Nero Wolfe, lover of fine food and prize orchids, is a sheer genius at daring detection. But he always
is on guard when it comes to women. Now, murder at a fencing studio engages him and his confidential assistant
Archie Goodwin in a dangerous duel with death. The prime suspect is a Balkan beauty who has a secret reason for wanting
Wolfe to clear her - and a double identity that may be the perfect foil for covering up a killer.
A FATAL TOUCHE - Jeanne Miltan stopped with her mouth open, her body stiffening. The yell that had split the air sounded
like something you might expect but would certainly resent if you found yourself alone in a jungle at night. When the second
yell came, we were running for the door. She started off on a lope down the hall. I was close behind her and there were steps
behind me. She went to the last door, the end room. It was standing open and she passed through without slowing down. She
jerked to a halt, saw it there on the floor, and walked over to it. I was beside her. It was Percy Ludlow, lying on his side,
so tilted that he would have been on his back if he hadn't been propped up by the protruding point of the epee which was
sticking clean through him...
The original client in this story. Says that
her name was Carla Kreljevitch, but changed it when she got to America.
Teaches fencing at Miltan's studio. Says that Neya Tormic is Nero Wolfe's adopted daughter, but
Carla is actually Nero's adopted daughter.
Archie Goodwin
Nero Wolfe's sidekick/right hand man/motivator
Fritz Brenner
Nero Wolfe's cook/housekeeper/butler
Nikola Miltan
Ran a studio that teaches dancing and fencing, mostly to the upper
class of society.
Jeanne Miltan
Nikola Miltan's wife.
Madame Zorka
Dress designer, claims to be from Paris. Real name is Pansy Bupp, born in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Neya Tormic
Claims to be Nero Wolfe's adopted daughter and is also (for a while) a client in this story.
Mr. Stahl
Federal Bureau of Investigation 'G'-man
Stefan Donevitch
Prince
Vladanka Donevitch
Stefan's wife the Princess
Peter Donevitch
Stefan's father
Marko Vukcic
Wolfe's longtime friend and owner of Rustermans Restaurant, which is one of
the few places Nero Wolfe will go.
Donald Barrett
Son of John P. Barrett of Barrett and DeRussy, the bankers
Nat Driscoll
One of Nikola Miltan's clients, was learning to fence. Accused Neya Tormic
of stealing diamonds, which was the original reason Nero and Archie were brought into this case.
When asked why Nero Wolfe had not come to Nikola Miltan's studio, Archie Goodwin replied "Bad case of pernicious inertia"
Inspector Cramer says to Nero Wolfe "I'd give my afternoon off to know what you know right now." Nero Wolfe states "It would cost you more than an afternoon Mr. Cramer, I read alot of books."
Archie Goodwin escapes from Miltan's studio by jumping over a fence and ripping his coat. He landed in the courtyard of a restaurant,
tells the guy in the restaurant courtyard that he is looking for a cat. Archie then walks through the kitchen, on through the
dining room and out the front door.
Archie sneaks Carla Lovchen out of the Maidstone Building.
The police followed Carla Lovchen into the Maidstone building. Archie needs to get Carla out so Wolfe can talk to her. Archie goes to the Maidstone building where there was a horde of
police watching all the elevators, entrance, and exits. Archie locates her by looking at the building directory and notices a company called Wheeler & Driscoll (Nat Driscoll) in suite 3259. Archie
goes up and finds Carla there, and then calls a friend of his, Ernie Flint, who is a house detective at the Hotel Alexander. He tells Ernie he is playing a trick on someone and he needs to have a
bellboy sent over to the Maidstone who resembles Carla Lovchen. Arhie has the bellboy change clothes with Carla, and Carla walks out the front entrance of the building right past a dozen policemen.
The Exposure Scene
Nero exposes the guilty party in his office. Present are : Nero, Archie, Fred Durkin, Donald Barrett, John Barrett, Inspector Cramer, Charlie Heath, Neya Tormic. The murderer attacks
Nero with a knife when Archie left the front door open while he went to the street with Inspector Cramer. Nero escapes injury.
Col de Mort : The collar of death. A device that slips over the blunt end of an epee, thus giving the epee a sharp point.
Document : empowering the bearer (Carla Lovchen) to talk and act, in all financial and political matters concerning Stefan Donevitch.
The document was originally hidden in a book in the bookshelf in Nero's office, by Carla Lovchen.
