called upon to apply mathematical logic to the solution of difficult problems. They listened to me with great attention and respect!"
"And I suppose you told them exactly who to look for, the person's description, and all that?"
"I gave a description of the female that is involved," Hal chirped. "It's all a matter of logic, my dear Martin." He noticed that I was smiling. "I see you find this amusing."
"Tell me all about it." My smile erupted into laughter. I tried to, but couldn't hold it back. Hal hesitated, eyed me curiously, then continued.
"Listen to this," he continued. "The victim, Mr. Walter Diamond, a Midwest furniture company executive, comes to New York about once a month, and he usually has several thousand dollars in cash with him. Now, who knows all this? Well, the bellhop might, but he wouldn't dare rob Mr. Diamond since he would be suspected immediately. A co-worker? No, the furniture plant is too far from here. Diamond's wife? No, there are other ways a wife can get money from a husband. The security people in the motel keep out suspicious-looking intruders. It has to be a mistress. I get this from a process of elimination." Hal looked triumphant, obviously delighted with his analysis.
"A mistress? How could you possibly…?" There was still the hint of a grin on the edges of my mouth which, I'm sure, puzzled him.
"Of course, and I gave a probable description of her. Diamond is about fifty, so he obviously would be interested in a classy-looking woman of about thirty-five, pretty, well-dressed, someone who would get by security without any difficulty."
"Hal, you're out of your mind. It's all guesswork. You're not being logical!"
"Not being logical? Here's where the difference between you and me is so glaringly apparent. What did you see when you bumbled into Diamond's room?"
He saw the look of panic on my face. "Don't worry, Martin, I didn't tell the police anything about that."
"Well, I saw some clothes laid out on the bed – surely Diamond's, his watch, cuff-links,…"
"Right, and he was taking a shower. Would you say he was getting ready to go out?"
"Maybe."
"No maybe's about it. I can see it all as if I were there. Diamond arrived at his room and left the door open so that his mistress could come in. Shortly after you accidentally walked into his room, Diamond's girlfriend went in and helped herself to his money. Diamond's wallet was probably on the bed under his clothes."
"Hal, there are too many holes in your theory. The police never mentioned a girlfriend. There simply isn't any evidence that one exists."
"Do you think Diamond would mention a girlfriend? Of course not! Infatuation causes blindness. He probably never even suspected the one person who had the best opportunity to take the money. I'll bet you a dinner that, when the whole story comes out, I'll be proven right." Hal was very sure of himself.
Back at the plant, we parked the car in the company garage and decided to take the rest of the day off. We walked to the parking lot and got into our respective autos.
"Remember the dinner," was Hal's parting taunt. "It was the girlfriend!"
I drove a mile or two down the road toward my home, then turned and, muttering to myself, went back to the garage. With a screwdriver obtained from the toolkit in the trunk, I pried off the hubcap of the company car and retrieved a thick wallet filled with bills – Diamond's money. Then I replaced the hubcap and went home.
Tom, that was the very first time I had ever done anything like that. I have no way of fully understanding why I took Diamond's money. I did a purely on impulse. I simply wanted to prove to myself that Hal was wrong, that what he was saying about logic isn't always true.
When I stumbled into Diamond's room, I saw something that Hal had not seen – a bulge in the breast pocket of the coat that he that he had been wearing. I guessed correctly, that it was probably his wallet. Since his clothes were rumpled, I deduced that Diamond had just arrived at the motel, hot and tired and was taking a shower to refresh himself.
Before giving me his lesson on numerical principles, Hal had gone into the bathroom and closed the door. I estimated I had about sixty seconds. I hurried to room 244, fished out the wallet, and scurried back to my room. One minute had been more than enough.
After Hal left, I went to the garage and put the money in the hubcap of the company car. I felt sure the car would be searched, but guessed correctly that, since we were from General Electronics, the car wouldn't be ransacked.
I was lucky, I guess. Shortly after coming back to my room, Mr. Graham and the officer arrived. By then, I was resting on the bed, and in the clear.
Tom, I need your help in giving back what I stole. As an attorney, you can probably handle the matter discreetly. As I said, there was absolutely no reason for my taking Diamond's money. I did it illogically, on the spur of the moment. I wanted to prove that Hal was all wrong about everything being a matter of logic. I wanted to prove that Hal is not infallible, that sometimes I can be right too. But I failed in that! Did you notice, in my story, how often I'd do something logically? Hal was right all along. It is all a matter of logic! Tom, I don't want a nickel of that money. And I don't want Hal Hollander's dinner either. I know I can count on you to set things right. Thanks, for your help old friend.
Marty.
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