Read Online April at the Antique Alley by Bill McGrath - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bill McGrath
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not like any of them were suspects or anything but eliminating them would do a lot of good.
The second thing I wanted to accomplish this day was to go by the funeral home and make the arrangements. I would have to go by the Dallas P.D. first and collect some paperwork but that could be done early.
I was not much looking forward to either of the first two tasks on my list.
The third task on my list though really did interest me. I wanted to get into Lola’s house and snoop around for a good long time. I guess I am a natural born snoop and at this point finding some paper trail that would lead to a next of kin was pretty
important. In addition, it was technically the only thing I was being paid for, so I wanted to log a bunch of hours just to put gas in my car. On the other hand even though Samuels had warned me several times to stay away from this case he had also actually hired me to work on it so I would format reports for him that included all of my activities connected with the case, not just the inventory from Lola’s house.
Wednesday morning was beautiful but there was rain in the forecast for the afternoon. For some reason Jill wanted to drive so I folded my large body into her VW Bug and we headed towards downtown Dallas. Back in the sixties and seventies we made lots of jokes about how tiny a VW Bug was, but in truth here in the new millennium her car yielded both more head room and more leg room than my Taurus.
Samuels was sort of busy so he could spend very little time with us, but he did give me the key to Lola’s house and the address. In addition he gave me the warnings I had expected about what to look for and what to bag as evidence. He knew I was good at my job so he didn’t go into too many details, but he, being the professional he is, did go over the basics and made sure we knew enough to wear rubber gloves. He also handed me an envelope which had all the information that I would need when talking to a funeral director concerning Lola’s funeral. The envelope contained also a list of funeral homes that were used often by the county but one had already been picked out. The list was there, Samuels had explained, only in case the one they picked was booked for the day we wanted the funeral.
Jill and I arrived at Uptown Treasures at 9:30 loaded down with a bag full of blueberry muffins which we shared with Jana. Her store, as well as the rest on the block, would all open for business at ten sharp. Therefore we were able to spend a nice peaceful thirty minutes before the business day began.
We talked a bit about when Lola’s funeral would be and made plans for dinner back at my house/office for this evening. Jana and I looked longingly into each other’s eyes. Jill and Jana chatted like good friends. Their discussion seemed to center around the Adonis-like Donald Smith, and how to lure him into Jill’s grasp. It was a pleasant thirty minutes and it passed much too quickly.
I worked the alley in the same order I had during my initial investigation. I started at the east end of the block and worked my way west. That put Parnell’s Prize Antiques first. Parnell was happy to hear the date of the funeral and quickly pressed me for more details like where and what time, so I had to play dumb and once again promise an update soon. I found only one car in the parking lot so I made the assumption that it was his. I wrote Parnell’s name in my memo book as well as his license plate number, then I took pictures of his license plate and each of his tires. I really had not thought up any quick story to tell the owner of the car
if he caught me taking pictures of his tires. I probably would simply tell him that I was working hard to try to eliminate him as a possible suspect. In this case however, Parnell was busy in his store, so he didn’t see me in his parking lot photographing his wheels.
Lola’s building was next and that is when it occurred to me that we had not yet identified a car
The second thing I wanted to accomplish this day was to go by the funeral home and make the arrangements. I would have to go by the Dallas P.D. first and collect some paperwork but that could be done early.
I was not much looking forward to either of the first two tasks on my list.
The third task on my list though really did interest me. I wanted to get into Lola’s house and snoop around for a good long time. I guess I am a natural born snoop and at this point finding some paper trail that would lead to a next of kin was pretty
important. In addition, it was technically the only thing I was being paid for, so I wanted to log a bunch of hours just to put gas in my car. On the other hand even though Samuels had warned me several times to stay away from this case he had also actually hired me to work on it so I would format reports for him that included all of my activities connected with the case, not just the inventory from Lola’s house.
Wednesday morning was beautiful but there was rain in the forecast for the afternoon. For some reason Jill wanted to drive so I folded my large body into her VW Bug and we headed towards downtown Dallas. Back in the sixties and seventies we made lots of jokes about how tiny a VW Bug was, but in truth here in the new millennium her car yielded both more head room and more leg room than my Taurus.
Samuels was sort of busy so he could spend very little time with us, but he did give me the key to Lola’s house and the address. In addition he gave me the warnings I had expected about what to look for and what to bag as evidence. He knew I was good at my job so he didn’t go into too many details, but he, being the professional he is, did go over the basics and made sure we knew enough to wear rubber gloves. He also handed me an envelope which had all the information that I would need when talking to a funeral director concerning Lola’s funeral. The envelope contained also a list of funeral homes that were used often by the county but one had already been picked out. The list was there, Samuels had explained, only in case the one they picked was booked for the day we wanted the funeral.
Jill and I arrived at Uptown Treasures at 9:30 loaded down with a bag full of blueberry muffins which we shared with Jana. Her store, as well as the rest on the block, would all open for business at ten sharp. Therefore we were able to spend a nice peaceful thirty minutes before the business day began.
We talked a bit about when Lola’s funeral would be and made plans for dinner back at my house/office for this evening. Jana and I looked longingly into each other’s eyes. Jill and Jana chatted like good friends. Their discussion seemed to center around the Adonis-like Donald Smith, and how to lure him into Jill’s grasp. It was a pleasant thirty minutes and it passed much too quickly.
I worked the alley in the same order I had during my initial investigation. I started at the east end of the block and worked my way west. That put Parnell’s Prize Antiques first. Parnell was happy to hear the date of the funeral and quickly pressed me for more details like where and what time, so I had to play dumb and once again promise an update soon. I found only one car in the parking lot so I made the assumption that it was his. I wrote Parnell’s name in my memo book as well as his license plate number, then I took pictures of his license plate and each of his tires. I really had not thought up any quick story to tell the owner of the car
if he caught me taking pictures of his tires. I probably would simply tell him that I was working hard to try to eliminate him as a possible suspect. In this case however, Parnell was busy in his store, so he didn’t see me in his parking lot photographing his wheels.
Lola’s building was next and that is when it occurred to me that we had not yet identified a car
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