The Purloined Puzzle

by Parnell Hall

  “Perfectly.”

  Chapter

  17

  Cora Felton walked up to the receptionist in Barney Nathan’s waiting room and said, “Please tell the doctor I love him.”

  Heads turned. The patients on the couch pricked up their ears. Born gossips, this was too good to be true.

  The receptionist looked like she’d swallowed her gum. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Tell Barney I want to see him. I’m sure he wants to see me. If he doesn’t, tell him I will stand up every ten minutes and loudly proclaim my affection until he changes his mind or his wife shows up.”

  The receptionist blanched, shot to her feet, and disappeared through the door to the examining room. She was back a minute later with the nurse, who walked up to Cora and said with a frosty smile, “The doctor will see you now.”

  Neither of the patients on the couch objected to Cora being taken first. They wouldn’t have missed this for the world.

  The nurse ushered Cora into Barney’s office. “The doctor will be with you in a minute.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Cora said. “I’d hate to bust in on him with a patient.”

  Barney Nathan was in a minute later. His face was almost a red as his bow tie. “What the devil do you think you’re doing?” he said.

  “Hi, Barney. I wanted to talk to you.”

  “So you stood up in the middle of my waiting room and said you loved me?”

  “There were a lot of patients ahead of me. I didn’t want to wait.”

  “So you chose to humiliate me?”

  “Sorry, Barney, but you were being a bit of a horse’s ass.”

  “How dare you!”

  “Come on, Barney, you know I dare just about anything. I’m working for Becky Baldwin. She’d like to get the autopsy report that you’ve been withholding at the request of the police.”

  “I haven’t been withholding the autopsy report.”

  “Of course not. So when Chief Harper says you haven’t finished your autopsy, that’s because you took time out in the middle to see a few patients.”

  “Now, look here—”

  “Barney, I know how it is. Henry Firth likes to play games. But he can’t play them with the medical profession.”

  “I have never altered a report.”

  “Altered it, no. Withheld it…” Cora waggled her hand. “The medical finding exonerates Becky’s client. As soon as it’s presented, the cops will have to let him go. So Henry doesn’t want it presented. But that’s not his decision. Johnny Dawson is not going to be tried for this crime, but in the event he is, you know how much mileage Becky Baldwin will get out of this little game? Particularly when she refreshes your recollection about this conversation. I’m sure the two patients in the waiting room will be eager to lay the foundation. So pick up the phone and tell Chief Harper the time of death, so we can all go about our business.”

  Barney didn’t want to do it, but the longer he waited, the worse it would get. He reached for the phone.

  “Atta boy,” Cora said.

  Chapter

  18

  Cora got back to the police station just in time to see Johnny going out the door and Melvin going in.

  “Hi, honey, I’m home,” Melvin said as he went by in handcuffs. “You mind calling that pretty little lawyer you work for and telling her I might be needing her services? It seems the police think I killed someone.”

  “Fred Winkler?”

  “I assume that’s the guy. Apparently they were just waiting for a time of death to arrest me, and wouldn’t you know it, the doc came through.”

  “Becky may have a conflict of interest.”

  “She always has a conflict of interest. She’d love to get me off, but she’s afraid I’ll hit on her. That’s silly. I’ll hit on her in any case. Explain it to her, will you?”

  “Don’t say anything until you talk to Becky.”

  “I can’t take her advice if she’s not my lawyer.”

  “She’ll get you a lawyer.”

  “From New York? I’ll grow old waiting. I’ll hang myself in my cell.”

  Rick Reed, gleefully filming the exchange for Channel 8, tried to jump in. “Officer Finley, is this man a suspect in the murder of Fred Winkler?”

  “Get him inside, Dan. I’ve got this one.” As the door closed behind Dan and Melvin, Cora said, “It is way too early to speculate on what this all means, Rick. But I promise to keep you up to date as soon as we know more.”

  Cora hurried down the side street and up the stairs to Becky’s office. She burst in right on the heels of Johnny Dawson.

  “Hey, guys, no time for amenities. The cops let Johnny go on the basis of the autopsy report I got Barney Nathan to release. They’ve arrested Melvin on the basis of God knows what, so he’ll probably blame me for the autopsy report. He wants to hire you as his lawyer. I pointed out the conflict of interest, told him you’d either resolve it or find him another lawyer.”

  Cora flopped down in a client’s chair and put her feet up.

  “You look pleased with yourself,” Becky said.

  “Hey, it’s not every day you can strong-arm a medical examiner and get your ex-husband arrested. Not that I had anything to do with that, but Melvin’s gonna give me the credit.”

  “What do they have on him?”

  “I have no idea. But, hey, it’s a murder case. So why don’t you finish up your case with Johnny and see if it precludes you from taking this one. Seeing as how I cost you a client, I’d kind of like to get you another.”

  Johnny was looking back and forth from one to the other. “Hey, you guys are having a lot of fun, but I just got out of jail. Would you mind telling what the hell is going on?”

  “It would appear you’re in the clear. The doctor’s put the time of death after you turned in the knife. So without even waiting for DNA tests, we can prove it’s not the murder weapon.”

  “And that’s it,” Becky said. “Unless you can think of some further reason you require my services, our business is done. You gave me a hundred-dollar retainer. There will be no further charge.”

  “Uh huh,” Johnny said. Cora couldn’t tell if he was delighted at being charged so little, or if he felt Becky hadn’t done any work and didn’t deserve to be paid.

  “Then you have no objection if I represent someone else in this matter?”

  “Not if the cops have cleared me.”

  “They have,” Cora said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Arresting someone else for the crime is a pretty good sign,” Becky said.

  “If you get him off, will they arrest me again?”

  “Good point,” Cora said. “This young man has a fine legal mind.”

  At the look on Johnny’s face, Becky said, “Oh, for goodness’ sakes, tell him you’re kidding, will you?”

  “Fine. I’m kidding. You’re off the hook. Run along and let her try to get the next guy off. Trust me, it’s going to be a lot harder.”

  “What do the police have on him?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Then how do you know?”

  “I was married to him.”

  Chapter

  19

  Becky walked into the police station to find Chief Harper conferring with Dan Finley.

  “I hear you have a suspect in the Fred Winkler case.”

  “We do,” Chief Harper said. “Were you thinking of representing him?”

  “It crossed my mind.”

  “Could you do me a favor and try not to get him released before happy hour. Rick Reed is starting to refer to our revolving-door policy.”

  “I can’t help it if you keep arresting innocent men.”

  “This one might not be innocent.”

  “Hold the phone. Let me get Rick Reed in on this. Chief Harper thinks the latest suspect he arrested just might actually be guilty.”

  “Do you happen to know any different?”

  “I have no idea about the disposition of
this case. I haven’t even heard the suspect’s story.”

  “When you do,” Chief Harper said, “don’t take it at face value until you’ve heard mine.”

  “What’s your story?”

  “Oh.”

  Dan Finley grinned. “Walked into that one, didn’t you, Chief?”

  “Yes, yes,” Harper said impatiently. “None of us are going to tell each other anything. Anyway, I’d appreciate a modicum of restraint. Turning Cora loose on the doctor wasn’t particularly subtle.”

  “I had nothing to do with that.”

  “Isn’t she your investigator?”

  “And do you think she looks to me for guidance? Asks me if I approve her shenanigans?”

  “No, I don’t. On the other hand, we have a sensitive situation here.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The suspect happens to be her ex-husband.”

  “So? It’s not like there’s any love lost between them.”

  “No, but there is a bond of animosity.”

  “That’s well said, Chief. I think Cora would appreciate that.”

  “She doesn’t have to stand up and cheer. I’d be happy if she didn’t storm the police station.”

  “She was here when he was brought in. Did she storm the police station then? No, she just told me he was here.”

  “And you stormed the police station.”

  “I dropped by to see the prisoner. I understand he’s requested a lawyer. Are you saying I shouldn’t have come?”

  “You’re not going to win this one, Chief,” Dan Finley said.

  “Well, you don’t have to look so pleased about it.” Harper sighed. “All right, go tell him his lawyer’s here.”

  Chapter

  20

  Becky sized up Melvin across the table in the interrogation room. She realized he was sizing her up at the same time. And not necessarily as a lawyer.

  “Hi, Becky. It’s good to see you.”

  “There must be easier ways of attracting my attention.”

  “I thought of just dropping in, but you’re so standoffish. Did you know that? Anyway, I do much better with a purpose. A stated purpose, I mean.”

  “I know exactly what you mean. So, what did you do now?”

  “What makes you think I did something?”

  “You got arrested.”

  “That’s not really my fault.”

  “Whose fault is it?”

  “Don’t be like that.”

  “Why did the police arrest you?”

  “They obviously made a mistake.”

  “Obviously. What led them to make this mistake?”

  “Stupidity, I imagine.”

  “Melvin.”

  “Why do they think I did it? I don’t know. They haven’t told me.”

  “What did they tell you?”

  “Nothing. They just asked me questions. When I asked for a lawyer, that ended the conversation.”

  “Why did you ask for a lawyer?”

  “I wanted to see you. It’s been awhile, you know.”

  “Stop being delightfully unhelpful. Why do you think the police arrested you? What could possibly connect you to the crime?”

  “I knew the victim.”

  “How did you know the victim?”

  “Apparently, we were staying at the same motel.”

  “You didn’t know that?”

  “No.”

  “How’d you find out?”

  “The cops said so.”

  “You recognized his name?”

  “They showed me his picture.”

  “Was he alive in the photo?”

  “He was dead. Didn’t look much worse than usual, if you ask me.”

  “So you knew him by sight but not by name. How did you know him?”

  “There’s a roadside bar just south of the mall. Guys hang out there after work.”

  “Including you?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Hard to imagine you doing any work.”

  “That’s unkind. Just because my work isn’t necessarily the nine-to-five type.”

  “Or any other legitimate type.”

  Melvin smiled in a way Becky was sure he considered irresistible to women.

  “Anyway, you hung out in the bar, you met Fred Winkler.”

  “It wasn’t so much that I met him.”

  “What was it, then?”

  “He took offense.”

  “About what.”

  “He was hitting on a waitress. She couldn’t have liked it. It was disgusting. I told him to knock it off.”

  “This is a waitress you were hitting on?”

  “‘Hitting on’ is such a nasty term. Chatting her up sounds so much better.”

  “When did you ever care how something sounded?”

  “I wouldn’t want you to get a bad impression of me.”

  “It’s a little late for that, Melvin.”

  “That’s just unkind.”

  “So, when you told him to knock it off, he apologized and went back to drinking with his friends?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He put his hand on my chest and pushed.”

  “And you apologized and went back to drinking alone?”

  “I may have pushed back.”

  “Even though he was young enough to be your grandson.”

  “I wasn’t picking on a two-year-old. This was a big, strapping man.”

  “That’s what I implied.”

  “I’m not that old, Becky.”

  “You’re not that young, either. Do those hair plugs really fool anyone?”

  “They don’t have to fool anyone. They just have to look good. You’ve seen the girls I’ve been with.”

  “I have. I think I babysat some of them.”

  “If you get me out of here, we could discuss that over drinks.”

  “I’m trying to get you out of here, Melvin. You seem more interested in being cute than cooperative.”

  “I’m trying to cooperate. I just don’t know anything. The victim and I had an altercation in a bar. It didn’t amount to much. He tried to push me around. He found out he couldn’t. He put his hand on my chest. I put him in an arm lock and offered to break his wrist. He seemed rather surprised, but he backed right down.”

  “Did this impress the waitress?”

  “Not in the way I hoped. The bartender suggested we knock it off or leave.”

  “So there are several witnesses to this altercation.”

  “I’m sure there are.”

  “Still, it’s not enough to pick you up. They must have something else.”

  “I can’t imagine what it is.”

  “That’s the only contact you had with the victim?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I thought you said you were at the same motel.”

  “We were.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I saw him there.”

  “So you had contact with him.”

  “No, I just saw him in passing.”

  “And you, being the shy, retiring type, lowered your eyes and walked the other way.”

  Melvin merely smiled.

  “Was this before or after the barroom incident?”

  “I believe it was after.”

  “Don’t kid me, Melvin. You’d know.”

  “It was after.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was with some of his friends. When they saw me, two of them stepped in front of him.”

  “And?”

  “I laughed. He tried to get at me. They held him back.”

  “It never got physical?”

  “Only when I mentioned his mother.”

  “Melvin!”

  “It was nothing. He took a swing at me and I broke his nose.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “No, that was it. I gave him a bloody nose, and he slunk away licking his wounds.”

  “Great,” Becky sa
id dryly. “And there were how many witnesses to this encounter?”

  “Two or three. I’m not sure.”

  Becky thought that over. “Well, it’s bad, but it’s not enough. They must have something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like a witness who saw you dumping the body in the middle of the street.”

  “I doubt it. I was very careful.”

  “Don’t even joke about it. You have anyone who can account for your whereabouts last night?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “I find it hard to believe you came up here without a bimbo in tow.”

  “Maybe I just wanted to see you.”

  “Meaning I’m a bimbo?”

  “Hardly. You’re true blue.”

  “What’s that make Cora?”

  “You’re jealous? That’s sweet.”

  Becky left Melvin in the interrogation room and hunted up Chief Harper.

  “Charge him or release him.”

  “Fine. I’ll charge him.”

  “Why?”

  “You just told me to.”

  “You got nothing on him, Chief.”

  “I got more than you think.”

  “You mind telling me what?”

  “I would mind. Henry Firth would have a cow.”

  “Henry Firth can tell me himself, unless he wants to stipulate my client can be released on his own recognizance.”

  Chief Harper shook his head. “Sorry. You’re going to have to schedule a bail hearing.”

  “Why so hard-nosed?”

  “This is not a speeding ticket, Becky. This is a murder.”

  “This is a murder that has nothing to do with my client.”

  “Henry Firth sees things differently.”

  “Henry Firth doesn’t see anything at all. Henry Firth is embarrassed about having arrested one suspect and having to let him go. So he picks up a second one as a buffer. What he doesn’t realize is that letting the second one go is going to be way worse than the first one. And denying bail is just the icing on the cake. Judge Hobbs will grant it, I’ll post it, and Melvin will walk. All insisting on the hearing does is give Rick Reed time to set up.”