3 Murder In The Library

by Steve Demaree

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tuesday morning dawned. I rolled over and tried to think of a reason to stay in bed. I thought of plenty. Then I thought of three reasons to get out of bed; breakfast, Scene of the Crime, and a desire to put an end to this investigation and bring the Colonel’s killer to justice. Any of those was sufficient to make me stumble to my feet and get on with my day. Thankfully, winter had long since passed, and a quick look out my window revealed a sunny day and no nasty neighbor lurking on my property.

  I decided to give Sam more time to track down some suspects. Besides, I knew that if Sam had something really vital to the case, he’d get in touch with me. He knew where I was, or where I would be. He could leave a message at the Blue Moon.

  For some reason, I stepped from my shower and had a craving for eggs over easy. If only I could solve all my problems so easily. In only a matter of minutes, I’d tickle my insides with egg yolks and whites. And bacon. And sausage.

  I picked Lou up and immediately got a math lesson.

  “One plus one equal three, Cy.”

  “I think you need more math classes, Lou.”

  “No, I mean that’s our clue for the day. ‘One plus one equals three.’”

  “You mean God needs more math classes?”

  “Very funny, Cy.”

  “Since you’re never able to interpret God’s message for the day, let me give it a try. I believe God is telling us that we need to increase the number of desserts we eat each day.”

  “Cy, did you ever wonder why I get the message each day, and you don’t?”

  “No, I already know that.”

  “And the reason is?”

  “Otherwise you wouldn’t have anything to do.”

  “Are you saying I don’t contribute to the case? Maybe I should interrogate the suspects.”

  “Maybe you should drive each day. Your car. Maybe I can ride in the back. Sounds good to me.”

  “Okay, and when I finish eating breakfast, I’ll bring you out a doggie bag.”

  +++

  We pulled up in front of the Scene of the Crime, eager for a diversion. Murder is okay in my book, as long as it’s in a book, and it’s not a true crime novel.

  We opened the door of the bookstore, the last of the regulars to arrive. Everyone greeted the two of us like we were about to remember them in our wills, even Mrs. Evans, the owner, although it was like we remembered her in our wills each time we stopped by. Like many who salivate over a good mystery, Lou and I have a habit of buying more books than we can read before we return for more books. When we left the store that day, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Ellery Queen, S. S. Van Dine, Rex Stout, Ngaio Marsh, John Dickson Carr, Mary Higgins Clark, Carolyn Hart, Rita Mae Brown, Mary Daheim, Lillian Jackson Braun, Sue Grafton, and Tim Myers left with us. We like to read our authors’ books in order, so most of the books that accompanied us as we left the store were either the first or second book that each author wrote. Exceptions were made for Christie and Gardner. We wanted to collect all of their books as soon as possible.

  Before we left, Lou and I sat in on the roundtable discussion of the month, “What is the cleverest written mystery you’ve ever read?” Lou and I were new to the game, so we kept quiet and took notes. Both of us like clever. Who knows, maybe somewhere, somehow, if Lou and I read enough books we’ll run into someone who is as clever as we are? Not in real life, but anything’s possible in a book.

  We’d gotten to know Mrs. Boddley on previous trips to the Scene of the Crime. I guessed Mrs. Boddley to be late seventies or early eighties, but that was only a guess. What wasn’t a guess was who Mrs. Boddley’s favorite author was. She told us more than once that she fell in love with Agatha Christie’s books at an early age. She had several Christie favorites, but felt The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was her best and most clever. Mrs. Edmundson disagreed. She felt Christie betrayed her readers when she wrote Roger Ackroyd, but loved And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. Mr. Morgan chimed in with his choice for most clever, John Dickson Carr’s The Three Coffins. While all three of these people had quite a few years on me, Ellie Callahan was a newlywed, and like Lou and I, had come to know all of the masters of suspense recently. Ellie agreed that Christie was the best, but couldn’t decide on which book the thought was the cleverest. Like Lou and I, Ellie purchased several mysteries at a time, and followed each classic mystery with a modern day whodunit. Lou and I merely wanted to solve our modern day whodunit, so we could participate in the bookstore’s discussions to come.

  +++

  We ate lunch and then it was time to work off some of those calories. In order for us to get in a good workout, I parked at the curb instead of in the driveway of each household we visited.

  I began with Joe Guilfoyle, supposedly the Colonel’s best friend. Actually, I had no evidence that he wasn’t. It’s just that our years on the force have taught us never to take anything for granted.

  Mrs. Guilfoyle answered the door, seemed surprised that two men wanted to see her husband. She told us that he was in the garage and excused herself to get him. I interrupted and told her we needed only a minute of his time, and would walk out and talk with him in the garage. Reluctantly, she agreed. I could tell she hoped she hadn’t sent her husband unwanted visitors. She had.

  “So, what brings you over here, Lieutenant? I thought I answered all your questions the other day.”

  “You did answer the ones I had the other day, but I stayed up late last night coming up with more questions. Actually, you never answered one to my satisfaction. Where were you on the afternoon of the murder?”

  “Right where I am now, until it came time to visit with my friend.”

  “And why did your wife think you’d left?”

  “You’d have to ask her that.”

  “Wouldn’t she have heard the car leave?”

  “I never took it out of the garage. See, when the weather was warm enough I’d walk over to Buck’s.”

  “I know it’s just a few blocks, but wouldn’t you get tired doing that?”

  “It’s only two blocks, and I always take the cut-through when I walk.”

  “The cut-through?”

  “Yeah, there’s a path halfway down the block that’s used for walkers and bicyclers. It’s not wide enough for a car, so elderly people like me feel comfortable using it. I particularly like to use it in the spring. After all the bad weather that winter brings, I’m glad to see warmer temperatures and gentle breezes.”

  “And I don’t guess you saw anyone on your way over?”

  “No, no one until I saw Martha when she returned.”

  “Tell me about that, Mr. Guilfoyle.”

  “I thought I already did. Anyway, I’d gone over like I always do on Monday to visit with Buck, only, as you know, no one answered the door. I rang and I knocked. I thought maybe he could have been in the back yard, so I walked around back to see. As you know, he wasn’t there, either. So, I came back to the front, thinking that he might have been in the bathroom, or had fallen asleep. It was just after I rang again, and waited a bit, that Martha pulled into the drive. I told her what I just told you, and she hurried to the house to find her husband. When she couldn’t, she called you.”

  I decided to change the subject.

  “Mr. Guilfoyle, I’d like for you to look at these pictures. Tell me if you recognize anyone.”

  Guilfoyle looked over the pictures carefully.

  “I recognize Michael Belding, but none of the others. Are these your suspects?”

  “Each of these men threatened the Colonel a long time ago. I was hoping to find someone who’d seen them near the Hardesty residence sometime shortly before or on the day of the murder.”

  “I haven’t seen Belding in years, and I haven’t seen any of the others, but then I’d say I probably just missed one of them on the day of the murder. Too bad I wasn’t a few minutes earlier.”

  My words exactly. Too bad I wasn’t a few minutes earlier
. Then, maybe my friend would still be alive.

  I asked Guilfoyle if he knew of anyone else who might have had it in for the Colonel, but he couldn’t think of anyone. I thanked him and Lou and I left.

  +++

  I looked up Belding’s address, and headed there, hoping to get there before Belding got home from school. I wanted to see if we could locate any neighbor who might have seen Belding at home the afternoon of the murder. We located only a couple of neighbors, but none of them could remember seeing Belding at home any weekday before school let out. We were getting into Lightning when Belding came home. He spotted us, gave us a disgusting look. I smiled and waved. I hoped he thought he was our only suspect.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As we left, I looked at my watch, wondered if Earl and Myra Hoskins would be home from cleaning and maintaining houses. I took a chance, drove by their house. We were just getting out of Lightning when the Hoskinses pulled into their driveway. Earl eyed me warily.

  “Something else we can do for you, Lieutenant?”

  “You mind if we step inside a minute?”

  “We’re tired. We’ve had a busy day today.”

  “This will just take a minute.”

  With his wife’s prodding, Hoskins agreed to give us a few minutes of his time. He had nothing new to enlighten us with on his whereabouts on the afternoon of the murder, so I turned to something else.

  “I’d like for both of you to look over these pictures and tell me if you’ve seen any of these people.”

  “This one,” said Myra, pointing at Robert Collins. “But then we know Robert. Earl was the one who recommended A-1 Plumbing when the Hardestys needed a plumber. You don’t mean to say he’s a suspect.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m just having people look over pictures of people who’ve been in the Hardesty house or have been seen in the neighborhood.”

  “Well, Robert’s not the kind of man who’d do something like this.”

  “Who is the kind of person, Mrs. Hoskins?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know anyone who’d have done it, but someone did. Must’ve been a stranger.”

  I thanked the Hoskins for their time, and Lou and I turned to leave.

  +++

  It was a little after 4:30 when we pulled up in front of the Hardesty house. I hoped everyone was home, and that someone would recognize at least one of the people whose picture I had. Someone did, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.

  Martha was relieved when she learned that we were there only to show pictures of some possible suspects, to see if anyone in the household recognized any of them. No one recognized Bauerman or Terloff. Martha thought Belding looked vaguely familiar, and she said that Johnson was there to spray for ants. Both Trish and Jennifer said they saw him when he was leaving one afternoon.

  I was about to turn and leave when Martha made a comment that surprised me.

  “This guy was here the first time, but it was a different guy each of the other times.”

  I was pretty sure that the man at Dunleavy’s had told me that there had been only two calls to the Colonel’s house and they were made by the same man.

  “Are you sure there were three calls made, and each by a different man?”

  “Yes, and Buck made sure I was here each time to receive them, since he couldn’t hear the doorbell when he was in the library.”

  “Did each one follow the same routine?”

  “As far as I know. I didn’t watch any of them that closely, but I did make up some excuse to walk through the house every few minutes. All three men concentrated on the first floor of the house, but they did go upstairs and spray, too. They said it was just in case someone had taken some food upstairs and attracted the ants. I don’t know how we got them in the first place. We’d never had ants before. It’s as if someone dumped an ant farm in the house.”

  I don’t guess any of them was the long-haired guy I showed you a picture of?”

  “If so, he might’ve scared me. No, it wasn’t him. I haven’t seen him before or since.”

  I made a mental note that Lou and I would make a second trip to Dunleavy’s. I looked at my watch. Our second trip would have to wait until the next day. In the meantime, we’d check with Downey, next door. He’d been helpful the first time. Maybe he could identify one of these other guys.

  +++

  I rang Downey’s doorbell. He opened the door, and I got the feeling that I was losing my welcome.

  “Back so soon, Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, Mr. Downey. You’ve been our best help so far identifying visitors to the house next door, and I was wondering if you’d mind looking at a few more pictures to see if you recognize any of them.”

  “I can probably save you time, Lieutenant. The long-haired man is the only person I’ve seen going to or from the house next door, except for the people who live there, and that older man who visits on occasion.”

  “Well, maybe you’ve seen some of these other people around town.”

  He motioned for me to hand him the pictures. He wanted to get our discussion over with and get back to whatever he was doing. Downey looked through the pictures, seemed a little stunned by one. Maybe it was the long-haired man again. I’d forgotten to take that one out.

  “Just the one I picked out before. Some of these others may be well-known members of the community, but I don’t get out much, except when I leave town on a trip.”

  “Oh, do you travel much, Mr. Downey.”

  He laughed.

  “Lieutenant, I traveled so much when my daddy and I were in the hauling business that I’m plum tuckered out. I take a short vacation once or twice a year, but I’ve had enough driving. Now, I fly when I go.”

  “Where have you been?”

  “Oh, I went once to visit one of the women I told you about, and I took a vacation to the Keys once. Rented a car in Miami and went all the way to Key West. That was nice. I wanted to see it because it was one of the few places in the U.S. that I’d never seen.”

  I thought about all the places in the U.S. I’d never seen, and wondered if I’d see any of them before I died. Maybe I was happier just lying around. I may never know.

  +++

  We’d accomplished more than I expected that day. Well, more in the way of people talked to. I couldn’t see where we were any closer to solving the murder, but then murders have a way of getting solved quickly, after you’ve spent enough time.

  +++

  “So, Lou, any ideas?”

  “Well, I was thinking about taking the books I’ve bought at Scene of the Crime and finding myself a big hammock tied to two palm trees on a deserted beach.”

  “Do you mean I’ve to solve this case by myself?”

  “No, every now and then I’ll take a break from reading, lie there and think of you, back here in Hilldale, stomping through the snow, showing these pictures to everyone.”

  “So, you think it will take me that long to solve this case by myself?”

  “Well, it might. If I’m not here to give you your clue each day.”

  “Enough of this chitchat. Any ideas about the case?”

  “Just that I think it was someone in disguise. Enough people saw this guy. We have a picture of him. And if we keep leaning on everyone, maybe the right guy will fall over.”

  “I just wish I knew how much of this stuff to pay attention to and what to discard. The fact that the guy probably had a key and wore a disguise makes me think it was someone who lives in the house, except that I can’t see anyone who lives there murdering anyone. At least not Martha or any of the girls, but disguise or not, I think we are looking for some guy. The only other woman in the picture is the cleaning lady, and she is one of the few people who has an alibi for the day of the murder.”

  “It is definitely a curious case, Cy. I can’t see where anyone had a motive that would make him or her murder the Colonel, even though some of our suspects did threaten the Colonel years ago. Of course, one of them is dead, and one’
s moved away. That belligerent Belding seems the most likely to have done it, but then the ones who seem most likely seldom are guilty.”

  “When you throw in those who are hard to find and those who were in the house but don’t seem to have even known the Colonel, that makes it even tougher. Maybe a good night’s sleep will open our eyes to new possibilities in the morning.”

  “I guess that’s my cue to get out, Cy.”

  Lou reached into the back and grabbed his bag of books he’d bought at the Scene of the Crime oh so many hours ago that morning. I’d planned to go home and look over the books I’d bought. I knew Lou would exercise first.

  +++

  I eased Lightning into the driveway, tiptoed from the car much like Wile E. Coyote does as he sneaks up on the Road Runner to no avail. I turned the back door key and stepped into my sanctuary before the vulture or her rat discovered I was home. I noticed that there was another car at her house. Maybe she’d given up on me and had found a deaf and blind man who coveted her advances. I could only hope.

  +++

  I was like a little kid at Christmas as I opened the shopping bag that held my new treasures. Carefully, I removed the books one at a time, separated them into stacks of current and classic authors, then, one at a time, flipped the books over to read the back cover. When time permitted, I planned to select one, and begin to read. Of course, I’ve a few other treasures ahead of them, ones I had purchased on an earlier trip to the bookstore.

  Sometime before long, I’d have to go shopping for a bookcase. Lou didn’t have that problem. Even though Lou’s apartment was smaller than my house, it came with a built-in bookcase that could hold hundreds of books. I needed to upgrade. At least modern technology hadn’t found a replacement for a bookcase. Well, some people say they have, and while I might try books on tape if I ever take a vacation, I am not about to buy a computer so I can read a book. I am perfectly happy holding a book in my hands, while leaning back in my recliner. Some things are better left alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five