Read Online Murder in the Library by Steve Demaree - Free Book Online
Authors: Steve Demaree
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course not.”
“Well, if you have time
when you leave here, you might check with him about that.”
As Lou scampered and I
waddled from the Blue Moon, I looked at my watch. It showed 3:03. The last time we ate lunch that late was when we were working on a murder case. Thoughts of
murder took me back to the Colonel.
We fell into the car,
strapped ourselves in, and loosened our seatbelts as much as possible.
“Say, Lou, I don’t think
you ever told me what today’s message was.”
“Didn’t I?”
“No, we started worrying
about the Colonel. So what is it?”
“ The Hunchback of
Notre Dame .”
I sat there for a few
seconds, looking at Lou. Then my brain engaged, the part that hadn’t been on
proper medication. I contoured my body to get it to look like The Hunchback I
had seen Charles Laughton play. “Water,” I uttered, in my best imitation of
Charles Laughton playing The Hunchback.
“Sanctuary,” Lou
replied, in his Hunchback voice.
I must have scared
Lou as I hit the gas and took off. I did, because he told me that I did.
“What’s the matter, Cy?”
“Don’t you get it?
Sanctuary. The Colonel has his sanctuary. I hope we’re not too late.”
A glum look appeared on
Lou’s face. This was one of those times I wished I drove a gas-guzzler. A few
seconds one way or the other might make all the difference in the world.
Chapter Nine
I pulled up in front of
the Colonel’s house. Lou and I jumped from Lightning almost before it stopped.
We rushed to the door and rapped as loudly as we could. In a few seconds, a man
we didn’t recognize answered the door.
“We’ve come to see the
Colonel.”
“You must be Cy and Lou.
I’m Buck’s friend Joe. Martha has just gone to call you. We’re worried. Buck
and I’ve a standing appointment for 3:00 each Monday afternoon. Neither of us
ever cancels without notifying the other. I got here right at 3:00, rang the bell. Buck didn’t answer, so I walked around back, thinking he might be in
the backyard or on the enclosed back porch. No Buck. So, I came back and rang
again, thinking he might be in the bathroom. Still no answer. Then, I called
him on the phone.”
As the man progressed
with his story, his face grew more downcast.
I heard a noise and
looked up. Martha came running up to us.
“Did Joe tell you? We
can’t find Buck. He doesn’t answer his office phone, his cell phone, or my
knock at the library door. We’re worried.”
“We’ll check it out. You
two wait here.”
“But it takes a key to
get into his office. Buck has the only keys.”
“He used to have the
only keys. He gave one to me last week when we were here. Now, wait here until
one of us comes back for you.”
Like well-trained dogs,
both of them stayed while Lou and I rushed to the library door to try the key.
I looked up at the camera that could tell me nothing. Well, as far as I knew it
couldn’t tell me anything. I slid the key into the lock and turned it.
The Colonel lay on the
floor in front of his desk, facing toward us, but with his head bent toward the
desk. We rushed over to him and felt his pulse. For the first time since my
wife died, I cried. Lou and I embraced, then wiped away our tears. As we
entered the front hall, the looks on our faces told everything.
Martha came running to
us, yelling, “No. No. It can’t be.”
I grabbed her by her
arms, keeping her from entering the library.
“He’s gone, but we don’t
know what caused it. I can’t let you go in yet. I’ve to call the medical
examiner and have him check the Colonel. Regardless, it’s best that you stay
out of the library.”
Once again, reluctantly,
the Colonel’s wife and his friend abided by our wishes. Martha pointed toward a
phone in the living room. I made a call I never expected to or wanted to make.
Assured that the
Colonel’s wife and friend would stay put, Lou and I reentered the library to
see what we could see. We were too upset the first time to notice that
“Well, if you have time
when you leave here, you might check with him about that.”
As Lou scampered and I
waddled from the Blue Moon, I looked at my watch. It showed 3:03. The last time we ate lunch that late was when we were working on a murder case. Thoughts of
murder took me back to the Colonel.
We fell into the car,
strapped ourselves in, and loosened our seatbelts as much as possible.
“Say, Lou, I don’t think
you ever told me what today’s message was.”
“Didn’t I?”
“No, we started worrying
about the Colonel. So what is it?”
“ The Hunchback of
Notre Dame .”
I sat there for a few
seconds, looking at Lou. Then my brain engaged, the part that hadn’t been on
proper medication. I contoured my body to get it to look like The Hunchback I
had seen Charles Laughton play. “Water,” I uttered, in my best imitation of
Charles Laughton playing The Hunchback.
“Sanctuary,” Lou
replied, in his Hunchback voice.
I must have scared
Lou as I hit the gas and took off. I did, because he told me that I did.
“What’s the matter, Cy?”
“Don’t you get it?
Sanctuary. The Colonel has his sanctuary. I hope we’re not too late.”
A glum look appeared on
Lou’s face. This was one of those times I wished I drove a gas-guzzler. A few
seconds one way or the other might make all the difference in the world.
Chapter Nine
I pulled up in front of
the Colonel’s house. Lou and I jumped from Lightning almost before it stopped.
We rushed to the door and rapped as loudly as we could. In a few seconds, a man
we didn’t recognize answered the door.
“We’ve come to see the
Colonel.”
“You must be Cy and Lou.
I’m Buck’s friend Joe. Martha has just gone to call you. We’re worried. Buck
and I’ve a standing appointment for 3:00 each Monday afternoon. Neither of us
ever cancels without notifying the other. I got here right at 3:00, rang the bell. Buck didn’t answer, so I walked around back, thinking he might be in
the backyard or on the enclosed back porch. No Buck. So, I came back and rang
again, thinking he might be in the bathroom. Still no answer. Then, I called
him on the phone.”
As the man progressed
with his story, his face grew more downcast.
I heard a noise and
looked up. Martha came running up to us.
“Did Joe tell you? We
can’t find Buck. He doesn’t answer his office phone, his cell phone, or my
knock at the library door. We’re worried.”
“We’ll check it out. You
two wait here.”
“But it takes a key to
get into his office. Buck has the only keys.”
“He used to have the
only keys. He gave one to me last week when we were here. Now, wait here until
one of us comes back for you.”
Like well-trained dogs,
both of them stayed while Lou and I rushed to the library door to try the key.
I looked up at the camera that could tell me nothing. Well, as far as I knew it
couldn’t tell me anything. I slid the key into the lock and turned it.
The Colonel lay on the
floor in front of his desk, facing toward us, but with his head bent toward the
desk. We rushed over to him and felt his pulse. For the first time since my
wife died, I cried. Lou and I embraced, then wiped away our tears. As we
entered the front hall, the looks on our faces told everything.
Martha came running to
us, yelling, “No. No. It can’t be.”
I grabbed her by her
arms, keeping her from entering the library.
“He’s gone, but we don’t
know what caused it. I can’t let you go in yet. I’ve to call the medical
examiner and have him check the Colonel. Regardless, it’s best that you stay
out of the library.”
Once again, reluctantly,
the Colonel’s wife and his friend abided by our wishes. Martha pointed toward a
phone in the living room. I made a call I never expected to or wanted to make.
Assured that the
Colonel’s wife and friend would stay put, Lou and I reentered the library to
see what we could see. We were too upset the first time to notice that
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