Read Online Tumbleweed by Janwillem van de Wetering - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Janwillem van de Wetering
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wanted to tell you."
De Gier took another deep breath. He had been training himself in mental discipline lately and had set himself several goals, such as not to smoke before breakfast, not to swear, to stop at orange traffic lights, to be modest. But the exercises were difficult and he didn't win much. He lost now.
"I know," he said.
"What do you mean you know?" Grijpstra asked gruffly.
"The man drove a red Rover."
"So why didn't you tell me?" Grijpstra asked. "I was running around knocking on doors and seeing a lot of old women with curlers in their hair and you knew all the time. What kept you?"
"Nothing kept me," de Gier said. "I was working and I know more than your red Rover. Two girls live in a houseboat right at the end, students. One girl studies English and the other medicine."
"Yes. And they were under the shower and you had to dry their backs and then they made you some coffee and it was rude to refuse. I know."
"You know nothing," de Gier shouted. "They knew something. They had seen the car and they remembered the letters on the license plate."
"So?"
"V.D.," de Gier said.
Grijpstra got out of the car and slapped de Gier on the shouder. "Splendid. Good work. Excellent. That's enough for the clerks at Headquarters. You found our man."
De Gier had his first kind thoughts of the day and thanked his fate. He knew other adjutants. He also thanked the commissaris. The commissaris had made him Grijpstra's assistant.
"I am soaked," Grijpstra said, "and so are you. Let's get back but let's go to your flat first and I'll have coffee while you change your clothes and then we can go to my house a minute so that I can change as well, and we'll phone the commissaris from there."
"Right," de Gier said.
"Yes," the commissaris said through Grijpstra's phone. "IJsbrand Drachtsma is coming at two o'clock, but I would like you to come to my office at one. The detectives have finished their search in Mrs. van Buren's houseboat and I would like to discuss their report with you."
The detectives had lunch in a cheap little restaurant close to Headquarters. They ate quickly and rushed, still chewing their last roll, to a room on the top floor of the police building where two men in shirt sleeves were playing cards.
"Would you like to do a little work?" de Gier asked politely.
"No," the men said.
"Good. A red Rover, new model. The license plate starts with the letters VD, we don't know the number. Who owns it?'
"An interesting question," one of the men said.
"How long will it take you?"
"A couple of minutes or a couple of hours, depends how lucky we are. It isn't urgent, is it?"
"It isn't urgent at all," de Gier said, "but I would like to have the man's name and address within ten minutes and while you are about it you might check if he has a record."
The men stopped playing cards.
"Ha," the commissaris said, "there you are. Did you find the man in the red waistcoat?"
"We know who he is, sir," Grijpstra said. "His name is Holman and he lives in town. He is the owner of a small firm specializing in the nut trade."
"Nuts?"
"Cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts, any type of nuts. He imports them and resells them to the wholesalers and supermarkets and so on. We telephoned his office and made an appointment for five o'clock this afternoon; he is coming here, to our office. He sounded very upset."
"Did you tell him why you wanted to see him?"
"No, sir."
"Good," the commissaris said, and rummaged through the papers on his desk. "I have the report here on the search of the houseboat. The detectives told me all about it this morning but it is nice to have some facts on paper. Sit down and I'll tell you what we found out."
The detectives sat down and relaxed. De Gier was rubbing his hands. The case was going well, he thought. The suspects were coming in, one by one. They were getting somewhere, but in the back of his mind a little thought was bothering him. He found the little thought and identified it. What if the killer
De Gier took another deep breath. He had been training himself in mental discipline lately and had set himself several goals, such as not to smoke before breakfast, not to swear, to stop at orange traffic lights, to be modest. But the exercises were difficult and he didn't win much. He lost now.
"I know," he said.
"What do you mean you know?" Grijpstra asked gruffly.
"The man drove a red Rover."
"So why didn't you tell me?" Grijpstra asked. "I was running around knocking on doors and seeing a lot of old women with curlers in their hair and you knew all the time. What kept you?"
"Nothing kept me," de Gier said. "I was working and I know more than your red Rover. Two girls live in a houseboat right at the end, students. One girl studies English and the other medicine."
"Yes. And they were under the shower and you had to dry their backs and then they made you some coffee and it was rude to refuse. I know."
"You know nothing," de Gier shouted. "They knew something. They had seen the car and they remembered the letters on the license plate."
"So?"
"V.D.," de Gier said.
Grijpstra got out of the car and slapped de Gier on the shouder. "Splendid. Good work. Excellent. That's enough for the clerks at Headquarters. You found our man."
De Gier had his first kind thoughts of the day and thanked his fate. He knew other adjutants. He also thanked the commissaris. The commissaris had made him Grijpstra's assistant.
"I am soaked," Grijpstra said, "and so are you. Let's get back but let's go to your flat first and I'll have coffee while you change your clothes and then we can go to my house a minute so that I can change as well, and we'll phone the commissaris from there."
"Right," de Gier said.
"Yes," the commissaris said through Grijpstra's phone. "IJsbrand Drachtsma is coming at two o'clock, but I would like you to come to my office at one. The detectives have finished their search in Mrs. van Buren's houseboat and I would like to discuss their report with you."
The detectives had lunch in a cheap little restaurant close to Headquarters. They ate quickly and rushed, still chewing their last roll, to a room on the top floor of the police building where two men in shirt sleeves were playing cards.
"Would you like to do a little work?" de Gier asked politely.
"No," the men said.
"Good. A red Rover, new model. The license plate starts with the letters VD, we don't know the number. Who owns it?'
"An interesting question," one of the men said.
"How long will it take you?"
"A couple of minutes or a couple of hours, depends how lucky we are. It isn't urgent, is it?"
"It isn't urgent at all," de Gier said, "but I would like to have the man's name and address within ten minutes and while you are about it you might check if he has a record."
The men stopped playing cards.
"Ha," the commissaris said, "there you are. Did you find the man in the red waistcoat?"
"We know who he is, sir," Grijpstra said. "His name is Holman and he lives in town. He is the owner of a small firm specializing in the nut trade."
"Nuts?"
"Cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts, any type of nuts. He imports them and resells them to the wholesalers and supermarkets and so on. We telephoned his office and made an appointment for five o'clock this afternoon; he is coming here, to our office. He sounded very upset."
"Did you tell him why you wanted to see him?"
"No, sir."
"Good," the commissaris said, and rummaged through the papers on his desk. "I have the report here on the search of the houseboat. The detectives told me all about it this morning but it is nice to have some facts on paper. Sit down and I'll tell you what we found out."
The detectives sat down and relaxed. De Gier was rubbing his hands. The case was going well, he thought. The suspects were coming in, one by one. They were getting somewhere, but in the back of his mind a little thought was bothering him. He found the little thought and identified it. What if the killer
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