Kill Now—Pay Later
"Kill Now—Pay Later" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first serialized in three issues of The Saturday Evening Post. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection Trio for Blunt Instruments, published by the Viking Press in 1964.
Plot summary
Wolfe's aging Greek bootblack is accused of murder and Wolfe feels he owes him something since he listens eagerly to Wolfe's dissertations on ancient Greek culture during every shoe-shining session and moreover has told the police that "Wolfe is a great man".Publication history
"Kill Now—Pay Later"
- 1961, The Saturday Evening Post, December 9 + December 16 + December 23/30, 1961
- 1975, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1975
- 1978, Ellery Queen's Anthology, Fall–Winter 1978
''Trio for Blunt Instruments''
- 1964, New York: The Viking Press, April 24, 1964, hardcover
- 1964, New York: Viking, June 1964, hardcover
- 1965, London: Collins Crime Club, January 1965, hardcover
- 1967, New York: Bantam #F-3298, January 1967
- 1997, New York: Bantam Crimeline January 1, 1997, paperback
- 1997, Newport Beach, California: Books on Tape, Inc. October 31, 1997, audio cassette
- 2010, New York: Bantam Crimeline July 21, 2010, e-book