Case
Too Many Detectives
Year Published
1957
Case Introduction
Early 1956. All 590 PIs licensed by the state of New York have been summoned to appear for questioning about some wiretapping scandals. An ex-client who hired Wolfe for wiretapping under false pretenses is found murdered at the scene of the hearings.
Notes
Resolution
Arthur Hyatt murdered William Donohue because he was the one who hired Donohue to wire-tap the members of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee because Hyatt was representing a charity with questionable business practices. It wasn't a coincidence that so many dupes of William Donohue were scheduled to testify on the same day. Hyatt arranged that to divert suspicion while he killed Donahue.

Characters in the case: 

Fired by Larry Bascom, now freelance.
Character descriptionP.I.
Reserved notes for this caseWas also hired by Donohue under a fake name to wire-tap a member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee, although he would not admit it. He said that he refused to do it.
Under subpoena to testify in Albany.
Character descriptionFull name, Theodolinda Bonner. Owner and operator of a private investigation agency in New York City.
Reserved notes for this caseWas also hired by Donohue under a fake name to wire-tap a member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee.
Served breakfast before Wolfe and Archie headed out for Albany.
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
PI working for Dol Bonner, appears here as Sally Colt. No explanation appears for the change.
Character descriptionPrivate Investigator employed by Dol Bonner. mentioned in THE MOTHER HUNT
Reserved notes for this caseAccompanied Willam Donohue to the bank to confirm his fake identity.
Murder victim.
Character descriptionMurder victim.
Reserved notes for this caseHired by Albert Hyatt to wire-tap members of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee. He used different Private Investigators so they would not connect that all of the victims were committee members.
Character descriptionMember of Hyatt's staff.
Reserved notes for this case
Under subpoena to testify in Albany.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
Reserved notes for this caseWould only accept 50 percent of the responsibility for the wire-tapping fiasco.
Collects Wolfe and Archie for questioning with regard to the murder.
Character descriptionChief of detectives of the city of Albany.
Reserved notes for this case
Was responsible for interrogating the Private Investigators for the wire-tapping investigation.
Character descriptionSpecial deputy of the secretary of state of New York for the wiretapping inquiry.
Reserved notes for this caseHired William Donohue to wire-tap the members of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee because Hyatt represented one of the questionable charitable organizations being investigated by the committee. Hyatt arranged for the private investigators that had been hired by Donohue to be interrogated together. Hyatt murdered Donohue presumably because he was going to implicate or black mail Hyatt about the wiretapping scheme.
Was under subpoena to testify at the wire-tapping inquiry.
Character descriptionP.I.
Reserved notes for this caseWas also hired by Donohue under a fake name to wire-tap a member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee.
Under subpoena to testify in Albany.
Character descriptionP.I.
Reserved notes for this caseWas also hired by Donohue under a fake name to wire-tap Arthur Leggett, a member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee. Never realized that Donohue was not Leggett.
Kerr wiretapped him, with his knowledge as far as Kerr knew.
Character descriptionWiretap subject.
Reserved notes for this case
Called in by Wolfe after his and Archie's arrest as material witnesses.
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
Someone using Ross' name hired Wolfe under false pretenses to wiretap Ross, ostensibly to check on his secretary.
Character descriptionRich guy, member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee.
Reserved notes for this case
Under subpoena to testify in Albany.
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 caseWolfe had been duped by William Donohue, who used an alias, into wire-tapping Otis Ross, a member of the Charity Funds Investigating Committee. He blamed Archie for being too eager to do some wire-tapping and Archie would only concede that they were each 50 percent responsible for the fiasco.

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