2 Murder in the Winter Read online

  I didn’t want to interrupt her, so I nodded to let her know I knew what an SUV was.

  “Whoever was in it pulled in, parked it, and just sat there. Then, a couple of minutes later, some guy drove in like he was drunk. He was driving one of those things too, and I thought he was going to crash. He was driving way too fast, especially with the weather being like it was. Anyway, he parked the thing, got out, took off running for the back door. I was afraid he’d see me, so I stepped back from the window. After I felt he was inside, I looked out again. The first guy was still sitting inside his whatchamacallit. He just sat there for another five minutes or so fiddling with something, then got out and went inside. He wasn’t in there very long before he came back out, got in his SUV thing, and left.”

  When I was sure she’d finished, I did my best to hide my smile, then continued.

  “Mrs. Lefferts, did you recognize either of these people?”

  “No, but I didn’t get that good a look. I was afraid they’d see me and come over here. Of course, that one guy was in such a hurry that I doubt if he would’ve noticed me if I stood in the window in my nightgown.”

  “Would you mind if we went to your bedroom and looked out the window, so you can show me where the vehicles were parked?”

  “I haven’t swept or picked up in there this morning. I didn’t know I was going to have company.”

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Lefferts. I just want to look out the window.”

  Apologizing all the way, she led Lou and me to the bedroom. Once I was sure that no one next door could see us, I had her open the blinds slightly.

  “Now, Mrs. Lefferts. Take a look and show me where the two vehicles you saw were parked.”

  “One of them’s in the same spot it was that night. It’s the one the crazy guy was driving.”

  “Which one is that, Mrs. Lefferts?”

  “That SUV thing. The one near the far end.”

  Mrs. Lefferts had pointed out Tony McArthur’s vehicle.

  “And where was the other vehicle?”

  “Kind of in the middle, where the opening is. Where no one is parked.”

  “And that one was an SUV, too?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Do you know what kind it was?”

  “I don’t know one from another. But it was one of those SUV things.”

  “Mrs. Lefferts, is there anyone you know who might be in the neighborhood that time of night?”

  “Only the paper boy.”

  “And could the SUV have been his?”

  “No, he drives one of those funny-looking cars. You know those old-fashioned things.”

  “You mean a PT Cruiser?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s what they call them. Anyway, his whatever you call it is sort of a brick red. This SUV thing was a totally different color.”

  “Had you ever seen the SUV over there before that night?”

  “No, but it’s been back at least once since. I saw whoever it was leaving again the other night.”

  “What time was this?”

  “I don’t know, Lieutenant. It was dark. I woke up, heard something, looked out, and watched someone drive it out of their driveway. Then, I got back in bed and went to sleep.”

  “Anything else you can remember about that night, or anytime since then?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, thanks for all your help. We really appreciate it.”

  We walked back into the living room, said our goodbyes, and walked out of the apartment. After she closed the door, I kicked my heels a little too high, then reached for the wall to keep from falling. Lou had a good laugh at my expense, and the two of us rejoined Lightning for some tête-à-tête.

  25

  “So, what do you think, Lou?”

  “It keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.”

  “That it does my friend. There’s lot to ponder here. Who was driving McArthur’s SUV? Was it McArthur, or someone else? Supposedly, he was out of town. If so, someone seems to have a key to everything McArthur owns or rents. And who’s the other guy? Is there a connection between the two? If so, why did the second guy stay only a minute? It sounds like some kind of payoff. Do you reckon one guy paid the other for doing something? Could it be the plumber? Was this the big money he was coming into? Was it an arranged meeting and the reason the one guy drove so fast was because he was late?”

  “That’s a whole lot of suppositions, Cy. I don’t know the answer to any of those, but I can tell you one thing. What the old lady next door says makes sense. According to the pictures that Profitt’s sister took, there was a vehicle that came here that night, and left. And if you remember, she didn’t take any pictures of McArthur’s SUV. Only one that showed the door, so we know it was there. It could very well have been driven that night. But who drove it? McArthur, or someone else?”

  “I don’t know. What say we get something to eat and mull this over afterward.”

  +++

  After all the walking I’d done canvassing the neighborhood, I was sure I’d lost a few ounces. Rosie could tell it too, as soon as we opened the front door of the Blue Moon, she said, “Boy, you look like you’ve been dieting ever since breakfast.” The woman’s words rang true. No wonder all those strange people had made me so nervous. I’d forgotten to eat any candy all morning.

  Lou and I were sitting in the Blue Moon eating lunch when the phone rang. Rosie hurried to answer it, then turned to me.

  “It’s for you, oh exalted one. I think it’s your shrink.”

  “Ain’t no one shrinking this body,” I said as I got up to answer the phone.

  “Dekker here.”

  “I remembered that you said you hung out at the Blue Moon from 10:00-4:00.”

  “Sam, my man. Don’t tell me you called to give me indigestion.”

  “I don’t believe anything will bother that cast iron gut of yours. After you finish your right elbow workout, are you interested in going to work?”

  “You mean the police department shut down? Will I have to get a real job?”

  “No, I meant actually doing something to earn those big bucks you get.”

  “What’ve you got in mind? Anything I’d get arrested for?”

  “I have a picture for you, Cy.”

  “Is she cute?”

  “No, I doubt if he’s your type.”

  “Is he living?”

  “That I don’t know, but he was back when he was making plumbing calls.”

  “So, you have a picture of Phelps?”

  “I do. Do you have any interest in showing it around town and finding out if anyone recognizes him? Maybe find out if he has a friend in town?”

  “Is there anyway you can have a copy made? Quick?”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot. You’re the cop from the dark ages. I already have three copies. One for you. One for your shadow. And one for me. Maybe between the three of us we can find someone who’s seen him.”

  “I’d like to find somebody who’s seen him since breakfast. Wait there. Lou and I will be through here shortly. Then, we’ll stop by and pick up our copies.”

  I hung up, went back and told Lou that our walking days weren’t over. I filled him in as much as I could until Rosie walked up with a large slice of strawberry pie with whipped cream, and a slice of pecan pie with ice cream for both of us. I was glad we ordered two pieces of pie each. We would need the extra strength to resume our exercise routine.

  +++

  After woofing down two slices of pie each and savoring each morsel, we waddled out, plopped down in Lightning, and were off to meet the Wizard.

  Sam saw us coming and jumped up to welcome us.

  “So, Sam, what’ve you got on Phelps?”

  “Ray Phelps was easy to trace before he came here. Not so easy after he left. He came here from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I ran down some people who knew him and talked to the authorities there. Ray Phelps has never gotten into any trouble. He was just a working man who lived in a trailer an
d went to work each day. The worst thing I could get on him was that he was a dreamer. He always talked about some day he wouldn’t have to work so hard. Then, right before he left, he went around and said goodbye to his friends and told them that some day might be here soon. He said he was off to Hilldale where he planned to look up an old buddy.”

  “Any idea who the old buddy was?”

  “Not yet, Cy. I’ve checked around the best that I could, but so far no one seems to know him. But I just got all this information right before I called you, so I haven’t had much time to check on him.”

  “So, Ray Phelps is his real name?”

  “As far as I know. It was the name he used before he came here.”

  “And you haven’t been able to find him since he left?”

  “Not even a clue as to which road he took out of town. All I know is that he didn’t go back to his trailer in Pine Bluff.”

  “Is the trailer still there?”

  “It is. According to Tony Small, a friend of his, our plumber friend gave him the trailer to live in until he came back, and if Phelps didn’t come back within two years, he told Small he could consider the trailer his own.”

  “Any idea if Phelps ever did any acting?”

  “No, but he was good with his hands. People in Pine Bluff said he could fix just about anything. By the way, here’s the picture. I figured we could show it around town and see if anyone recognizes him. At least we’ll be able to show it to Mrs. Burris to see if it’s the same guy who worked there. You might want to show it to people at the inn or the apartment building to see if any of them recognize him.”

  “Yeah, and we can show it around town to see if anyone has seen any of our suspects with Phelps.”

  “Here’s what we’ll do, Sam. Why don’t you check out local businesses, places to eat, gas stations, convenience stores, places where Phelps might’ve done some business while he was in town? See what you can do today, and again tomorrow. Lou and I will head over to Burris Plumbing; make sure that this is the guy who worked there. Hang around here for thirty minutes. If I haven’t called by then, then this is our guy. You can get to work. While we’re there, we’ll get a list of the service calls Phelps made while he was employed there. We’ll check with the customers, talk to the ones who were home when Phelps made the call. See if he dropped any hints about why he was here, who he knew here, where he planned to go when he left. Tomorrow, Lou and I will revisit the Overlook Inn and Oppenheimer Arms, to see if anyone recognizes the plumber, and if anyone looks guilty when shown the photo. If you get anything today, call me, or leave a message for me at the Blue Moon. If not, we’ll touch base tomorrow night and compare notes.”

  “Sounds good to me, Cy.”

  Because we had a lot of work to do, we said goodbye, and Lightning led us to Burris Plumbing.

  +++

  Only one car stood in front of the plumbing business, which allowed me to park near the door. I did. Lou and I would get enough exercise in the next few days. We needed to economize whenever possible. We got out, walked over to the door. I opened the door of Burris Plumbing and stepped inside. My shadow followed.

  “Well, hello, Lieutenant, Sergeant. Something else I can do for you?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Burris. I’d like for you to take a look at this picture and tell me if you recognize the man.”

  “Why, yes. It looks like Ray Phelps. Did you find him?”

  “Not yet. You said you didn’t know him when he came to you for a job.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Do you have any idea why he picked your business when he sought work?”

  “No, of course there aren’t a lot of plumbers in Hilldale. If a man is a plumber, there’s a good chance he’d come here looking for work.”

  “Mrs. Burris, someone who knew Phelps back in Arkansas told us that Phelps knew someone in Hilldale, and that was the reason he came here. Would you have any idea who that person is?”

  “No.”

  “So it isn’t you or Mr. Burris?”

  “No.”

  “Did he ever have any phone calls or visitors at work?”

  “Not that I know of. I’m usually here, so I’d say probably not.”

  “I’d like a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the jobs you sent him out on. Let’s say you give me the ones from his first week and last week he worked. Maybe he talked to someone. You know, chitchat. It’s possible he told someone why he was here or why he was leaving.”

  “Ray was a friendly enough guy. He didn’t seem like a loner. Yet all the time he was here he never said much about himself or his life.”

  “Just the same, I’d like that information. Maybe he ran into someone who was from Arkansas, or someone he really hit it off with and unloaded on them.”

  “You don’t think Ray did anything bad, do you?”

  “No, but he might be able to help us find someone we’re looking for.”

  “Maybe it’d be easier to find the other person, than it would be Ray.”

  “You might be right, Mrs. Burris, but at least with Phelps we know who we’re looking for. We don’t know the identity of this other person, but it’s possible that Ray Phelps does. We’d like to question him to see if he knows this person or not.”

  “Well, I’ll see what I can do, Lieutenant. It’ll take me a few minutes to come up with a list. Why don’t you boys have a seat.”

  We plopped down on two chairs against the wall. Not exactly recliners, but a man can’t always be choosy when he gets a chance to take a load off his feet.

  26

  Fifteen minutes later, Lou and I left with a list containing twenty-seven names. I had asked Mrs. Burris to list the date of each call, so I’d know whether the person we were calling on was someone Phelps might’ve talked to when he first arrived in Hilldale or right before he left town. I knew it was a long shot, but it was possible that he might have told some of the early ones why he had come to Hilldale, while the more recent ones might have learned a little of his windfall, why he was leaving, and where he was headed.

  The first five calls got us nowhere. There was no one at home at two of the residences, and the other three said Phelps talked only about his business and said nothing about his personal life.

  As much as we could, we tried to keep our calls in order, as far as distance was concerned. I didn’t want to spend all my time driving. At the sixth house, a man answered the door. He said he was home when Phelps came to repair a leaky faucet, and that the two of them had talked.

  “Did he tell you anything about himself, Mr. Owens?”

  “A little. He said he was new to town and that he was from Arkansas. Told me he was here to see a friend, but he found a job so quickly that he hadn’t had time to look up his friend. Said his friend had a lot of money. Also told me about his brother. Not sure where his brother lives, but he’s a pharmacist.”

  “Did he by any chance tell you his friend’s name or what he does for a living?”

  “Not that I recollect.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Nothing important. We talked about the weather and NASCAR. Both of us are big fans. Don’t get the idea that he wasted a lot of time or didn’t pay attention to what he was doing. He wasn’t here that long and he fixed my pipes at a reasonable price. Well, reasonable considering plumbing is so expensive these days. Getting so some plumbers make as much as some doctors. Probably not as much, but close to it after those doctors pay for all that malpractice insurance.”

  I thanked Owens and left. We didn’t find out a lot, but what we found out seemed to fit in with the other information we knew. At least we knew that Phelps could talk.

  We struck out at the next two places. A pretty blonde answered at the third house. Young and attractive, she smiled, and positioned her body to her best advantage. She didn’t need to do that. Her tight-fitting clothes curved every time her body did. Everything about her seemed to say “hug me.”

  Her demeanor didn’t chan
ge after I told her who I was and why I was there. She invited us inside, introduced herself. I wondered if she was telling the truth when she said her name was Yolanda Lovely.

  I showed her the picture. She was chewing gum, and popped it as she looked.

  “Yeah, that’s him. Good looking. Don’t you think? Oh, I guess you might not look at him the same way I do.”

  I agreed that the two of us wouldn’t look at Phelps in the same way, but didn’t answer her. Instead, I carried on with my questions. I hoped she had visited Phelps at his place and could tell us where he used to live.

  “Miss Lovely, what can you tell us about Mr. Phelps?”

  “Well, he was kind of shy. Told me I made him nervous by standing so close while he worked. Imagine, little ole me making someone nervous.”

  She took a few steps forward. Only my protruding midsection kept her from getting close enough to kiss me, without leaning forward like one of those plastic birds dipping for water. I glanced down. Some of her parts were dangerously close to me.

  “Do I make you nervous, Lieutenant?”

  I told my body not to sweat, then spoke too quickly.

  “No,” I said in a voice that resembled that of a changing adolescent. She laughed.

  Totally uncomfortable in her presence, I asked another question without giving it enough thought.

  “Are you married, Miss Lovely?”

  “My, you work fast, don’t you, Lieutenant? I was once. You?”

  I was not about to turn and face my partner. I knew he was having a delightful time at my expense. Quickly, I tried to compose myself and finish my questioning.

  “What I meant was I thought maybe you’d invited Ray Phelps over for supper one night, or maybe had been to his place.”

  “Oh, you’re a smart one, Lieutenant.”

  Miss Lovely, suddenly aware that we were not alone, glanced at Lou, then back at me.