the company that makes Pour Amour perfume. Attributes his success to the advertising skills of Lippert, of LBA (Lippert, Buff, and Asa, formerly McDade and Lippert).
Character descriptionPerfume tycoon (Pour Amour). Over 6 feet, middle forties.
Reserved notes for this case
Talks with Wolfe, but not with Archie. In bloom: in the cool room, the Odontoglossums; in the tropical room, 2 benches of Phalenopsis. But the big show is in the 3rd room, since it's Cattleya mossiae time (Wolfe has 14 varieties, of which Archie's favorite is Rhinichaeana).
An Oncideum varicosum has dry rot, which has never happened before in April.
(transcribed from audio recording, spelling somewhat uncertain)
The clients in this case are so panicky that Archie interrupts Wolfe in the plant rooms several times.
Character descriptionOlder man. Wolfe's orchid nurse. Lives in small cubbyhole on the roof with the plants. First mentioned in ch. 3 of "Fer-de-lance" - Archie sometimes hears him shouting at Wolfe in the mornings.
Reserved notes for this case
Salesman type, doesn't know a lot about cosmetics advertising. Has landed most of the accounts handled by LBA. Heery says, "He could sell a hot water bottle to a man on his way to Hell." Attended the contestants' dinner with Dahlman. Brown hair, eyes, clothes. Looks alert and clever.
Character descriptionPartner in LBA (Lippert, Buff, and Asa), the advertising agency. (They kept the name unchanged when the founder died.)
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe calls him in for breakfast and a few errands.
Character descriptionTop hired hand Nero and Archie look to for manpower. Hosts regular Thursday night poker game at eight pm at his apartment in Brooklyn. Rust-colored hair, 5'7, 145 lbs, big nose and flat ears.
In the "Rubber Band" (ch. 6) Archie tells us that Panzer has a photographic memory when it comes to faces.
Reserved notes for this caseSaul arranges for the answers to be mailed to the contestants, so that the ad agency can void them and come up with a new set of questions.
Mentioned; Archie calls him and gets his clerk, while checking out Rudolph Hansen's bona fides.
Character descriptionWolfe's lawyer -- the only lawyer Wolfe ever sent orchids to. A bachelor who plays bridge on winter Sundays. (Appears as "Henry" Parker in The Squirt & the Monkey and The Golden Spiders.)
Reserved notes for this case
Finalist, Pour Amour contest. Thinks he's superior, and affects to be troubled by the prospect of winning because it would ruin his reputation to be involved in anything so common as a perfume contest. "Pour Amour Rollins, they'll call me."
Character descriptionHistory professor, Beamus College, Burlington, Iowa.
Reserved notes for this case
When Archie telephoned her to cancel their date at the Polo Grounds, "she began to call Wolfe names, and thought of several new ones that showed her wide experience and fine feeling for words." Otherwise she is barely mentioned.
Character descriptionAttractive blonde. Daughter of millionaire sewer man James Rowan, owns the Bar JR ranch in Montana.
Reserved notes for this case
Introduces himself as Lieutenant George Rowcliff" (Archie says that's typical, and asks what difference it makes whether he's George or Cuthbert.)
Character descriptionLieutenant in NYPD. Has antagonistic relationship with Archie and Wolfe.
Reserved notes for this case
Visits the brownstone alone.
Character descriptionInitially an employee in N.Y. D.A.'s office. Later Cramer's man.
Detective (sergeant). Unfriendly.
Reserved notes for this case
Finalist, Pour Amour contest. Since she lives in New York, she has the earliest deadline. When she visits Wolfe for the 1st time, she brings Mr. Hibbard, of the legal staff of Clock (tall, skinny), Mr. Schultz, an associate editor of Clock (tall, broad), and Mr. Knudsen, a senior editor of Clock (tall, bony). None of 'em are relevant to the discussion, since her entry in the contest has nothing to do with her job, but she brought them for "advice". They don't really have speaking parts.
Character descriptionAssistant director of research, Clock magazine; lives in New York City. Slender, grey eyes, brassy hair, good skin, wears tacky clock-face earrings.
Reserved notes for this caseShe works at Clock Magazine, and there are a couple of references to a Mr. Tite. His role at Clock isn't defined, but it's clear that he is well up on the masthead. The apparent punning on Clock (Time) Magazine, and the presumed publisher Tite (Luce) is unusual in a story by Stout.
Finalist, Pour Amour contest. Very determined to win the prize and use it to improve her family's situation (e.g., getting her husband to be a CPA if he can cut it). She is suffering so much from the stress of the contest that she can't eat, so Wolfe offers a few things (milquetoast, boullion).
Character descriptionHousewife from Richmond, Virginia. Has a lot of grit but no money to speak of.
Reserved notes for this caseThe second contestant to see Wolfe. The only one of the contestants to come to Wolfe directly upon receiving the answers.
Tailing Mrs. Wheelock.
Character descriptionNYPD, homicide.
Reserved notes for this case
Reads _Beauty for Ashes_, by Christopher LaFarge (a novel in verse) (rates dog-eared pages), _Party of One_, by Clifton Thadaman.
Allocates about 20 minutes a week to looking at advertisements in magazines.
Character descriptionMaster detective. Genius. Estimated weight: 1/7 ton. Carries a large platinum watch in his vest pocket. Sends a check every month to his mother in Budapest ("Fer-de-lance, ch. 13)..
Reserved notes for this caseBends the rule about leaving the brownstone, because a murder committed on the premises makes it a personal matter.
Finalist, Pour Amour contest. He's the guy with a heart condition, who, upon being visited by Archie at the Churchill, was moved to offer him a drink.
Character descriptionLooks like Old King Cole with a hangover. Lost a fortune in 1929, and resolved not to be a fool ever again. Retired at the insistence of his son-in-law; lives in Chicago.
Reserved notes for this case
Meals in the case:
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Orchids in the case:
(no orchids are currently in the NWD for this story)
Quotations in the case:
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