- Case
- Blood Will Tell
- Year Published
- 1964
- Case Introduction
- August 1962. Archie receives an expensive stained necktie in the mail with a note on James Neville Vance's stationery asking that he keep it until called for - but the stain looks like blood. Checking out the return address, Archie is present at the discovery of the body of another tenant in Vance's apartment building. The victim's estranged husband hires Wolfe.
- Notes
- Resolution
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Vance himself killed Bonny, who had been playing cat-and-mouse with him - he was one of the few who hadn't actually enjoyed her favors. Otherwise he wouldn't have given away one special tie or let Archie keep another, and only he could have staged the phone call because only Vance himself would know whether Archie had checked out the necktie already.
Characters in the case:
Fritz prepared Lobsters with White-wine Sauce, Lemon-Sherry Pudding with Brown-Sugar Sauce and Madrilene with Beet Juice during this case.
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
Impressed at Archie's ability to find stories before they happen.
Character descriptionReporter at the Gazette. Dark skin, dark brown eyes. Neat little face, slick black hair. Neatest (card) shuffler Archie knows.
Reserved notes for this case
Took the tie personally from Archie.
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
Having an affair with Bonny.
Character descriptionElectronics technician, VP of Audivideo, Inc. Married, lives at 219 Horn Street, vodka drinker.
Reserved notes for this caseRita heads for Reno at the end of the case.
Says she was a fool to marry Paul, and knows he was cheating on her with Bonny.
Character descriptionMarried, lives at 219 Horn Street. Age 24, married at 21, nice hazel eyes, sherry drinker.
Reserved notes for this caseGets a divorce in Reno at the end of the case.
Arranged to get the tie tested in a laboratory.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
Reserved notes for this case
Literally smashed by a bottle of vodka.
Character descriptionSecretary for a firm of architects, quit on her marriage to Martin Kirk. Age 26, drinks very little alcohol.
Reserved notes for this caseVery promiscuous - no sense.
Client and murder suspect.
Character descriptionArchitect, age 33, scotch drinker.
Reserved notes for this case
Betrays more information than he gets while questioning Archie about the necktie.
Character descriptionAssistant District Attorney.
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned, as Archie contemplates asking Wolfe whether to call him on Kirk's behalf.
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
Offers to arrest Martin Kirk as a material witness.
Character descriptionInitially an employee in N.Y. D.A.'s office. Later Cramer's man.
Detective (sergeant). Unfriendly.
Reserved notes for this case
Says the makers of the necktie reserve that pattern for his exclusive use. He had 9 identical ties.
Character descriptionWealthy bachelor, author of the privately printed book _The Music of the Future_, vodka drinker.
Reserved notes for this caseVance planned the murder of Bonny Kirk and the frame-up of Martin Kirk for weeks. He gave one of his prized ties to Kirk and then stole it back from his apartments weeks before the murder. He typed the note on his stationery on Kirk's typewriter weeks in advance and Kirk traded-in the typewriter before the murder. He murdered Bonny because he could never have her and mailed the blood-stained tie to Archie. He then called Archie to tell him to burn the tie and disguised his voice. He had 9 identical ties, gave one to Kirk and then retrieved it and kept one hidden in his studio (he could not bear to throw it away). Saul found the hidden tie and Archie found a blood-soaked lock of Bonnie's hair hidden in one of Vance's gloves, which Vance kept as a trophy of the murder.
Considers music to be a vestige of barbarism.
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 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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