moment I straightened up, hung up the car keys, and sat on the stool behind the counter. "This is a lot more complicated than it looks," I said. "This Pardoe has something big to discuss with somebody here. He brings up a bodyguard and the bodyguard gets himself killed. Pardoe goes missing, so does Ross Winslow, and so does the police boat. And we still don't know who Pardoe was trying to see or what he was here see him about anyway."
Murphy shrugged. "Must be somebody who's up here on vacation; that's all I can think."
"Yeah, me too. So what we have to do is ring everyone at any of the lodges and see if they have any Americans staying with them, people from New York for openers."
"What if the guy's got a place of his own here?"
"You'd already know who he was," I said simply.
His grin dug quick trenches in his craggy old face. "You got a lot of faith in my memory. There must be fifty Americans got places here."
"Try 'em all," I said. "Anything else happen while I was out losing the boat?"
He thought a moment. "Oh yeah, that girl was in, the one from the funeral parlor."
I wondered why he hadn't told me first. "When?" was all I asked.
"Just after you phoned. Said you had some property of hers. I told her you hadn't left it here. She said she'd come back."
"Great," I said irritably. "Why didn't you ask her to hang on for me?"
Murphy looked wary. I don't often bite his head off, anybody's head for that matter. "I suggested that. She said she couldn't."
"Did she say anything else?"
He looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "Nothing else. But it was funny, ya know. She looked as if she'd been hit in the face."
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4
I shouted. "Hit in the face? Why in hell didn't you tell me right away?"
"I just told you." He was shouting himself now. "You're posed to be the policeman. I'm just the goddamn mister, member?"
I came down. His contempt at his own lack of rank was embarrassing. "Okay. I'm sorry I flipped. But it's important. It sounds like her boyfriend came back and slapped her around for giving me the envelope." I was pacing up and down in frustration. Sam watched me, chin on the floor, eyes following my spitshined boots.
Murphy was calm again. This was the first time I'd ever seen him angry. "What envelope?"
I patted my chest. "The one she gave me to keep for her." He started to speak but I cut him off with a thought of my own. "Was there anyone with her?"
He shook his head. "No. I checked. She came in that Volvo hers and she left on her own, drove back out of town to the highway."
"Back to her motel. Get the car keys, I'll go up there and talk to her."
He reached behind him and took the keys of the cruiser off the hook on the wall. He held them out, then held on to them as I reached. "Maybe you should put that envelope in the safe it's that important."
"I'd feel safer hanging on to it," I said, taking the keys. "Whatever's inside has cost one guy his life and her a punch in the mouth. I'd like to keep it with me."
"You're the chief," he said reluctantly.
"Yeah. And I'm about to act like one." I took out the envelope and tore it open.
Inside there was a thin folder and inside that a flat black disk of plastic.
"What in hell is that?" Murphy wondered.
"Looks like a computer diskette," I told him. "It's got some computer data on it, I guess." I looked at its smooth blankness. "It's important enough to bring from New York under guard. And it doesn't mean a damn thing to anyone who hasn't got the right computer program to play it back."
Murphy said, "I figure it belongs in the safe, Reid."
"Later," I told him and whistled Sam. "I'm going up to the motel. If she comes back, ask her to wait."
I guessed she had checked out as soon as I pulled in and saw that her Volvo was gone. Oh sure, she might have been out somewhere, but the way things were moving she was covering her back and she'd be gone from here.
I opened the door and sent Sam in ahead of me to search. There
Murphy shrugged. "Must be somebody who's up here on vacation; that's all I can think."
"Yeah, me too. So what we have to do is ring everyone at any of the lodges and see if they have any Americans staying with them, people from New York for openers."
"What if the guy's got a place of his own here?"
"You'd already know who he was," I said simply.
His grin dug quick trenches in his craggy old face. "You got a lot of faith in my memory. There must be fifty Americans got places here."
"Try 'em all," I said. "Anything else happen while I was out losing the boat?"
He thought a moment. "Oh yeah, that girl was in, the one from the funeral parlor."
I wondered why he hadn't told me first. "When?" was all I asked.
"Just after you phoned. Said you had some property of hers. I told her you hadn't left it here. She said she'd come back."
"Great," I said irritably. "Why didn't you ask her to hang on for me?"
Murphy looked wary. I don't often bite his head off, anybody's head for that matter. "I suggested that. She said she couldn't."
"Did she say anything else?"
He looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "Nothing else. But it was funny, ya know. She looked as if she'd been hit in the face."
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4
I shouted. "Hit in the face? Why in hell didn't you tell me right away?"
"I just told you." He was shouting himself now. "You're posed to be the policeman. I'm just the goddamn mister, member?"
I came down. His contempt at his own lack of rank was embarrassing. "Okay. I'm sorry I flipped. But it's important. It sounds like her boyfriend came back and slapped her around for giving me the envelope." I was pacing up and down in frustration. Sam watched me, chin on the floor, eyes following my spitshined boots.
Murphy was calm again. This was the first time I'd ever seen him angry. "What envelope?"
I patted my chest. "The one she gave me to keep for her." He started to speak but I cut him off with a thought of my own. "Was there anyone with her?"
He shook his head. "No. I checked. She came in that Volvo hers and she left on her own, drove back out of town to the highway."
"Back to her motel. Get the car keys, I'll go up there and talk to her."
He reached behind him and took the keys of the cruiser off the hook on the wall. He held them out, then held on to them as I reached. "Maybe you should put that envelope in the safe it's that important."
"I'd feel safer hanging on to it," I said, taking the keys. "Whatever's inside has cost one guy his life and her a punch in the mouth. I'd like to keep it with me."
"You're the chief," he said reluctantly.
"Yeah. And I'm about to act like one." I took out the envelope and tore it open.
Inside there was a thin folder and inside that a flat black disk of plastic.
"What in hell is that?" Murphy wondered.
"Looks like a computer diskette," I told him. "It's got some computer data on it, I guess." I looked at its smooth blankness. "It's important enough to bring from New York under guard. And it doesn't mean a damn thing to anyone who hasn't got the right computer program to play it back."
Murphy said, "I figure it belongs in the safe, Reid."
"Later," I told him and whistled Sam. "I'm going up to the motel. If she comes back, ask her to wait."
I guessed she had checked out as soon as I pulled in and saw that her Volvo was gone. Oh sure, she might have been out somewhere, but the way things were moving she was covering her back and she'd be gone from here.
I opened the door and sent Sam in ahead of me to search. There
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