Read Online Murder Most Strange by Dell Shannon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dell Shannon
Ads: Link
scattered around, a bicycle.
The whole neighborhood was as silent as the tomb.
"Sunday," said Hackett. "People not home." They
went back down the drive. Waring had Mrs. Coffman ensconced in the
back of the squad. Hackett got in the front. At least he needn't be
tactful with this one. "Who was he?" he asked bluntly.
"His name's George Parmenter," she said
promptly. "He owns the Independent Pharmacy up on Alvarado. Ran
it for thirty years or more. His wife used to help him in the store,
but she died about three-four years ago. I just live over on Laveta,
go in the store all the time, and he knew I take on housework for
people sometimes. Just since she died, and he was here alone, he had
me come in to do the heavy work, every couple of months."
"Miser, was he?"
"Oh, my, say it twice, Sergeant."
“ Would you know if he had, well, any enemies?
People he'd cheated maybe, or—"
"Well, no, I wouldn't say that." She was
disappointed about it. "When I say miser I mean he just squeezed
every penny. I guess he was honest enough. I don't think he knew
anybody well enough to have any enemies, Sergeant. Not that I knew
him so good at that, but he never went anywhere but the store and
home, and all his spare time he worked in his vegetable garden."
"Well, thanks. We'll want you to come in and
make a statement. Tomorrow will do." She was reluctant to leave,
but finally got into the old Chevy parked ahead of the squad, and
drove off. Hackett put in a call for a lab truck and got out to join
Palliser in the street. "This is a funny little backwater, John.
Twelve houses. Hardly more than a couple of hundred feet long. And a
dead end. You'd think somebody along here would have seen or heard
something. Let's go ask while the lab takes pictures."
"It was probably this morning sometime.
Obviously nobody heard anything or we'd have been called before. But
for one thing," said Palliser, "I'd think the people along
here would notice a strange car, one that didn't belong here. No harm
in asking, anyway."
Hackett took the house to the right of Parmenter's,
the last house on the street this side. He had to push the doorbell
twice before the door opened. He produced the badge and explained
economically. She was a thirtyish, attractive woman, dark-haired,
casual in jeans and blouse. Her eyes widened on him, and she put a
hand to her mouth.
"For heaven's sake!" she exclaimed. "Mr.
Parmenter? Right next door— Oh, my goodness. That's awful."
"Have you been home all day? Do you live alone,
Mrs.—"
"Hilbrand. No, of course not, yes, I have, but I
haven't heard a thing. How awful. My husband took the children up to
the zoo in Griffith Park, but I had one of my sinus headaches and
didn't feel like going, I took a couple of codeine tablets— My
heavens. I can't get over it—right next door—"
"Did you know Mr. Parmenter well?"
"Oh, no. He wasn't very friendly with neighbors,
and besides he was away all day in his store, you know."
Frustrated, Hackett joined Palliser two doors down. A
couple of faces were peering out a front window there. Palliser said
briefly, "Middle-aged couple named Klaber. Didn't notice a
thing. She's been sewing all day in the den at the other side of the
house, and he's been watching TV."
Hackett massaged his jaw. "Damn it, you'd think,
on a street like this— It's so damned quiet."
"Isn't it?" said Palliser. "I think
the strange car's the best bet. It's not a transient neighborhood,
Art. The people along here would know each other's cars, casually
notice a strange one—no reason to turn in here unless you were
heading for one of these houses. There wouldn't be anything to worry
them, just a strange car stopping at old Parmenter's place—if
somebody was out working in the yard earlier today—-"
They had time to kill while the lab men were busy.
They split up again, across the street. On the narrow front porch of
another square crackerbox, Hackett waited, and a fussy voice inside
said, "I'm coming, I'm
The whole neighborhood was as silent as the tomb.
"Sunday," said Hackett. "People not home." They
went back down the drive. Waring had Mrs. Coffman ensconced in the
back of the squad. Hackett got in the front. At least he needn't be
tactful with this one. "Who was he?" he asked bluntly.
"His name's George Parmenter," she said
promptly. "He owns the Independent Pharmacy up on Alvarado. Ran
it for thirty years or more. His wife used to help him in the store,
but she died about three-four years ago. I just live over on Laveta,
go in the store all the time, and he knew I take on housework for
people sometimes. Just since she died, and he was here alone, he had
me come in to do the heavy work, every couple of months."
"Miser, was he?"
"Oh, my, say it twice, Sergeant."
“ Would you know if he had, well, any enemies?
People he'd cheated maybe, or—"
"Well, no, I wouldn't say that." She was
disappointed about it. "When I say miser I mean he just squeezed
every penny. I guess he was honest enough. I don't think he knew
anybody well enough to have any enemies, Sergeant. Not that I knew
him so good at that, but he never went anywhere but the store and
home, and all his spare time he worked in his vegetable garden."
"Well, thanks. We'll want you to come in and
make a statement. Tomorrow will do." She was reluctant to leave,
but finally got into the old Chevy parked ahead of the squad, and
drove off. Hackett put in a call for a lab truck and got out to join
Palliser in the street. "This is a funny little backwater, John.
Twelve houses. Hardly more than a couple of hundred feet long. And a
dead end. You'd think somebody along here would have seen or heard
something. Let's go ask while the lab takes pictures."
"It was probably this morning sometime.
Obviously nobody heard anything or we'd have been called before. But
for one thing," said Palliser, "I'd think the people along
here would notice a strange car, one that didn't belong here. No harm
in asking, anyway."
Hackett took the house to the right of Parmenter's,
the last house on the street this side. He had to push the doorbell
twice before the door opened. He produced the badge and explained
economically. She was a thirtyish, attractive woman, dark-haired,
casual in jeans and blouse. Her eyes widened on him, and she put a
hand to her mouth.
"For heaven's sake!" she exclaimed. "Mr.
Parmenter? Right next door— Oh, my goodness. That's awful."
"Have you been home all day? Do you live alone,
Mrs.—"
"Hilbrand. No, of course not, yes, I have, but I
haven't heard a thing. How awful. My husband took the children up to
the zoo in Griffith Park, but I had one of my sinus headaches and
didn't feel like going, I took a couple of codeine tablets— My
heavens. I can't get over it—right next door—"
"Did you know Mr. Parmenter well?"
"Oh, no. He wasn't very friendly with neighbors,
and besides he was away all day in his store, you know."
Frustrated, Hackett joined Palliser two doors down. A
couple of faces were peering out a front window there. Palliser said
briefly, "Middle-aged couple named Klaber. Didn't notice a
thing. She's been sewing all day in the den at the other side of the
house, and he's been watching TV."
Hackett massaged his jaw. "Damn it, you'd think,
on a street like this— It's so damned quiet."
"Isn't it?" said Palliser. "I think
the strange car's the best bet. It's not a transient neighborhood,
Art. The people along here would know each other's cars, casually
notice a strange one—no reason to turn in here unless you were
heading for one of these houses. There wouldn't be anything to worry
them, just a strange car stopping at old Parmenter's place—if
somebody was out working in the yard earlier today—-"
They had time to kill while the lab men were busy.
They split up again, across the street. On the narrow front porch of
another square crackerbox, Hackett waited, and a fussy voice inside
said, "I'm coming, I'm
Similar Books
