The Player on the Other Side by Ellery Queen Read Free Book Online

dear?’ Myra murmured.
    â€˜Nothing,’ said Ann, which was not true. For sitting so close to Percival’s tusked leer, she had shuddered.
    â€˜I do think, Robert, you could have gone without your forty winks this once . We’ve all been waiting.’ Emily entered with Robert, while young Archer stepped along behind them in an oddly oriental manner. This was the resultant of several divergent forces, one being his position of male secretary, which made him certainly not family and yet not a servant, either. Another was the pulsing anticipation Tom Archer always felt when he entered a room containing Ann Drew. A third was his reluctance to enter this room at all, for he had an inkling of some of the events scheduled. The sum totaled a bland, stooped carriage and the impression that he would bow rapidly from the waist at the slightest excuse.
    â€˜Good evening,’ Robert York said to Ann, ignoring Emily’s scolding; and immediately, taking a brief bearing on each of the others, ‘Myra … Percival …,’ and indicating the straight chair to which Emily was headed, so that his greeting was also a command to sit-so-we-can-get-started, ‘… Emily.’ Then he sat down in a hideous brocaded Morris chair and coughed, twice.
    Percival leered, in triumph this time, at Ann, who looked away. Robert held out a hand and young Archer placed an attaché case in it. ‘This,’ said Robert, opening the case, taking out a ledger, opening it at a broad orange bookmark and placing it on his knees, ‘this should not take very long.’ He thereupon covered the ledger pages with his forearm and spoke over them. ‘But before we begin, I should like to say —’
    Percival groaned.
    â€˜â€” a few words. First of all, on the matter of Mr. Thomas Archer here. Mr. Archer has recently proved, beyond the scintilla of a doubt, that he is a young man of resource and integrity. Not that such proof is or ever has been necessary. Nevertheless, I now find it possible to delegate to him certain of my family duties and responsibilities which have kept me from pursuing my personal affairs as freely as I have wished. Actually, the delegation of these duties is a fait accompli . I am merely making it official.
    â€˜You have been aware for some time that Mr. Archer is thoroughly conversant with our mutual affairs, from these household details’ — he tapped the ledger — ‘to the supervising of our investments and accounts. He will continue as heretofore, with one change.’
    Robert York drew a folded blue-backed paper from his pocket and agitated it. ‘This is a power of attorney, permitting Mr. Archer to act for me — that is, for us — in three areas: matters of maintenance of our houses and common property; the supervision of our investments and other paper holdings; and finally’ (his deeply grave tone made this finality one of cosmic importance) ‘Mr. Archer will begin on the climax of my many years’ work in philately — the remounting in uniform volumes, and the complete cataloguing, of my stamp collections.’
    He passed the paper to the astonished Archer. ‘But, Mr. York,’ Archer protested.
    â€˜Not a word, Archer. It’s the right thing to do and I’ve done it.’
    â€˜Let me see that!’ Percival rocked forward and snatched the paper from Archer. He scowled through it and then gave the embarrassed Archer a long calculating look. Percival opened his mouth, closed it again and handed the legal document back.
    â€˜Emily?’ said Robert York.
    The social worker took the paper and read it swiftly. ‘Of course I don’t pretend to understand this sort of thing,’ she said. ‘But since it does, you know, specify — I mean, it sets out exactly —’ She stopped to frown slightly. ‘I mean to say, it isn’t a general power, is it? So I suppose it’s all