Nobody's There by Joan Lowery Nixon Page A

return. Mitchell came up the steps to the porch, sadly shaking his head. “Sorry to tell you this,” he said, “but your roof needs major repair work.”
    Eddie held out some ragged, worn scraps of composition. “Take a look. Your roof is falling apart.”
    Mrs. Merkel reached out for the piece of composition, examined it, and dropped it into a pocket in her skirt. She sighed and said, “What’s it going to cost me?”
    Mitchell coolly named a figure. The number seemed so high that Abbie was astounded. Was that what it cost to fix a roof?
    â€œI don’t know what to do,” Mrs. Merkel said.“That seems like an awful lot of money. Maybe I better call around.”
    â€œTell you what,” Mitchell went on. “Today being Sunday, we’ve got time to take care of most of the problems right now. If you agree to let us get going with the job today and pay in advance—we take checks—I’ll take ten percent off the total price and you’ll get our standard contract. It also includes a lifetime warranty.” He held out the clipboard. “You can sign right here.”
    â€œFill it out first,” Mrs. Merkel said. “I want to see everything in writing before I sign it or write a check.”
    She waited until he handed her the contract, then smiled again. “I’ll just close the door while I get my checkbook,” she said. “Don’t start fixing anything until I come back.”
    â€œThey broke your roof,” Abbie whispered as Mrs. Merkel strode past her to a little desk.
    â€œNo, they didn’t,” Mrs. Merkel said quietly. “That isn’t part of my roof. Didn’t you see Eddie slip something into his pocket when he went to the truck?”
    â€œOh,” Abbie said. “Yes, I did, but I didn’t think—”
    â€œThat’s the trouble with you. You didn’t think. Well, I did, and this piece I’ve got is evidence. Now you know why I’m a private eye and you’re not.” She picked up one of the cards Officer Martin had handed out and dialed the phone. She identified herself and said, “Officer Martin, I need the police. There are two crooks on my front porch who tried to pull a scam on me.”
    There was a pause while Mrs. Merkel listened to what Officer Martin had to say. Then Mrs. Merkel vigorously shook her head. “If you won’t come, I’ll make a citizen’s arrest. I’ll—” She looked at Abbie. “No, I’m not alone. My driver is with me. You met her at the meeting. She’s a witness to everything those con men said and did.”
    She smiled into the phone. “I knew you’d see it my way. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
    As Mrs. Merkel hung up, Abbie asked, “Why don’t you just do what the Buckler’s Bloodhounds are supposed to do? Report in and let the police take over.”
    Mrs. Merkel shook her head. “By the time the police checked things out and found the papers on Effie’s complaint, those two buzzards would be long gone again. It’s better to do this my way.”
    She stuffed the roofer’s agreement and the scrap of roofing material in a desk drawer and went back to the door. “No check,” she said as she opened it. “I thought you two looked familiar when I saw your truck, so I called some friends of mine. You think you can pull a scam on me?”
    Mrs. Merkel stepped out on the porch. “You two scam artists claimed to fix Effie Glebe’s roof last year, and you wrecked it. She filed a complaint with the police, and they went looking for you. But you left Buckler so they couldn’t find you. Hit and run. That’s the way you operate.”
    Mitchell stood his ground. Abbie saw him look at Eddie. Eddie barely nodded, then beganto move behind Mrs. Merkel. He put out an arm, and the front door swung wide open.
    Abbie’s heart pounded so loudly she was