1 52 Steps to Murder Read online

  “I can already tell you one thing, Cy.”

  “What’s that, Sam?”

  “One of the neighbors overheard her saying that she wouldn’t have to take care of Mrs. Jarvis much longer.”

  “Really? Anything else?”

  “I just found out that an anonymous donor has paid for Mrs. Jarvis’s funeral expenses.”

  “Really? Carte blanche?”

  “No, the funeral home received ten thousand dollars in cash. That won’t pay for a high-priced casket, but it’s enough to pay for a decent burial.”

  “And you don’t have any clues as to who sent it?”

  “None yet, Cy, and if we don’t find any fingerprints, I doubt if we’ll ever find out. I’ll keep checking, though.”

  “That all you have, Sam?”

  “It is for now, but I’ll see what else I can have for you tomorrow.”

  “Talk to you then, Sam.”

  +++

  I struggled to close my front door.

  “Good morning, Cyrus,” said the screeching voice of my next-door neighbor.

  I wondered if Heloise Humphert ever slept, or if she camped out in her front yard with her watchdog on duty. I slowly turned to face her.

  “Oh, Cyrus. What happened? Did you fall down and hurt your little body?”

  “No, I had a nightmare about you and fell out of bed.”

  Heloise Humphert chuckled at my put-down.

  “Well, Cyrus, I could give you a massage to help you feel better.”

  I thought of my neighbor giving me a massage. Suddenly, the tumble down the hill didn’t seem so bad.

  “That’s okay. I have some poison ivy that will give me the same result.”

  “Oh, Cyrus. You’re so funny. Would you like for me to fix you some chicken soup?”

  I shook my head until I realized how much it hurt to do it, then made my way to the car as quickly as my aching body allowed.

  +++

  I watched Lou walk down the sidewalk toward Lightning. I was sure the sergeant wished Lightning could roll toward him. Not that the sergeant wanted to be struck by Lightning, but I knew the sergeant wanted to take as few steps as possible. At least, he was walking better. Lou arrived at the car and opened the door slightly.

  “Cy, it’s me. Lou. You know, the guy who never wears a yellow raincoat. I just want to make sure that your seatbelt is strapped on good and tight, because I’m getting in now, and I wouldn’t want you to lunge at me.”

  First George and then Lou. Could Frank be far behind? Surely, many years ago there must have been a comedian strike at the same time there was a shortage of policemen. Lou bent over to get in, grimaced as he did.

  “You looked fine coming out of your apartment, Lou. Is this flash of pain for my benefit?”

  “I wish it was, Cy. I’m doing okay walking. It’s those up and down movements and twisting and turning in the bed that cause me so much pain.”

  “Want to trade injuries? Mine hurts only if I move or don’t move.”

  “Yours should be worse, Cy. After all, you’re the one who caused all of this.”

  “That reminds me, Lou. I need a favor from you. I called and reported last night’s fiasco. I told George that you and I were attacked last night. Play along with me on this.”

  “In other words, it was our mysterious person in the raincoat that caused all my injuries?”

  “Well, in a way it was.”

  “How much is it worth to you, Cy?”

  +++

  My pain escalated with each turn of the steering wheel. In a few minutes, I managed to stop the car in front of the Blue Moon Diner, and the walking wounded exited the car and headed for nourishment.

  “Well, what happened to you?” Rosie asked, seeing my decorated face. She knew me well enough to know that whatever answer I gave her would not be the truth.

  “A cat got stuck in a tree,” I answered.

  “I thought that was the fire department’s job.”

  “They were all putting out fires at the time.”

  “Why didn’t you send him up to get the cat?” Rosie asked as she pointed toward Lou.

  “It was his job to catch the cat when I flushed him out of the tree.”

  “So, did you catch the cat yet?”

  “Not yet. Remember they have nine lives.”

  “Hopefully, you do, too. It looks like you’ve used up one of yours.”

  “It feels like more than one, but let’s cut the chitchat. We’re famished.”

  Lou and I painfully mounted a couple of stools. Hoping that food would ease my pain, I ordered corned beef hash, three eggs over easy, and some biscuits with sausage gravy. Lou opted for the Pick Five Special. He chose pecan waffles, link sausage, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Life went on, even for those in pain.

  At 10:30, Lou and I waddled and limped from the restaurant like two ducks which had tried to cross the road while walking too close to a possum. We were not a pretty sight, and two snails passed us as we made our way to the car. I remembered how painful the short drive had been and offered Lou a turn at the wheel.

  “Say, Cy, your roll down the hill didn’t cause you any memory loss, did it?”

  “What do you mean, Lou?”

  “Well, we’ve been together over an hour now, and you haven’t asked me about my message for the day.”

  “He didn’t by any chance tell you that Job and Jonah had it worse, did He?”

  “No, but from what I’ve read, they did have it worse.”

  “Well, Jonah deserved it. Anyway, what tidbit did God give you this morning?”

  “Can you dig it.”

  “Can you dig it? What are we, beatniks? I can see it now. Today we have Cy Dekker on the bongos as he accompanies Cool Lou, the poetry machine. Cool, huh, man?”

  Even though Lou had spent years around me, I never ceased to amaze him.

  “Tell me, Cy, how fast were you going when your head hit the concrete?”

  30

  On the way to Hilltop Place, Lou and I discussed the person in the raincoat.

  “Any idea who it was, Lou?”

  “No, I never saw anyone after I entered the house. At least not until I looked up and saw you lying on me.”

  Eager to change the subject, I offered a guess.

  “Whoever it was either lives on Hilltop Place or he or she was still in one of the houses until after we left. Did you look through Mrs. Jarvis’s house?”

  “No, I figured whoever it was headed for the underground. However, I did check out Mrs. Nelson’s house before you jumped me.”

  Lou winced as he slowly maneuvered the car around the corner onto Hilltop Place and noticed that he and I were the first to arrive.

  “No one’s here yet. Just pull down in front of Mrs. Nelson’s house. If the door is double-bolted, we can use George as a battering ram. With his head, it shouldn’t take us more than a couple of tries to get in.”

  Lou and I talked while we waited. We were interrupted by a call from the dispatcher.

  “Lieutenant, do you know a Mrs. Wilkens?”

  “I sure do.”

  “Well, she called in this morning. She wanted to talk to you about what she called ‘The Hilltop Murder Mystery.’ Sgt. Collins talked to her and told her you weren’t in. At first, she was reluctant to leave a message, but finally, when she decided she could trust Sgt. Collins, she told him that last night she saw Mr. Hartley coming out of the house next door to hers. Does that mean anything to you, Lieutenant?”

  “Yes, thanks. I’ll check on it.”

  Lou and I discussed this new bit of evidence until I looked in the side-view mirror and noticed Frank Harris’s tank pull up behind us. Frank got out of his car and approached the sitting wounded. The medical examiner bent over and looked in the car and was barely able to suppress a laugh.

  “So, this time they brought the bodies out to me.”

  “I would laugh, Frank, but it hurts too much.”

  “It looks like I lost a bet, C
y.”

  I knew it was coming.

  “Go ahead. I’ll bite.”

  “Well, I told George that I didn’t think you could look any worse than you did before. Looks like I was wrong.”

  “I love you, too, Frank.”

  “So, Cy, how many new bodies do you have lined up for me this morning?”

  “I don’t know. Do the two of us count?”

  “Funny you should mention it. Some of the guys in the department have been wondering if the two of you can count.”

  “Very funny. Today, I’m counting on you, Frank. Somebody has to keep you busy. I know even you’d feel guilty drawing a paycheck without doing any work.”

  “That reminds me. It’s good to see that you and Lou are finally doing something to earn your pay.”

  Frank and I continued our repartee while Lou sat and enjoyed it. A couple of minutes later, George pulled up behind Frank, followed by a couple of squad cars and a couple of the men from the police lab. When they got out of their cars, I noticed that one of the uniformed officers was Officer Davis.

  Lou and I tried not to advertise our injuries as we pushed our way out of the car. From the smirk on George’s face, I could tell that he had a few put-downs lined up, but he wouldn’t put me down in front of the younger men.

  “Hello, Cy. So nice of you to get all of us together on this wonderful morning,” George said as he got out of his car.

  “It’s so good to see your beautiful face this morning, George.”

  “Sorry I can’t say the same about your face, Cy,” George whispered as he caught up with me. “So, Cy, after you,” he said as he motioned for me to go first.

  I wanted to bring up the rear, but George had forced my hand. I walked gingerly over to the railing, hoping to use it to hoist myself to the top. I made idle conversation to take George’s thoughts off the slowness of our journey.

  “What’d you do last night, George?”

  “Just turned on the TV and watched a little Texas Hold ’em.”

  “I’ve never been much on wrestling. It’s all fake,” I replied.

  George gave me a look. I assume the fact I don’t like wrestling offended him. He remained quiet until we got to the porch.

  “Nothing like a leisurely stroll to the top of a mountain, I always say,” George said, as I finally managed to navigate the last step and arrived at the porch.

  “I always take it slow when I notice I have some old people on the tour,” I replied.

  I grimaced as I made my way to the front door. I eased my hand into my pocket, pulled out the key, and inserted it into the lock. I turned and pushed, but to no avail. It seemed like someone had spent more time at the Nelson house than I did. Did our friend in the raincoat linger around the house or return after Lou and I left with our injuries?

  “I’ll let you have the honors, George,” I said, as I motioned for him to lead the way.

  “The door seems to be stuck,” he said after he gave it a try.

  “It’s not stuck, George. It seems our friend is playing games again. Officer Davis, you’ve done this before. Why don’t you go to your car and get something to force the plywood away from the window. And if you have any duct tape, please bring it, too.”

  Officer Davis jogged down the steps to his cruiser. His return trip took much longer, although he did his best to make a good impression. He handed me the tape and used a crow bar to work on the window. He pried the plywood far enough away from the window so that he could reach in, unlock the window, and climb into the house. Then, he hurried over to the door and slid open the second bolt and the rest of us strolled inside. Just after we entered the house, two more officers pulled up. We were accumulating quite a crew. It was getting to be a habit.

  I removed my pocketknife from my pocket and cut a piece of duct tape. I took a chance that my actions would not lead to curiosity seekers. Besides, the scene of the crime had already been trampled on more than once. I secured the bolt that kept us from entering the house each day. After a few minutes, I’d used enough tape to severely hinder our opponent’s shenanigans. We wouldn’t have any trouble entering the house next time.

  “Frank, it’s your party. We’ll just take a seat until you can see what you can find out,” I said as I eased my body into a chair.

  “Well, I’m not used to going out without knowing there’s a body, but the way this case is going, chances are we’ll find another body today.”

  I soon found out that reaching into my coat pocket from a seated position was much more difficult than it had been a few days before; however, I found that the reward of milk chocolate and almonds was just as satisfying as always.

  An hour or so later, the lab crew, assisted by the medical examiner, reported their findings to me.

  “There’s definitely been some traffic, but nothing significant to lead us anywhere.”

  “Well, then, gentlemen. I’ll lead us somewhere. Let us head to the dungeon.”

  I lifted myself from the chair, ambled to the pantry as the others followed. I twisted the lid on the jar of olives. It was not all I twisted. I winced, but hoped no one else noticed.

  “Officer Davis, if you would help us out, there’s a couple of buttons at the back of that bottom step. Would you be so kind as to bend over and push both of them for us.”

  Officer Davis bent over, and, after a few seconds of searching, located the buttons. He pushed both of them and the wall slid away.

  I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at the door below. I winced again as I thought back to a short time before. Police work was getting dangerous.

  I led the way, slowly making my way down the steps. When I arrived at the bottom, I turned to face the others.

  “Men, we don’t know what’s on the other side of this door. Let’s all turn off our flashlights and remain silent until we find out.”

  The men followed orders and grew quiet. I left my flashlight on until I found the sliding bolt that held the door locked. Then, I extinguished my flashlight and slowly opened the door. Everyone stood in silence as we heard the sound below. Someone was digging.

  31

  I opened the door the rest of the way, eased down the steps. I clutched my flashlight in one hand while I wrapped my other hand around the handrail, something nonexistent anywhere inside the house. The only light shined in the distance. We couldn’t see the source of the light. It came from slightly around the bend. Otherwise, there was only darkness. Each of us descended the steps slowly, carefully. Even the slightest squeak of a step might alert whoever was digging. After everyone had made it to the dirt floor, I motioned for the men to spread out. On my orders, each man slowly made his way toward the digging sound. As we drew closer, the dim light revealed a lone figured bending over a shovel.

  “Hold it right there,” I shouted, as I turned my light on and spotlighted the digger. The other policemen followed suit and illuminated the underground area.

  Not suspecting she had company, and unnerved by the sudden light and command, the digger dropped her shovel.

  “Just leave it right there,” I hollered, as she started to bend over to pick up her shovel. “And just what are you doing down here, Mrs. Reynolds?”

  “Raisin’ a garden, if it’s any of your business,” the older woman replied. “From the number of flashlights, I assume you’ve brought more riffraff with you this time.”

  I ignored her comment, picked up where I’d left off.

  “Oh, I love gardens. Let’s see what you’ve planted.”

  “Didn’t plant nothin’. My guess is you planted it, Lieutenant, and waited in the dark until I found it,” Mrs. Reynolds answered.

  She recognized the voice of her caller, even though the blinding light kept her from seeing me, even when she raised her arm to shield her eyes.

  “You just happened to come down here and find it. Is that right, Mrs. Reynolds?” I replied, as we continued to walk toward her. “Oh, lucky us. It looks like we got here just in time for the harvest.
Officer Davis, why don’t you do the honors? Let’s see how Mrs. Reynolds’s garden has done this year.”

  Officer Davis moved over to the shovel, picked it up, and started to dig. The older woman stumbled backwards. When she regained her position, she answered my accusation.

  “I told you, Lieutenant. I didn’t plant nothin’.”

  “Sure you didn’t. Then it looks like all of us will be surprised. Doesn’t it, Mrs. Reynolds?”

  Mrs. Reynolds jumped each time the shovel hit the ground and eased a little closer to the wooden steps that led to her house. In a few minutes, Officer Davis had uncovered the buried treasure.

  “Well, Mrs. Reynolds. Look what we have here. A yellow raincoat, galoshes, and a ski mask. Why don’t you try them on to see if they fit?” Mrs. Reynolds turned and ran up the steps. None of us were close enough to stop her. She managed to lock the door before the nearest officer could detain her. I kicked the dust. I didn’t expect Mrs. Reynolds to be so spry. We decided to deal with her later. For the time being, we wanted to study what we’d found and see what else we could turn up.

  “Well, it looks like we’ve found the mysterious yellow raincoat. Let’s bag it and spread out and see what else we can find. We’ll begin on this side of the underground area. Let’s start at the head of the street past Mrs. Jarvis’s house and work our way back down to where we are now. Then, we’ll go over and check out the other side.”

  Each man had been told to bring a Maglite so he could do a thorough search of the underground area. As we spread out and started up the cave-like stretch in front of us, George eased over to me with a smile already in place. I braced myself.

  “So, Cy, was that your attacker? Was she the one who overpowered you and Lou last night? Tell me again how she gave you the black eye. She must have used the shovel. Or could it have been Miss Peacock in the conservatory with the lead pipe?”

  Before I could choose whether to respond or ignore my friend, one of the men hollered that he had found something else. Frank was nearby. He donned some surgical gloves, bent over and picked up the envelope the officer had found.