Too Many Clients - Plot Introduction

Plot Introduction

A man who identifies himself as Thomas Yeager, head of Continental Plastics, asks Archie to ascertain whether he is being followed when he visits a certain address in one of New York's worst neighborhoods. When the real Yeager's body is found at an excavation site in the vicinity of that address, Archie crosses the threshold and finds a fantastically appointed love nest where Yeager secretly entertained many women. The case becomes more complicated when the daughter of the building superintendent is later killed; her novice attempts at blackmail provide Wolfe with critical evidence needed to solve both murders and earn a large fee, shoring up his low bank account balance.

In short order, Wolfe and Archie find themselves beset by prospective clients:

• the building superintendent and his wife, who want Archie to keep the police from harassing them (and, later, to catch their daughter's killer)
• an actress, who offers to pay Archie to get her cigarette case out of the love nest
• the directors of Continental Plastics, who want to keep the existence of that room from becoming public knowledge and causing a scandal
• Yeager's widow, who expects Wolfe to solve her husband's murder even if it embarrasses the company