2 Murder in the Winter Read online

  “What about him?” she asked, pointing to Lou. “Can he talk?”

  “He can if I pull his string. So, did you invite Phelps over, or go to his place?”

  “I would’ve done either, but like I said, he was shy.”

  “Did you get him to talk any?”

  “A little. Not much. I found out he was new in town. What are you looking for him for? What did he do? Kill somebody, or did someone kill him?”

  “Not unless you know something I don’t.”

  “Well, there must be some reason you’re looking for him?”

  “There is. We’re trying to find a friend of his. Did he say anything about having any friends?”

  “No, but I would’ve been willing to be his friend. What about you, Lieutenant? You’re more settled. Could you use a friend?”

  “Didn’t I tell you I was married?”

  “What about him? You know what they say about those strong, silent types?”

  “He’s taken, too. But back to Phelps. Do you know anything about where he lived, if he had a phone?”

  “You’re sure he’s not in any trouble?”

  “No, I just want to talk to him. He might know someone we’re looking for.”

  “So, I won’t be getting him in any trouble?”

  “No. Now what do you know about him, Miss Lovely?”

  “I like it when you call me Miss Lovely. You turn kinda red when you do.”

  “Miss, uh, Yolanda, we’re not here to discuss my looks. I need to know what you know about this man.”

  “Okay. All right. I’ll tell you. I was hitting on him, you see. Trying to get him to come over to supper one night. I could tell he was a nice guy, and he would’ve liked me too if he’d have come for supper. I’m a good cook.” She noticed my impatience and hurried on. “Anyway, I got him to give me his phone number. Actually, the phone wasn’t in his name. He rented a room from some older lady.”

  “So, did you call him?”

  “I did, but he was never there when I called. After a few times, I just gave up. There’s other fish in the sea. Like yourselves. I don’t think either one of you is married. You’re just afraid of women. Like he was.”

  All this time, the woman stood so close if I’d taken my candy bar out of my pocket the heat would’ve melted it before I got it to my mouth. I needed the information about Phelps, and then I needed to get out of there.

  “Can you write down that phone number for me?”

  She winked at me, then walked away. She walked in a way my next-door neighbor would never be able to walk. In a minute Miss Lovely came back and handed me a piece of paper.

  “This is his phone number, and here’s mine,” she said, pointing to a number written below it. “I understand you have to be all business with him around. But after you get off work, give me a call. I might be able to remember something else. If you really aren’t interested, he’ll do. He’s cute too, and who knows, I think if we’re alone for a few minutes I can bring him out of his shell.”

  All this time I never took my eyes off the sheet of paper. There was no way I was going to look at that woman any more than I had to. Not thinking clearly, I started to put the paper in my pocket, and then realized that her fingers still clutched the other side of the paper. As she let go, she took my hand in hers, then took her other hand and raked her fingers over the palm of my hand as she pulled away. If I had had a bucket of cold water, I would’ve doused her with it.

  I thanked her without mentioning her name again, then stepped back to avoid contact with her on the way to the front door. As we walked to the car, Lou told me that she blew us a kiss.

  I unlocked Lightning. We both slid in. I turned to face the grin that had not gone away. I reached for my back pocket, acted like I’d lost my wallet.

  “Oh, Lou. I must have dropped my wallet in that woman’s house. Would you go back and see if you can find it?”

  “Say, Cy, how much is it worth to you if I keep this between us? George and Frank would love to know that you have a way with women.”

  I ignored his comments, and spoke.

  “I don’t have any lipstick on me, do I, Lou? That woman was awfully close.”

  “No, Cy. All I see is a bunch of sweat. It’s amazing how much you can sweat in the winter.”

  “Some people’s homes are warmer than others.”

  My partner laughed, and then continued.

  “By the way, Cy, I got a list of all the women who seemed interested in you today. If we’ve got time to drop by a store that sells little black books, I’ll write them down for you.”

  I envisioned the women we’d encountered on Linden, Miss Lovely, and my next-door neighbor. Sometimes being a widower is tough.

  I floored Lightning before Lou could buckle and sent him scurrying to fasten his seatbelt. I called the department to find out where Phelps’s landlady lived.

  +++

  A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a house on Owsley Avenue, got out, and walked to the door. A white-haired woman answered our knock. We identified ourselves and she invited us inside.

  “I’m Mrs. Collins. What can I do for you gentlemen?”

  “Mrs. Collins, did you rent a room to a man named Ray Phelps?”

  “Yes, don’t tell me something happened to Ray.”

  “Not as far as I know. I’m just trying to find him.”

  “Has he done anything wrong?”

  “Not that I know of. I just need to ask him some questions. Do you know where I can find him?”

  “No, I’m sorry I can’t say where. I assume you already know that he’s left Hilldale.”

  “We’d heard that he had, but we have no idea where he went. Supposedly, he had a friend here in town, but we can’t find out who it was.”

  “There was a man who came to see him a few days before he left, but I don’t know his name.”

  “Did you see the man?”

  “Yes, I let him in.”

  “Can you describe him?”

  “I’m not good at things like that. He was average as much as I could tell.”

  As she answered, I wondered if the man was an actor, or someone who had access to an actor’s accessories. If so, he probably came disguised.

  “Were you there when Mr. Phelps saw him?”

  “Yes, I went to get Ray. Told him he had a visitor.”

  “How did Mr. Phelps react when he saw the man?”

  “He recognized him, seemed glad to see him.”

  “Did he have any other visitors?”

  “No, just the one. But there was some woman that called here for him a few times. Ray told me she was a customer of the plumber he worked for, that she had hit on him when he was there. He told me he gave her my phone number in order to escape, but told me to tell her he was out if she called.”

  “And she never came by?”

  “He didn’t give her my address. One time when she called, she asked if I were Mrs. Harrison. I never gave her my name. I assume she wanted to know my last name, so she could match the name with the phone number and find out where Ray was staying. I was too smart for her.”

  “How did Mr. Phelps seem when he moved out?”

  “Oh, he was happy. Said he’d come into some money and was going to enjoy himself for a while.”

  “Do you have any idea where he went?”

  “Only that he said he was tired of all this cold weather, and he was going somewhere where it was warm.”

  “And you haven’t heard from him since?”

  “No, Lieutenant. I haven’t. I hope he’s okay.”

  “I’m sure he is.”

  As I walked out, I felt like someone who’d traveled down the yellow brick road, only to find that the road came to a dead end.

  +++

  I sat in the car, pondered what we would do next. Oh, I knew what we’d do next. It was late. Time to eat. But I contemplated what Thursday might hold for us. Just before I pulled away from Mrs. Collins’s house, I turned to Lou and
smiled.

  “Well, Lou, it looks like we’ve solved our murder.”

  “We have?”

  “Yeah, Phelps and Profitt’s sister were in it together. By now, they’re on some remote island soaking up the sun. Oh, well. Are you ready for something to eat?”

  “If you’d rather drop me off at the house, Cy, you can.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I mean, I’ve got my own transportation. I can drive to the Blue Moon if you’d rather go back and eat with Miss Lovely.”

  I looked for something to throw at my partner, like a tire jack, but alas, it was all the way in the back. Besides, with my luck I might’ve missed his head and broken a window.

  +++

  Lou and I were eager to get home and get off our feet. Lou was still in the middle of a puzzle, a winter scene in the mountains. I was anxious to see if Sheriff Andy Taylor could help me solve my case. Too bad Hilldale wasn’t like Mayberry. Sometimes people in Hilldale murdered other people. In Mayberry they merely got drunk and locked themselves in a jail cell.

  +++

  I watched three episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and fell asleep during the fourth. By then I was so despondent that I was the one who had to solve all the murders and Andy got all the glory for doing little other than philosophizing.

  Things grew worse after I tucked myself in for the night. There’s something about mixing lots of good food with no results in the case that leads to nightmares. I had a doozy of a nightmare that night. As I left for work one morning, not paying any attention to my surroundings, a mangy mutt came from out of nowhere and tripped me. Before I could pick myself up from the snow, two women lunged for me from different directions. While the dog growled at me, warning me not to move, the hussy from next door licked the left side of my face. Crouching over me on the other side, Yolanda Lovely nibbled at my ear while she ran her fingers through my hair. I was helpless and lay there wondering if my face would ever be the same again.

  As I lay there, fading fast, I heard the faint call of a bugle. The noise grew progressively louder, when soon, on to the scene came Mark, my yard boy, who had stopped by the Blue Moon. He shoveled grub into my mouth until I’d gained enough strength to push both women into the snow. I scrambled to my feet, only to find Lou sitting on the front porch laughing profusely, while George Michaelson and Frank Harris stood nearby taking pictures.

  I was on my way over to take their cameras and break them over the porch railing when I woke up, found my pillow in my mouth and the bedcovers twisted around my body. The covers had mummified me so much that it took close to a minute before I could unwrap myself and rise above the occasion. I wondered if there was a safer way to sleep. I was sure there was. I knew that while I struggled with the covers and nightmares of women, Lou was laying under four covers snoring to his heart’s content.

  27

  I awoke Thursday morning and remembered the snowfall of the night before. I went to the window, looked out. I would get an official snowfall measurement as soon as I talked to my partner, but to my novice eyes, it didn’t look like it snowed as much as it had the previous week.

  Snowfall. The previous week. My thoughts focused on those words, and I remembered that I still had an unsolved case. I still had work to do. New people invaded the case every day. I just didn’t know how much any of these new people, or any of the others for that matter, had anything to do with the three murders. At least, I assumed there were no new murders.

  +++

  After spending time in the shower, and with God, I picked up the phone and dialed Sam’s number. He answered using a refrain I’d heard him use much too often.

  “This is Sam I Am, dining on green eggs and ham.”

  “So, you’re eating at Overlook Inn?”

  “I don’t have your expense account, Cy. I’m feasting at Microwave R Us. They promise to have your food ready in five minutes or less, or you don’t have to eat it.”

  “You might try dining at the Blue Moon some day.”

  “I thought about it, but I’ve heard about the riffraff that invade that place.”

  “Suit yourself, Riff and Raff will be going back soon, but I just wanted to know if you found out anything about our man Phelps yesterday.”

  “I found a couple of places where he’s eaten. Most of the time he ate alone. A couple of times he came in with someone else. Once the waitress recognized the other man as Mr. Burris, the plumber. The other time was the day before Phelps left town. He went to this place with some guy. Took a booth. The waitress didn’t know the other guy. From what she could tell, they seemed like good friends. Also, they left a big tip. Much larger than what Phelps usually left.”

  “Sam, I too have someone who saw a guy with Phelps. How hard would it be for you to come up with pictures of all the people I’ve had you check out?”

  “You mean the ones who live here in town?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You mean everyone at the apartment building and everyone at the inn?”

  “You got it.”

  “Because there’s so many of them, you’d better give me until tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s the soonest you can do?”

  “I’m not sure, Cy, but it does take a while to come up with pictures of so many people.”

  “That’s okay, Sam. Tomorrow will be fine. We’ll just work on other things today. I’ll give you a call in the morning and stop by and pick up the pictures.”

  “Okay, Cy, but I’m not sharing my green eggs and ham.”

  “Keep your green eggs and ham. I’ll take the Blue Moon any day.”

  +++

  Lightning left his calling card in the snow as he made tracks for Lou’s apartment. Lou was standing by the window watching for us as I pulled up out front. He threw up his hand to let me know he’d seen me, then moved away from the window. A few seconds later, Lou opened the front door and stepped out into the snow. He weighs only eleven pounds less than I do, but he manages to navigate the slippery snow better.

  “He threw open the car door and shouted, “Fun, fun, fun, till my daddy took the T-bird away.”

  “What’s the matter, Lou? Get a speeding ticket? I know a cop who might fix it for you.”

  “And I know a cop who might fix you, too.”

  “So, what’s all this ‘fun, fun, fun stuff?”

  “That’s our clue for the day.”

  “That gives me an idea. How’d you like to have fun today?”

  My partner cautiously asked, “Doing what?”

  “Well, Sam can’t come up with pictures of everyone until tomorrow morning. I thought it might help us if we showed one group the other group’s pictures. Maybe we can find someone who stepped off his home turf. How’d you like to take the day off and recharge your batteries?”

  “I’m still not sure what you’re getting at, Cy. Doing what?”

  “I thought we’d eat breakfast, then I’ll take you home, then come back and get you at lunch. You can do whatever you like in the meantime. Then, I’ll take you home again until time for supper. You know, like we’d gotten used to until our adversary decreased Hilldale’s population. That way we’ll both be ready to tackle things again the first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “I think we can tackle better if someone lets us know who we’re to tackle.”

  “You got that right.”

  I felt that the time was right to tell Lou about my nightmare. He chuckled and slapped his knee a few times before responding.

  “It’s a premonition, Cy.”

  “Bite your tongue.”

  “I mean it. It’s in the cards. You’re in love with both women. It’s time you quit leading one of them on and decide which of the two you want to marry. On the one hand, there’s your neighbor, whom you’ve known for a long time. The three of you could have a wonderful time together, you, Miss Humphert, and the mutt. And then there’s Miss Lovely. She’s a lot younger. She’s a lot prettier. There’s a better chance she�
��ll be around to take care of you in your old age. On the other hand, what happens if a younger man comes along and snatches her away? At least with your next-door neighbor you don’t have to worry about another man wanting her. Just let me know, Cy. Who knows? If you set the date, Thelma Lou and I might decide to do the same thing.”

  Lou’s interpretation of my nightmare was almost as bad as the nightmare itself. It seemed like Lightning was enjoying Lou’s diatribe so much that he slowed down. Finally, we arrived at the Blue Moon. I opened the door, jumped from Lightning as quickly as I could, and lunged for the front door of the restaurant.

  As I plopped down on my stool, I turned to Rosie and said, “He’s not eating today.”

  “So, what’s wrong with you two. Having a lover’s quarrel?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes,” Lou replied. “He’s had a lot of women after him this week. I think it’s time he settled down and got married.”

  “Over my dead body,” Rosie said.

  “Why do you care?” Lou asked.

  “If he’s going marry anyone, it’ll be me. I’m not about to lose my job just because some women are after him. What happens if he marries on2e who can cook?”

  Lou remembered Miss Lovely’s invitation to dinner and responded, “Well, at least one of them can.”

  +++

  I felt guilty about going home. We hadn’t solved the case, yet. Still, I knew that there are times when we are to step away, so that we can see the big picture. I returned home, plopped down in my recliner, but saw no picture. But I was about to. I could hear Lucy calling me. I thought it was fitting that the first episode I watched was one where Lucy thought that Ricky was trying to murder her. The laughs continued with the next installment, one where Ricky takes the checkbook away from Lucy because she hadn’t paid the bills in months. When Lucy finds out that she can win one thousand dollars on a radio show, just for making a fool of herself, she becomes a contestant. All she has to do to win the money is pretend that she has been married before. An actor will show up at her apartment at 8:00, and she is to tell Ricky that this man was her first husband. If she continues the charade until midnight, the money is hers. I laughed as Lucy found herself in one dilemma after another. I enjoyed the shows so much I almost forgot to pick Lou up for lunch. Almost, but not quite. My growling stomach alerted me to the time.