10
While Lou made a couple of trips to the conference room, I ran to my room and called Sam Schumann. Anytime I had any leg work that needed to be done, Sam was my man. No one in the department looked less conspicuous and could gather more information than Sam Schumann.
“This is Sam I Am, dining on green eggs and ham.”
“Sounds better than the stuff I’ve been eating.”
“Well, good morning, Cy. Don’t tell me you’ve gone on a diet.”
“Bite your tongue!”
“I take that as a ‘no,’ and I take your phone call to mean you have some urgent business you want me to tend to.”
“That’s the reason I never settle for anyone less than the best. Sorry, to bother you, Sam, but I’m in the middle of another murder case, and I have some people I want you to check out. Are you ready to write?”
“Ready when you are.”
“Okay, see what you can find out about the following people: Miles Mycroft of Missoula, Montana; Isabel Dukenfield of Dubuque, Iowa; Claude Williams of Peoria, Illinois; Tony McArthur from here in town, and Allan Halliday of Goldsboro, North Carolina. All of these people are, were, or were supposed to be guests at the Overlook Inn out at Precipice Point, where the murders took place. Also, check on Sidney and Estelle Longworth, the proprietors of the inn, and their employees. Start with the guests, and get back to me as soon as possible. Lou and I are at the inn trying to solve this case.”
“I’ll get back with you soon as I can with as much as I can. It might be Monday before I can get you a lot of details, but I should be able to find out a little about these people today.”
I hung up and jogged downstairs to Lou. Actually, I didn’t jog, but lumbered, even though my trek was downhill, and I kept my hand on the rail to keep from getting downstairs too fast. I wasn’t anxious to set any records, or for a doctor to reset any of my bones. The only difference in up and down to me is that I wheeze more and I stop and rest more when going up. I am more gifted in the art of reclining or sitting; although some people would take issue that you need talent for those.
I could see that Lou didn’t wait on me. His plate was half empty, but he hadn’t touched mine. At least I don’t think he had. It wouldn’t matter anyway. It wasn’t like it was a spread at the Blue Moon.
I told Lou what I had, which wasn’t much. We would check with Manfred Mitchuson to see if he remembered what kind of car Isabel Dukenfield drove. I told Lou I would wait until we had Longworth out of his comfort zone before we tackled the question of who occupied the room in the back. We finished our snack with no new inspirations, licked our fingers clean after eating chocolate to get the fruit and cheese taste out of our mouths, and sent Lou to get Longworth.
I thought our luck might have changed when Lou returned with Longworth in tow. At least the owner wasn’t dead or missing. That was good, since I had already dismissed the bevy of bloodhounds.
“Have a seat, Mr. Longworth.”
“What’s this about, Lieutenant? I already answered all your questions.”
“Well, Mr. Longworth, there’s nothing like a winter getaway to inspire a policeman to come up with more questions. I don’t have many questions for you, but I’d like to know who occupied the room on the back hall. You said none of those rooms were in use.”
“Well, uh, one of our guests requested a room away from everyone, and I decided to accommodate him.”
“Oh, and which guest was that, Mr. Longworth?”
“Uh, the deceased.”
“Which deceased, Mr. Longworth? We have so many dead guys I can hardly count them all.”
“Oh, uh, Mr. Mycroft.”
“And what reason did Mr. Mycroft give for wanting to be away from the other guests?”
“Just that he came to the inn for solitude.”
“But these rooms have such thick walls. Someone’s in the room next to mine, but I haven’t heard any noises coming from that room. And, as I recall, Mr. Mycroft did take his meals with the other guests. Why this reason to be off by himself?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he mention knowing anyone here at the inn?”
“Knowing anyone?”
“You do know what knowing anyone means, don’t you, Mr. Longworth?”
“Sure, but he never mentioned that he knew anyone.”
“Did you talk to him much?”
“Not too much. I mean I wanted to make him feel welcome, and at the time he checked in he was our only guest.”
“Were any other guests expected when Mr. Mycroft checked in?”
“Yes, everyone except the two of you, and Miss Humphert.”
“Let’s take a look at when everyone checked in. Mr. Mycroft checked in at 10:40 Thursday morning. Mr. Plankton checked in at 2:20 Thursday afternoon. And Mrs. Dukenfield checked in at 4:15 Thursday afternoon. I assume all of them ate dinner together Thursday evening. Is that correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And did you and your wife join that group?”
“We did.”
“Was the meal similar to the one we had last evening, with Justin serving?”
“It was.”
“Tell me, Mr. Longworth. What was the conversation like?”
“My wife and I did most of the talking. Everyone was new to the inn. We spent most of the time telling them about all the inn has to offer and answered any questions any of them had.”
“What questions were those?”
“Oh, the usual. What time the pool and library opened and closed each day. How long before our first play in the auditorium.”
“Yes, Mr. McArthur mentioned that you planned to offer plays to your guests at some point in the near future.”
“He did?”
“Yes, had you talked to him about that? I know he wasn’t present at dinner Thursday night, but he seemed to know that you planned to return to the days of yesteryear with a full compliment of plays.”
I might have embellished my rendition of McArthur’s comments, but I wanted to see how Longworth responded.
“Well, we do plan to offer plays again, but that will be a ways down the road.”
“I guess Mr. McArthur was mistaken.”
“Maybe just a little overexcited. A lot of people have enjoyed plays at the inn. Are you one of them, Lieutenant?”
“No, Mr. Longworth, I’ve never had the pleasure.”
“Well, when we begin I must be sure to leave four tickets for you and the sergeant. Maybe you would enjoy a Shakespearean comedy, or our rendition of Macbeth.”
I shuddered at the thought. What would be next? Would he offer us complimentary dinners before the performance?
“Mr. Longworth, I’m just a little curious as to why you haven’t asked about your murdered and missing guests.”
“I assume that information is confidential, Lieutenant.”
“Oh, one other thing, Mr. Longworth. Why didn’t you tell me that the inn has hidden passageways?”
“Now, Lieutenant, we don’t want our guests roaming through those passageways. They might get hurt. And could you imagine what our insurance payments would be if we allowed that?”
“I understand that, but why didn’t you tell me about them after you found out I was with the police department?”
“It escaped my mind. Besides, I didn’t think any of our guests would know about them, so I imagined you would have been wasting your time looking for someone there.”
“And you would’ve assumed wrong. I believe it is possible that Mrs. Dukenfield navigated those passageways in order to make her escape.”
Mr. Longworth laughed.
“Mrs. Dukenfield, that old woman. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but it sounds preposterous.”
“It does to me, too, but there’s no sign of her anywhere on the premises.”
I must have paused too long, for I gave Longworth an opportunity to get something off his chest.
“Lieutenant, one thing I would like to addre
ss. Is it necessary for Miss Humphert to remain in her room?”
“At least until tomorrow. And could you have someone check with her periodically to walk her dog?”
“Of course, Lieutenant, but why must she remain in her room? No one else is confined.”
“For safety reasons, Mr. Longworth.”
I let him think I meant her safety, when I was really thinking about my own. Maybe safety wasn’t the right word, but I couldn’t tell him it was for my peace of mind. He didn’t know the woman like I did.
“Well, Mr. Longworth, I think that’ll be all for now. Could you tell me where I can find Mr. Mitchuson?”
“What could you possibly want with him?”
“Now, Mr. Longworth, if I wanted to tell you that, I would have invited you to stay while I question him. Now, where did you say I could find him?”
“Manfred is probably in his quarters.”
“Thank you, Mr. Longworth. I’ll send Sgt. Murdock with you so you can show him where Mr. Mitchuson’s quarters are.”
A rather displeased innkeeper left, followed by a sergeant. A couple of minutes later, Lou returned with Manfred Mitchuson.
“Hello, Manfred. Have a seat. You don’t mind if I call you Manfred, do you?”
“That’s my name, Lieutenant. Go ahead.”
“Manfred, did you by any chance shovel the snow from the roof on Friday morning.”
“That I did, Lieutenant.”
“Could you tell if anyone had been up there before you?”
“No possibility of that, Lieutenant. Those of us who work here are the only ones who know how to get to the roof, and no one ever goes up there except me.”
“Did you by any chance look out over the parapet while you were up there shoveling?”
“I didn’t have time. I just barely got it finished in time for lunch. Just after that you showed up, and then that woman came. That’s why I didn’t have the drive shoveled before you got here. It takes so long to do the roof. See not only do I have to shovel all the way around the roof, but I have to lift the shovel and throw the snow over the side. Believe me, after doing that a few times my muscles get sore.”
“Yes, I can see where they would. Manfred, I understand that part of your duties at the inn include parking cars and carrying luggage to the rooms. Am I correct?”
“That’s right, Lieutenant. Among other things.”
“Did you by any chance carry Mr. Mycroft’s luggage to his room when he arrived?”
“I did, Lieutenant.”
“That was on the back hallway, away from the other guests?”
“That’s right.”
“Any idea why his room was so far away from the other guests?”
“The missus told me that it was because he and Mr. Longworth had some business to discuss.”
“Any idea what business that was?”
“Well, I hope I’m not talking out of turn. I can’t afford to lose my job.”
“No, it’s okay to tell me. It’s really not all that important, and it is just between us. I’m just curious.”
“My missus says Mrs. Longworth told her that Mr. Mycroft was an actor, and Mr. Longworth was planning on using him when they started featuring plays again.”
“And when is that?”
“Mr. Longworth acted like it would be soon, but with Mr. Mycroft’s death, who knows?”
“Any idea if any of the other guests were here for that reason?”
“Sorry, I can’t help you there.”
“Another question. Did you park Mrs. Dukenfield’s car when she arrived?”
“Aye, that I did.”
“And what kind of car does she drive?”
“Actually, you might be surprised to know she drives a truck. I know I was. As a matter of fact, it looks a lot like the truck that new fellow drove up in this morning.”
“You mean Mr. Williams?”
“I guess that’s his name. I didn’t get it.”
“Well, I’ll have to check his truck.”
“You’ll have to wait until later. He left a few minutes ago.”
“Left? Left the inn?”
“That’s right.”
“Did he check out?”
“I have no idea about that. I just saw him drive away when I looked out the window.”
“And how long ago was this?”
“Twenty or thirty minutes. It wasn’t long after your man here came down the hall with the boss. I mean I guess it was him. It was a dark-colored truck like his or that old lady’s. I couldn’t see who was driving it.”
I excused Manfred Mitchuson and asked him to send his wife in. While he was away, I called the department to see if they could intercept a dark-colored truck coming from the Precipice Point Road. I didn’t need to give them any more information. There wouldn’t have been more than one truck coming from the inn.
I hung up just as Mrs. Mitchuson knocked. I asked her the same questions I asked her husband, plus asked if she saw anything unusual in any of the rooms as she cleaned them. Her answers matched her husband’s and she saw nothing out of the way.
+++
With nothing going the way I wanted, I needed a break. It was almost lunch time. Lou and I decided to wait in the sitting room until lunch was served. In the meantime, we would pray that the food would be acceptable. I didn’t have time to run in to the Blue Moon to eat, and they don’t deliver. Well, maybe they would to their two best customers.
Lou and I sat and ate an uneventful lunch with Tony McArthur. At least he hadn’t disappeared. He looked much less at ease than he did the night before. Could he have something to hide? Or is it merely that he became unnerved when he learned that a murder had been committed?
+++
As we finished lunch, Longworth informed me that I had a phone call. I told him I would take it in the conference room. The call was from Sam.
“Boy, you’re really quick this time Sam. Maybe I should bother you more often on the weekend.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t. I don’t have much to report.”
“Then why’d you call me?”
“I’ve got this much, Cy. You might be at a dead end. None of those out-of-town people exist. Oh, I don’t doubt that they’re real people, Cy. It’s just that there’s no one matching those names who live in any of those towns. Well, except for McArthur. He lives here in Hilldale, all right.”
“When I found out all those people were wearing disguises, I suspected as much. I think the real people are a little closer to home, like McArthur. I assume you don’t have anything yet on those who work here.”
“Not yet, Cy. You want me to wait until I get everything?”
“You might as well. Thanks, Sam. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up, made another call. I wanted to get a fingerprint crew out here to check Claude Williams’s room for prints. Why did a man check in, then leave soon thereafter? Had I scared him? I’d told Longworth that all rooms once occupied by the newly deceased and the recently departed were off limits to anyone, including him, until further notice. He wasn’t pleased, but it wasn’t like he had no vacancies in case a busload of elderly travelers descended upon the inn after leaving Cracker Barrel on their way to some gambling haven.
11
While we waited on the fingerprint crew I talked to McArthur again. I sent the good sergeant to retrieve him.
“Well, Mr. McArthur. So good to see you again. I suppose you liked your lunch.”
“Not bad. I understand dinner will be even better. We’re having Coquille St. Jacques, and tomorrow night they’re serving chateaubriand.”
Not being a wine drinker, I hoped we were through with this place before tomorrow night. I wondered if chateaubriand was a cheap or expensive wine. It sounded like a red wine, but I hoped that I wouldn’t be there to find out. I planned to ask Betty McElroy when we returned to civilization. In the meantime, I would get the good sergeant to find out what Coquille St. Jacques is. It sounds like Dachshund On a Stick
marinated in a white wine sauce.
“Lieutenant, I assume you invited me here for some reason other than to ask me about the food. Otherwise, you could have asked me at the table. After all, we were the only ones there.”
“Sorry, Mr. McArthur, your mention of the menu made me think of something. You mentioned in our previous conversation that you came because you thought Mr. Longworth would soon be having tryouts for a play.”
“We actors think of them as auditions, and yes, I heard that he would soon be scheduling plays. I contacted a former actor just before I left town and asked him if he would be willing to get the word out. I even suggested that it would be fun if some of the guests came in character, in order to perform for Longworth and see if he’d recognize them. That’s the reason I couldn’t be sure if I knew anyone else at the table last night.”
“Who’s the actor you contacted?”
“Arthur Rothschild. He was one of the finest actors in this area until his accident.”
“Accident?”
“Yes, he fell and broke his leg during a production. There aren’t many parts for actors confined to wheelchairs, so Arthur has pretty much retired.”
“Confined to a wheelchair? Most people I know who break a leg recover.”
“Yeah, but Arthur had some complications. He couldn’t get to a doctor to get it set right. Because of that, he has an unbearable pain anytime he puts any pressure on it.”
“Did you talk to him later to see if he passed the word on?”
“I didn’t have time. I was busy the whole time I was in Chicago, and I stopped by my apartment only long enough to get my car. I didn’t even go in, just jumped out of the taxi and hurried around back to get my vehicle. I wanted to make sure I got here in time for dinner. Anyway, if you want to know, just check with Arthur. He lives in the actors’ home, just like the rest of us.”
2 Murder in the Winter Page 8