thought she'd
fainted, and then I saw the blood—and I just rushed to the door
after that woman— but just as I got it open I saw a car pull out
from the curb in front. It must have been her—just time for her to
get to it. And I can't even tell you what make it was! The rain, and
she pulled out fast. It was a white car, medium size."
" That," said Mendoza, "is a very funny
little story. Did you discover your sister was dead then?"
" Well, I went right back to her, and I've had
some first aid, but I couldn't feel a pulse at all, and I was
terrified—I thought she'd been stabbed—I never thought
about those pops. But I saw she was— So I called the police. It was
the first officer said she'd been shot." She shook her head. "I
didn't believe it."
" So we come to some basic questions," said
Galeano. "Did she have—"
" Any enemies?" she took him up. "That's
crazy too. Of course not. We hardly ever went out except to see
Mother and Dad. We were both busy. She wasn't dating anybody—she'd
sort of got her fill of men with Len, she wasn't interested."
" What about Reynolds? Was he bitter about the
divorce?"
She shook her head. "It was five years ago. They
just drifted apart. They were pretty young when they got married, and
Leta was always one for improving herself and learning new things,
and he wasn't. He never finished high, couldn't get such good jobs,
and then he got to drinking. I don't think he cared when she divorced
him, and he never came around to see Lily. We don't even know where
he is."
And that was all.
Marx and Horder were busy in the living room. "She
wasn't here long," said Galeano, "by that story. But she
could have touched the coffee table—the girl says she was near the
couch."
" But apparently not sitting down," said
Mendoza.
" The Avon lady. A gun instead of samples. Extraño ."
" And I'll add one thing you already know,"
said Galeano. "This is a working-class neighborhood, there
probably aren't many people at home at this time of day. And nobody
who is home, a dreary rainy day, is gawking out the front windows.
Nobody else heard the shots, with all the doors and windows shut.
Nobody but Melinda saw the woman or the white car."
" She seems like a nice girl," said Mendoza,
rocking heel to toe meditatively.
" Doesn't she?"
The morgue wagon was just pulling up in front.
They went back down the hall. Melinda had made
herself a cup of coffee, and the little girl was sitting opposite her
with a cookie. She eyed the strange white men solemnly.
" Miss Corey—"
She looked up wearily. "I haven't got up the
courage to call Mother yet. Now what?"
Lily asked suddenly, "Are you gonna make Mommy
feel better?"
At a loss, Mendoza was silent. It was the bachelor
Galeano who gave her a friendly smile and said, "We'll try,
honey."
" She fell down. That lady pushed her and she
fell down."
Galeano squatted beside her chair. "Did you see
it happen?"
She nodded. "I wanted to see who came in. But
she went right out after she pushed Mommy."
" Did she push her with anything? Like a stick?"
" Please—" said Melinda. "She's only
six."
Lily thought. "Just kind of—with her hand."
She held out one hand, forefinger pointed.
Galeano stood up and looked at Mendoza. Both of them
were thinking, plenty of little guns around, muzzle only a couple of
inches long, the whole hardly bigger than a palm. And at that range
she could hardly have missed.
But where was a handle to this random, reasonless
thing?
They went out to the Ferrari, leaving the lab men
still at work, and Galeano said with a sigh, "All we needed.
Unless it's a homicidal maniac picking victims at random, and there
aren't many of those around, somebody had some kind of reason to walk
in and shoot her. We'll have to talk to everybody she knew—the
employer—find the husband. Neighbors. The parents. Some kind of
lead ought to turn up. And I'm starving. Let's go have lunch."
" Ought to doesn't say
it will, Nick. This is the queerest one we've had
fainted, and then I saw the blood—and I just rushed to the door
after that woman— but just as I got it open I saw a car pull out
from the curb in front. It must have been her—just time for her to
get to it. And I can't even tell you what make it was! The rain, and
she pulled out fast. It was a white car, medium size."
" That," said Mendoza, "is a very funny
little story. Did you discover your sister was dead then?"
" Well, I went right back to her, and I've had
some first aid, but I couldn't feel a pulse at all, and I was
terrified—I thought she'd been stabbed—I never thought
about those pops. But I saw she was— So I called the police. It was
the first officer said she'd been shot." She shook her head. "I
didn't believe it."
" So we come to some basic questions," said
Galeano. "Did she have—"
" Any enemies?" she took him up. "That's
crazy too. Of course not. We hardly ever went out except to see
Mother and Dad. We were both busy. She wasn't dating anybody—she'd
sort of got her fill of men with Len, she wasn't interested."
" What about Reynolds? Was he bitter about the
divorce?"
She shook her head. "It was five years ago. They
just drifted apart. They were pretty young when they got married, and
Leta was always one for improving herself and learning new things,
and he wasn't. He never finished high, couldn't get such good jobs,
and then he got to drinking. I don't think he cared when she divorced
him, and he never came around to see Lily. We don't even know where
he is."
And that was all.
Marx and Horder were busy in the living room. "She
wasn't here long," said Galeano, "by that story. But she
could have touched the coffee table—the girl says she was near the
couch."
" But apparently not sitting down," said
Mendoza.
" The Avon lady. A gun instead of samples. Extraño ."
" And I'll add one thing you already know,"
said Galeano. "This is a working-class neighborhood, there
probably aren't many people at home at this time of day. And nobody
who is home, a dreary rainy day, is gawking out the front windows.
Nobody else heard the shots, with all the doors and windows shut.
Nobody but Melinda saw the woman or the white car."
" She seems like a nice girl," said Mendoza,
rocking heel to toe meditatively.
" Doesn't she?"
The morgue wagon was just pulling up in front.
They went back down the hall. Melinda had made
herself a cup of coffee, and the little girl was sitting opposite her
with a cookie. She eyed the strange white men solemnly.
" Miss Corey—"
She looked up wearily. "I haven't got up the
courage to call Mother yet. Now what?"
Lily asked suddenly, "Are you gonna make Mommy
feel better?"
At a loss, Mendoza was silent. It was the bachelor
Galeano who gave her a friendly smile and said, "We'll try,
honey."
" She fell down. That lady pushed her and she
fell down."
Galeano squatted beside her chair. "Did you see
it happen?"
She nodded. "I wanted to see who came in. But
she went right out after she pushed Mommy."
" Did she push her with anything? Like a stick?"
" Please—" said Melinda. "She's only
six."
Lily thought. "Just kind of—with her hand."
She held out one hand, forefinger pointed.
Galeano stood up and looked at Mendoza. Both of them
were thinking, plenty of little guns around, muzzle only a couple of
inches long, the whole hardly bigger than a palm. And at that range
she could hardly have missed.
But where was a handle to this random, reasonless
thing?
They went out to the Ferrari, leaving the lab men
still at work, and Galeano said with a sigh, "All we needed.
Unless it's a homicidal maniac picking victims at random, and there
aren't many of those around, somebody had some kind of reason to walk
in and shoot her. We'll have to talk to everybody she knew—the
employer—find the husband. Neighbors. The parents. Some kind of
lead ought to turn up. And I'm starving. Let's go have lunch."
" Ought to doesn't say
it will, Nick. This is the queerest one we've had
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