Todd left the church scratching his head. It was doing him no good to be talking with Sheriff Carbon until after his sermon. Todd made it a point to show up tomorrow for the sermon and then be very alert in church and elsewhere to see if anyone is killed at that ten o’clock hour.
Lulu had given him the key to the one available room on the second floor of the General Store. He drove back there and then up the side stairs Brightly had told him about. The separate entrance to the second floor would give him the convenience of not having to walk through the store to get upstairs.
The room had only a bed, dresser, and desk, but there was a bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. The walls were an ugly pale pink and bare except for an unexplained picture of Abraham Lincoln. Todd could not call down to any main desk for a wake-up call, but he felt that in these unfamiliar surroundings he would not sleep well and would probably be up at the crack of dawn anyway.
He hadn’t realized how weary all these strange circumstances and even stranger town had made him. He lay on the bed for a few seconds to try to assess these last few hours. He had one thought about why Lulu had tattoos of a skill and crossbones and a windmill. He would ask her tomorrow. A minute later sleep overtook him.
He awoke on his stomach with his face buried into the pillow. He felt refreshed. He must have slept a few hours. It was probably at least eight o-clock. He would have time to catch a quick McDonald’s breakfast and make it over for Pastor/Sheriff Carbon’s sermon.
He looked at his watch. Oh my god, it was 10:10. He had probably already missed the entire church service. Anyway, Carbon might now be in a mood to talk about what kind of evidence he had.
The night had been humid, and it seemed that the door was stuck. Todd gave it a push, but there was no give. Had Clem glued the door shut as a practical joke? Ah, there it gave way a bit. He strained more and got it halfway open. He saw feet and legs. Squeezing into the hallway, Todd could now see the long body of Larry Carbon stretched out against the door. The hole in his forehead was the main difference from how Larry looked yesterday.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Todd quickly drove to the weathervane police station/jailhouse to get Deputy Flip. He didn’t know what he’d get if he dialed 911. Possibly it would be Clem doing his fourth job.
When Flip was told the news, he broke down and began crying. “Who could do such a thing to Larry? I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”
“What you’re going to do is be the new law officer in town. You’re the sheriff now.”
“Oh, no, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve never shot a gun, and even if you teach me my vision isn’t too good.”
“Don’t you have glasses?”
“No, I don’t look good in them. Then Lulu wouldn’t think I was attractive and she would stop liking me.”
“Flip, looks aren’t why people like each other. It has to do with the kind of person you are.”
“I’d be a person with glasses. Lulu told me once she didn’t want to go out with Abner Cawlee because he was ugly.”
“If she said that to you, then she must not think you’re ugly.”
“I would be, with glasses.”
This was getting Todd nowhere. “Flip, we have to find out who killed your brother. It probably was the same person who did those other two killings of Walt Fosdick, the bartender and Ma Blessing.”
“Why are you so sure of that?”
“Flip, remember when the other two were killed—the date and the time?”
“I forget.”
“Each death has been exactly on this date and at ten o’clock. Didn’t Larry tell you that?”
“He might have, but I guess I didn’t remember. He handled almost everything. I was around just to learn police work. Why would someone kill three people on the same date and time?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
“I’ll follow you like I followed Larry. You be the new sheriff, please. I’m not even a good fighter. I always got beat up on the school playground. And I’m afraid of a lot of things, like spiders.”
“Flip, for the moment I’ll do it. Maybe we can get someone from say, Indianapolis, to eventually take over. First of all we can’t let your brother keep lying there in front of my door while we argue about your glasses. Does Calypso have a coroner?”
“When Larry used to be the undertaker he was also the coroner. Oh, no. His wife Wendy, took over as undertaker. That means she has to autopsy her own husband’s body.”
“Does everyone here have two or three jobs?”
“Good help is hard to find. The best paying jobs are at the canning factory and Wal-Mart. I think we have to go talk to Wendy.”
Wendy Carbon was a tiny elfin woman with big bushy curly hair. The auburn explosion on the top of her head looked as if it had landed there by mistake. Flip of course did not want to break the news to her, so Todd did. Her reaction was not what he expected.
“It’s about time that fool got himself killed. I told him not to take the sheriff’s job, but does a man ever listen to a woman? I will do the autopsy. I’ve seen that body naked plenty of times, anyway. Where is he?”
Todd told her.
“What’s he doing there?”
“He might have been coming to tell me that he had for sure found the killer. I said I would help him.”
“Some help you were! It would have been nice if you have prevented him from being killed. I could take over his undertaking job, but I’ll be a bull moose in China before I become the town’s preacher. I’m not going to stand in front of those needy people and spew forth platitudes and god-sayings. If you two could haul the body over to my basement, I’ll begin the cutting. The car for the dead is in the back alley. Take it.”
Driving back to the rooming house, Todd said, “Wendy wasn’t too upset at Larry’s death.”
“She’s always been that way. Their dog got run over three years ago. Instead of shedding any tears, she took Braveheart down into the basement and performed an autopsy. That’s how Larry knew she could take over the undertaker job.”
“This is a nice hearse I’m driving. Larry must have had a profitable business.”
“About five years ago he had a good run. Eighteen people died from what people thought was some unknown virus. It took a year to discover, a nearby chemical company was polluting the stream that connects to our drinking water. You could say that Larry made a killing that year.”
“How was the pollution discovered?”
“It was Ma Brightly. She was a reader, Ma was. She read up on certain germs, and traced it back to the water. She got the CEO and Managing Director of that company put in jail. But they had a smart Chicago lawyer who got them out less than a year later. They moved the company away from here.”
“Maybe they wanted revenge against Ma. Walt might have suspected and it got him killed also. The same date and time was just to throw everyone off making us think they were some kind of ritual killings.”
“See, you’re a good investigator. Larry and I never thought of theat. You’re the right man for the job.”
“I think I’m the only man available for the job.”
When they got back to the rooming house, in his accustomed spot was Clem Brightly with his corn cob pipe and rocking chair. “Hello Todd,” he said. “Hello Flip.”
Clem turned and pointed to the second floor. “Do you two know there’s a dead man lying upstairs? It looks like the sheriff, but I didn’t get too close to disturb anything.”
“It is Larry,” Flip said, and began crying again. Clem offered him a huge blue handkerchief, into which Flip blew his nose.
“Did you notice anything suspicious around the rooming house last night, Clem?” Todd asked.
“I was working at McDonald’s last night and Lulu was across the street at the bar keeping the upstairs guests liquored up. We both came home close to midnight, and we didn’t see or hear anything unusual, except for tha
t gunshot. No just, kidding. It’s my joking again.”
“How about this morning?”
“We both slept in. There’s not much reason in Calypso to get up before noon. It would be good if you two fellows would remove Larry. When I was up there he was already beginning to smell. Oh, sorry, Flip. I didn’t mean any disrespect by what I just said.”
“No offense taken, Clem.” However, the words produced more tears and again the big blue handkerchief appeared.
Finally upstairs, Todd noticed something. “Look at that bruise on the side of Larry’s cheek. It looks like he was slugged before he was shot.”
“I’ve never seen anyone ever punch Larry,” Flip said. “And it was from the front, so he must have known the killer to let him or her get that close.”
“Flip, you may just surprise yourself about your investigative powers. I think you’ve made an accurate analysis.”
“Maybe I can do some analyzing, but if we ever get the killer you’ll have to shoot him because I’m not getting any damn glasses.”
They transported the body to Wendy Carbon’s basement.
“As the official coroner of Calypso, Indiana, I can tell you that this man is dead.” She gave a slight smile. Definitely gallows humor. “Let’s see what else I can tell you.”
They stayed upstairs while she worked. Todd had never been a fan of watching dead bodies get cut up, and Flip said he thought the basement might have spiders down there.
An hour later Wendy came up into the living room still wearing her rubber gloves. “It seemed he was knocked unconscious before he was shot, but the shot was accurate. Larry was killed instantly. This killer knew how to handle a gun.”
“That eliminates me,” Flip said.
“Flip, I don’t need any comments from you. What I also discovered was that Larry probably would have been dead anyway six months from now. He had an advanced case of prostate cancer. I am surprised. The guy never complained. I have to admit, he was a solid guy, except maybe down there. He was relentless. He was always saying he would get this murderer if it killed him.”
“Just lately did he say he was getting closer to discovery?” Todd asked.
“As a matter of fact, two days ago he said he thought he had the answer, but he wouldn’t tell me who it was. He did keep notes, though.”
“Notes?”
“Yes, he kept a spiral notebook with pretty yellow flowers on it. I got it for him when he said he kept forgetting some of the interviews he took. John Wayne is guarding the notebook at the moment.”
“John Wayne?”
“It’s Larry’s new bulldog mutt. We got him only a year ago. Let’s go out in back and meet him.”
“When the dog emerged from his spacious doghouse, Todd had to admit there was a resemblance to the square-jawed actor. Like his namesake the dog did not seem that he would ever smile. As Todd and Flip approached, the growling began starting with a low murmur and building into a fierce crescendo. Flip said he would stay back by the deck, while Todd stopped where he was and did not advance further.
“Aww, this is my good doggie,” Wendy said as she marched forward. When the dog recognized her, he immediately lay on his back and spiraled his back legs as she rubbed his tummy. With her other hand she reached into the doghouse and pulled out the yellow-flowered notebook.”
She came back to the two of them. “You can see why Larry thought his notebook was safe back here. The edges are a little gnawed, but the inside looks all right.” She handed the book to Todd. “It seems that you have taken over for my husband,” Wendy said with a coquettish smile.
“Only for the investigation part, ma’am,” he said.
“There are all sorts of things in the world to investigate. Hope to see you again, Detective.”
Back in the car, Todd asked, “Does she fool around?”
“She fools around like you just saw and heard, but it stops there. As far as I know she was faithful to Larry.”
“How about Larry himself?”
“That’s a different story. He likes them young. There were rumors that he and Lulu had a fling, but it may just be rumors. In high school he was a big sports star, so he didn’t have to worry about the girls—they were always around.”
“Have you always lived in Larry’s shadow?”
“He was only two years older than I but we were worlds apart. I was and still am shy with the girls. Larry’s shadow was like a giant skyscraper. Let’s see what’s in that notebook. I’m interested also because Larry never confided in me during his investigation.”
Back in the car, they both looked at the first thirty pages, all blank. “I never actually saw Larry writing in the book,” Flip said. “He always carried it with him and said he was making notes. I know he’s my brother and I’m not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but he wasn’t the most ambitious person I ever met. In school even though I was two years behind him, I did half of his homework. The guy loved his leisure.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Finally around the middle of the notebook there was some writing.
“I hope these aren’t merely a list of porn sites,” Flip said.
“No, here’s the word, SUSPECTS at the top of the page. The first name is Milly.”
“She’s the mom of the Jessup family. What does it say about her?”
It says that she got into two fistfights with Ma Blessing, and witnesses at the scenes said that Ma won both battles. Larry has a note that Milly might have wanted revenge against Ma. Also Milly didn’t like the affair Ma was having with bartender, Walt Fosdick. I’d agree with Larry. Milly could be a suspect.”
“Who’s next?”
“This next page has the name Gilly at the top.”
“That’s the father of the Jessup family. His first name is Gilman.”
“Larry’s notes say that Gilly used to own the General Store. Ma Blessing cheated him out of it. She had him sign a paper that gave her full control of the place. He thought he was signing merely a lease for her renting the place. The court ruled in her favor because Gilly had actually signed the lease. Larry has a side note that there was much profanity by Gilly during the interview. Apparently his emotions still ran strong about the transaction, even after all these years.”
“Three years ago, there was a fire late at night in the store. Luckily Ma Blessing was a light sleeper. She put the fire out before any real damage could be done. Ma was never one to mince words. She came right out and accused Gilly of setting the fire, and he of course denied it.”
“I’m turning the page,” said Todd. “Who is Lily?”
“It looks like the entire Jessup family is going to be in this book. She’s the youngest child of Milly and Gilly. You probably can see a pattern here in the names. We like patterns in Calypso.”
“Larry says in his notebook that Lulu defeated Lily in a beauty contest held in Indianapolis. It was not Miss America, but something called Miss Hot Rod.”
“You know this state hosts the Indy 500 race on Memorial Day. During the entire month of May there are various beauty contests throughout the state.”
“Hey, this is a good side note by your brother. He said this contest was held on the tenth of the month. Lulu won exactly a year ago today. At the bottom of the page Larry wrote, Strong Suspect, followed by I guess another motive which was, Lulu also constantly defeated Lily in local races. What’s that all about? Is Lulu some kind of professional race car driver?”
“Not at all. These are races that month of May a couple miles outside of town on the straight stretch known as Mirror Speedway because the sun reflects so strongly off the road as a person drives. Sometimes it gets very difficult to see. It’s known around town that Lulu has a souped-up car that she engineered herself. She’s quite a gal. She’s won that race three years in a row, starting when she was sixteen. The last two years Lily finished second, and last year accused Lulu of sabotaging her car.”
“Your brother wrote, Lily could have killed Ma and Walt as the only way to d
efeat Lulu by harming people close to her.”
“It’s possible. My brother had a run-in with Lily a few months ago when he pulled her over for speeding through town. She told him not to mess with her or he would get what others got. Those were her exact words, You will get with the others got. Of course he wrote out the ticket anyway.”
“Here’s the next page. As you thought it’s another Jessup. This time, Willy. Who’s he?”
“Gilly’s brother, older and usually calmer than him. What’s his beef? I wouldn’t think he would be a very strong suspect. He runs the gas station on the outskirts of town, and to me always seems content with the job and life itself.”
“Yes, I’ve met the guy. Let’s see what your brother said about Willy. This one concerns Walt Fosdick, Ma’s boyfriend,” Todd said. “Your brother found out that Walt was going to sue Willy for faulty repairs on his car. The brakes gave way and Walt drove into a ditch with his car overturning. Walt escaped serious injury but he accused Willy of fixing the brakes on purpose so they would fail. They had some kind of conflict going back to high school days, but Larry couldn’t find out what it was.”
“My brother did do some investigating. Maybe he wasn’t as lazy as I thought he was.”
“Here’s the last page, because I see the others past it are blank. No, wait there’s something written on the inner cover of the notebook. Let me take this last page first. Oh, I’m very familiar with this person. It’s the last member of the Jessup family, Billy.”
“How do you know Billy?”
“That’s the case I’m investigating in Philadelphia. He was murdered just a month ago in a Philly junkyard.”
“That breaks the pattern of May 10th yearly killings. So maybe your case is separate from these others.”
“Or maybe Billy knew something about the killings in Calypso and was about to tell the world. Let’s see what your brother says. Oh, this is interesting”
“What is it?”
“Before Billy left town a few years ago to seek his fortune, Walt the bartender got him so drunk he passed out, then drove him fifty miles outside of town, stripped off his clothes, and dumped him onto the highway. Buck naked, Billy had to hitchhike back into town. Billy was totally embarrassed and told the story only to Lulu who told your brother. Lulu was only fourteen at the time Billy told her the story. So I’m thinking that Billy would have definitely wanted revenge against Walt Fosdick and might have killed him. The same dates could be accidental. Then someone close to Walt could have retaliated against Billy, and there’s my case cropping up. I’ll have to see where my own interviews lead me. Maybe I can solve my own murder problem before I leave town.”
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