Read Online Murder at the Book Fair by Steve Demaree - Free Book Online
Authors: Steve Demaree
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still a little too
early to eat, so I think this would be a good time to tackle the brother and
sister. So far everyone we've talked to appeared to have liked Portwood. We
know that isn't true of his brother and sister. I want to see what they say.
Then, maybe tomorrow we'll head over to Anderson County and then on up to where Portwood
lived. Maybe we can eat lunch with Herb Wainscott and then go pay a visit to
Portwood's two neighbors. Maybe Portwood and the girlfriend had a falling out.
And it could be that all the time we're spending on this book fair stuff will
be wasted. So, let's go visit the brother and sister. They live together. Let's
see what they have to say and then come back downtown for dinner. I hear that
Serafini's is as good of a place to eat as there is around here. That's where
Portwood was supposed to have gone on Wednesday night."
14
It didn't take me long to find out
that we didn't have to travel far to talk to Archie and Hazel Portwood. In a
matter of a few minutes we pulled up in front of a small, older home on a hill
near downtown. We didn't call ahead. We didn't want to give them time to put a
story together. I walked up the steps and knocked on a wooden screen door that
looked like its best years were behind it. A few seconds later a woman
somewhere near my age opened the door.
"Yes?"
"Are you Hazel
Portwood?"
"Who might you be?"
I decided to use my official name,
since we were given this gig by a cop.
"I'm Lt. Dekker. This is Sgt.
Murdock. We're here on a police matter. Is your brother at home?"
Instead of answering me, she turned
and hollered.
"Archie. It's for you."
"Actually, we're here to talk
to both of you. May we come in?"
"Oh, I guess so. I don't know
why you want to talk to us. We've never caused no problems for nobody."
She turned and shuffled back to
the chair I assumed she occupied before I knocked. We walked in and were
offered seats on the couch. I touched down just short of hitting the wooden
floor. I assumed at one time there was more support in the cushion. Lou saw my
dilemma and walked over and sat on a scarred wooden rocker instead. It didn't
fall apart when he sat down.
I was still trying to get as
comfortable as possible, when Mr. Manners walked in.
"What do you want?"
"To talk to you and your
sister. Please have a seat."
I thought about directing him to
the other end of the couch, so that if he turned out to be the guilty party Lou
would be able to rise up off his rocker and slap the cuffs on the guilty party
before he could rise up out of the nether regions of the couch, but I decided
to let him sit wherever he wanted. He opted for another wooden chair, situated
where he could make eye contact with his sister if necessary. I hated to be
seated lower than everyone else, but looked at Archie Portwood when he
continued his pleasant greeting.
"Neither of us has done
nothing wrong."
"Then all we'll do is talk
and then leave. Can you tell me where the two of you were last Saturday?"
"Last Saturday?"
"Yeah the one three days
ago."
"Where was we Hazel?"
"Let's see."
"If it helps, I can tell you
it was the day of the Kentucky Book Fair."
"Oh, yeah! That's where we
was. We always go to it. Buy a few books."
"Buy any from Cyril?"
"Is that what this is about?
He saying we stole some of his books. If he had gave us some of Mom's money
Hazel wouldn't have to be a maid and I wouldn't have to be a night
watchman."
"I thought your mother left
you some money."
"Oh, she did, but not as much
as she did Cyril. Ours didn't last as long. He still has plenty of it, and he
didn't work a lick to earn a penny of it."
"And when you went to see him
after you ran through what your mother gave you he didn't give you any
more?"
"That's right. He tell you
that? Was he smiling when he told you?"
"Actually your name didn't
come up when we talked."
"That don't surprise me. He
acts like we don't exist."
"So, I take it that you and
your brother aren't close."
I
early to eat, so I think this would be a good time to tackle the brother and
sister. So far everyone we've talked to appeared to have liked Portwood. We
know that isn't true of his brother and sister. I want to see what they say.
Then, maybe tomorrow we'll head over to Anderson County and then on up to where Portwood
lived. Maybe we can eat lunch with Herb Wainscott and then go pay a visit to
Portwood's two neighbors. Maybe Portwood and the girlfriend had a falling out.
And it could be that all the time we're spending on this book fair stuff will
be wasted. So, let's go visit the brother and sister. They live together. Let's
see what they have to say and then come back downtown for dinner. I hear that
Serafini's is as good of a place to eat as there is around here. That's where
Portwood was supposed to have gone on Wednesday night."
14
It didn't take me long to find out
that we didn't have to travel far to talk to Archie and Hazel Portwood. In a
matter of a few minutes we pulled up in front of a small, older home on a hill
near downtown. We didn't call ahead. We didn't want to give them time to put a
story together. I walked up the steps and knocked on a wooden screen door that
looked like its best years were behind it. A few seconds later a woman
somewhere near my age opened the door.
"Yes?"
"Are you Hazel
Portwood?"
"Who might you be?"
I decided to use my official name,
since we were given this gig by a cop.
"I'm Lt. Dekker. This is Sgt.
Murdock. We're here on a police matter. Is your brother at home?"
Instead of answering me, she turned
and hollered.
"Archie. It's for you."
"Actually, we're here to talk
to both of you. May we come in?"
"Oh, I guess so. I don't know
why you want to talk to us. We've never caused no problems for nobody."
She turned and shuffled back to
the chair I assumed she occupied before I knocked. We walked in and were
offered seats on the couch. I touched down just short of hitting the wooden
floor. I assumed at one time there was more support in the cushion. Lou saw my
dilemma and walked over and sat on a scarred wooden rocker instead. It didn't
fall apart when he sat down.
I was still trying to get as
comfortable as possible, when Mr. Manners walked in.
"What do you want?"
"To talk to you and your
sister. Please have a seat."
I thought about directing him to
the other end of the couch, so that if he turned out to be the guilty party Lou
would be able to rise up off his rocker and slap the cuffs on the guilty party
before he could rise up out of the nether regions of the couch, but I decided
to let him sit wherever he wanted. He opted for another wooden chair, situated
where he could make eye contact with his sister if necessary. I hated to be
seated lower than everyone else, but looked at Archie Portwood when he
continued his pleasant greeting.
"Neither of us has done
nothing wrong."
"Then all we'll do is talk
and then leave. Can you tell me where the two of you were last Saturday?"
"Last Saturday?"
"Yeah the one three days
ago."
"Where was we Hazel?"
"Let's see."
"If it helps, I can tell you
it was the day of the Kentucky Book Fair."
"Oh, yeah! That's where we
was. We always go to it. Buy a few books."
"Buy any from Cyril?"
"Is that what this is about?
He saying we stole some of his books. If he had gave us some of Mom's money
Hazel wouldn't have to be a maid and I wouldn't have to be a night
watchman."
"I thought your mother left
you some money."
"Oh, she did, but not as much
as she did Cyril. Ours didn't last as long. He still has plenty of it, and he
didn't work a lick to earn a penny of it."
"And when you went to see him
after you ran through what your mother gave you he didn't give you any
more?"
"That's right. He tell you
that? Was he smiling when he told you?"
"Actually your name didn't
come up when we talked."
"That don't surprise me. He
acts like we don't exist."
"So, I take it that you and
your brother aren't close."
I
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