runs the plate number, and he’ll have to take it from there. In all the other cases I’ve looked into, I wasn’t working parallel with the police. Sooner or later I’ll get underfoot and there’ll be a lot of resentment.”
“They’ll miss you when you’re gone, honey.”
I smiled. “You bet they will. I’m just going to sit back and wait for them to come begging.” I told him Joe promised me a gold shield.
That brought a laugh. “I worked my butt off for my gold shield. Joe must be turning to mush.”
Mush or not, I decided not to go to the place where the Proctor mailbox was. Instead, I wrote down the names I had for the husband and those for the wife and indicated under each one where it was used.
Mitchell was the at-home name for both of them and so far used nowhere else, unless the M Gladys had spotted on the briefcase meant that Mrs. Mitchell used that name at work. Rosette Parker was the name she used away from home—with the manicurist and Gladys French. I had no Parker name for the husband. But he used Charles Proctor for his license and registration. Was it possible the wife used Proctor for her license, too?
If there was a pattern, it needed to be filled in. I wondered whether the wife had her own mailbox, perhaps somewhere other than where her husband’s was.
What were
these people hiding from?
Eddie came home and we had lunch together. He asked to visit a friend who had a backyard swimming pool. I am very nervous about children and backyard pools, but I knew the mother and trusted her. The pool was enclosed by a high metal fence that was gated and locked. I made the phone call and agreed to drive Eddie over at two. We went upstairs and found the one pair of bathing trunks that still fit.
“We’ll have to buy you some more if you’re going to swim a lot this summer.”
“I want to swim. We can go to the Oakwood pool, can’t we?”
“Sure. I joined last week.”
“That’s a much bigger pool than Terry’s.”
“It’s for a lot of people. The whole town swims there.”
“Then why does Terry have his own pool?”
“I guess his parents like having it.”
“Can we get a pool in our backyard? We have a big backyard.”
“No, Eddie, we can’t. I enjoy swimming in a big pool so I can take lots of strokes before I have to turn around.”
That gave him something to think about. I drove him over to Terry’s, talked to Terry’s mother for a while, then returned home. I was seriously thinking of putting on my own bathing suit and taking a quick swim in the town pool when the phone rang.
“Mrs. Brooks, it’s Detective Palermo.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I just gave Detective Fox a call and thought I’d update you, too. There’s been a development.”
“In the Mitchell murder?”
He laughed. “You’ve asked me a question I can’t answer. I don’t know if it’s related to the Mitchell murder. It’s just a development till we get some more information. Another body has turned up.”
“Really!”
“This time it’s a man. Probably died around the time the woman did. There’s a lot of decomposition, as you’d expect, but there’s evidence of a gunshot wound.”
“A gunshot wound.” I was astounded. “Where was the body found?”
“Not in Oakwood, so it’s not in our jurisdiction. It was also along the creek, but farther west, in the next town. They called me because they knew we’d found the woman’s body and thought there might be a connection.”
As did I. “How soon will you have a sketch?”
“Not today. That’s for sure. I think Detective Fox will have to take care of that. I take it you’d like to see it?”
“I’d like to show it to someone.”
“I’ll ask Detective Fox to see to it that you get a copy.”
“Thank you very much. And Detective Palermo? I really appreciate your calling to tell me.”
“Well, you started things off. Have a nice day.”
As incongruous as his sign-off was, I took it in the spirit in which I was sure it
“They’ll miss you when you’re gone, honey.”
I smiled. “You bet they will. I’m just going to sit back and wait for them to come begging.” I told him Joe promised me a gold shield.
That brought a laugh. “I worked my butt off for my gold shield. Joe must be turning to mush.”
Mush or not, I decided not to go to the place where the Proctor mailbox was. Instead, I wrote down the names I had for the husband and those for the wife and indicated under each one where it was used.
Mitchell was the at-home name for both of them and so far used nowhere else, unless the M Gladys had spotted on the briefcase meant that Mrs. Mitchell used that name at work. Rosette Parker was the name she used away from home—with the manicurist and Gladys French. I had no Parker name for the husband. But he used Charles Proctor for his license and registration. Was it possible the wife used Proctor for her license, too?
If there was a pattern, it needed to be filled in. I wondered whether the wife had her own mailbox, perhaps somewhere other than where her husband’s was.
What were
these people hiding from?
Eddie came home and we had lunch together. He asked to visit a friend who had a backyard swimming pool. I am very nervous about children and backyard pools, but I knew the mother and trusted her. The pool was enclosed by a high metal fence that was gated and locked. I made the phone call and agreed to drive Eddie over at two. We went upstairs and found the one pair of bathing trunks that still fit.
“We’ll have to buy you some more if you’re going to swim a lot this summer.”
“I want to swim. We can go to the Oakwood pool, can’t we?”
“Sure. I joined last week.”
“That’s a much bigger pool than Terry’s.”
“It’s for a lot of people. The whole town swims there.”
“Then why does Terry have his own pool?”
“I guess his parents like having it.”
“Can we get a pool in our backyard? We have a big backyard.”
“No, Eddie, we can’t. I enjoy swimming in a big pool so I can take lots of strokes before I have to turn around.”
That gave him something to think about. I drove him over to Terry’s, talked to Terry’s mother for a while, then returned home. I was seriously thinking of putting on my own bathing suit and taking a quick swim in the town pool when the phone rang.
“Mrs. Brooks, it’s Detective Palermo.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I just gave Detective Fox a call and thought I’d update you, too. There’s been a development.”
“In the Mitchell murder?”
He laughed. “You’ve asked me a question I can’t answer. I don’t know if it’s related to the Mitchell murder. It’s just a development till we get some more information. Another body has turned up.”
“Really!”
“This time it’s a man. Probably died around the time the woman did. There’s a lot of decomposition, as you’d expect, but there’s evidence of a gunshot wound.”
“A gunshot wound.” I was astounded. “Where was the body found?”
“Not in Oakwood, so it’s not in our jurisdiction. It was also along the creek, but farther west, in the next town. They called me because they knew we’d found the woman’s body and thought there might be a connection.”
As did I. “How soon will you have a sketch?”
“Not today. That’s for sure. I think Detective Fox will have to take care of that. I take it you’d like to see it?”
“I’d like to show it to someone.”
“I’ll ask Detective Fox to see to it that you get a copy.”
“Thank you very much. And Detective Palermo? I really appreciate your calling to tell me.”
“Well, you started things off. Have a nice day.”
As incongruous as his sign-off was, I took it in the spirit in which I was sure it
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