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Authors: Parnell Hall
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who’s talking.”
“Touché. I was ready to arm wrestle you for hunky neighbor until he turned out to have a wife. I wonder if he’s happily married. Do you handle divorces? Of course you do. You handle everything. Do you think it would be tacky to be the guy’s divorce lawyer and make a play for him at the same time?”
“There was something on top of the cabinet,” Becky prompted.
“See? I knew you’d prefer breaking and entering.”
Becky pulled over a chair, climbed up on the counter, fetched down the object.
It was an empty box.
Cora jerked her thumb. “Let’s try upstairs.”
The bedroom was just as Cora remembered it, small and filthy.
“What do we do now?” Becky said.
“Ever tossed a bedroom? First we look under the mattress. Then we lift the mattress up and look for slits in the mattress. We look through the dresser, look for things taped to the back or bottoms of drawers. We look under the rug, behind the picture on the wall, which I’m going to hazard a guess is not an original.”
The picture of dogs playing poker was not an original. The glass was cracked, and one corner of the frame was sprung. Cora swung it out from the wall.
“Anything behind it?” Becky asked.
“Just a safe.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Yes, I am.” Cora let the picture swing back. “Unless this is a Matisse, it’s worthless. Did he do poker-playing dogs?”
“Not that I recall.”
Cora hopped off the bed.
There came the sound of tires in the driveway.
“Uh-oh,” Cora said.
“Who is it?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“What do we do?”
The bedroom had no windows on the driveway side.
“Come on.”
Cora and Becky crept down the stairs.
Chief Harper was waiting for them.
Chapter 17
Chief Harper was not amused. “All right, what are you doing here?”
Cora smiled. “I was just about to ask you the same thing, Chief. I thought you’d finished with the cabin.”
“Yeah, but I’ve got a right to be here. You two have not.”
Cora shook her head. “So Brooks ratted us out? I didn’t think he was the type.”
“According to him, you’re inventorying the estate for Overmeyer’s heirs.”
“The man is a blabbermouth. That’s a shame. He was kind of cute. If married.”
Harper steamed through the digression. “Which is somewhat amazing, since Overmeyer’s only heir is currently in transit.”
“That would make him hard to contact.”
“It would if it weren’t for cell phones. I reached him in Chicago. He denies hiring anyone to conserve his estate.”
“Oh.”
“How about it, Becky? Did this guy hire you?”
“You can’t expect her to have that information at her finger-tips,” Cora said. “She’ll have to check her client list and get back to you.”
“Since her number of clients usually ranges from one to zero, that shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Hey, I resent that,” Becky said.
“Resent all you like. Do you happen to recall the client? The one you’re conducting the inventory for?”
“You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, Chief,” Cora said. “It’s something you should be careful of.”
“You mind telling me what you’re doing here?”
“In the house of a man we just found out was poisoned?” Cora shrugged. “Can’t think of a thing.”
“George Brooks is new in town, and clearly not used to your casual approach to the law.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, he’s awfully eager to buy the dead man’s estate. Did he happen to mention that?”
“You’re claiming that’s a motive for murder?”
“It’s better than any you’ve got.”
Harper controlled himself with an effort. He took a breath. “So, did you find anything?”
“Mousetraps,” Cora said.
“Huh?”
“In the cellar. There’s mousetraps.”
“Yes, I was down there.”
“You didn’t mention mousetraps.”
“I said rats and spiders.”
“I thought you were trying to scare me.”
“I was.”
“I mean I thought you were making it up.”
“You
“Touché. I was ready to arm wrestle you for hunky neighbor until he turned out to have a wife. I wonder if he’s happily married. Do you handle divorces? Of course you do. You handle everything. Do you think it would be tacky to be the guy’s divorce lawyer and make a play for him at the same time?”
“There was something on top of the cabinet,” Becky prompted.
“See? I knew you’d prefer breaking and entering.”
Becky pulled over a chair, climbed up on the counter, fetched down the object.
It was an empty box.
Cora jerked her thumb. “Let’s try upstairs.”
The bedroom was just as Cora remembered it, small and filthy.
“What do we do now?” Becky said.
“Ever tossed a bedroom? First we look under the mattress. Then we lift the mattress up and look for slits in the mattress. We look through the dresser, look for things taped to the back or bottoms of drawers. We look under the rug, behind the picture on the wall, which I’m going to hazard a guess is not an original.”
The picture of dogs playing poker was not an original. The glass was cracked, and one corner of the frame was sprung. Cora swung it out from the wall.
“Anything behind it?” Becky asked.
“Just a safe.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Yes, I am.” Cora let the picture swing back. “Unless this is a Matisse, it’s worthless. Did he do poker-playing dogs?”
“Not that I recall.”
Cora hopped off the bed.
There came the sound of tires in the driveway.
“Uh-oh,” Cora said.
“Who is it?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“What do we do?”
The bedroom had no windows on the driveway side.
“Come on.”
Cora and Becky crept down the stairs.
Chief Harper was waiting for them.
Chapter 17
Chief Harper was not amused. “All right, what are you doing here?”
Cora smiled. “I was just about to ask you the same thing, Chief. I thought you’d finished with the cabin.”
“Yeah, but I’ve got a right to be here. You two have not.”
Cora shook her head. “So Brooks ratted us out? I didn’t think he was the type.”
“According to him, you’re inventorying the estate for Overmeyer’s heirs.”
“The man is a blabbermouth. That’s a shame. He was kind of cute. If married.”
Harper steamed through the digression. “Which is somewhat amazing, since Overmeyer’s only heir is currently in transit.”
“That would make him hard to contact.”
“It would if it weren’t for cell phones. I reached him in Chicago. He denies hiring anyone to conserve his estate.”
“Oh.”
“How about it, Becky? Did this guy hire you?”
“You can’t expect her to have that information at her finger-tips,” Cora said. “She’ll have to check her client list and get back to you.”
“Since her number of clients usually ranges from one to zero, that shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Hey, I resent that,” Becky said.
“Resent all you like. Do you happen to recall the client? The one you’re conducting the inventory for?”
“You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, Chief,” Cora said. “It’s something you should be careful of.”
“You mind telling me what you’re doing here?”
“In the house of a man we just found out was poisoned?” Cora shrugged. “Can’t think of a thing.”
“George Brooks is new in town, and clearly not used to your casual approach to the law.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, he’s awfully eager to buy the dead man’s estate. Did he happen to mention that?”
“You’re claiming that’s a motive for murder?”
“It’s better than any you’ve got.”
Harper controlled himself with an effort. He took a breath. “So, did you find anything?”
“Mousetraps,” Cora said.
“Huh?”
“In the cellar. There’s mousetraps.”
“Yes, I was down there.”
“You didn’t mention mousetraps.”
“I said rats and spiders.”
“I thought you were trying to scare me.”
“I was.”
“I mean I thought you were making it up.”
“You
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