stopped at big steel double doors.
“It’s going to be very cold inside, Miss Turner.”
“That’s fine. I could use some cold air.”
Suddenly she was talking in a tiny voice, almost a whisper. I hated dames that did this. But both guys looked like what she said, and how she said it, was more important than Roosevelt’s infamy speech.
We went inside. The room had metal gurneys all lined up with sheets covering bodies. Good thing. I didn’t want Claire put off before we got to our John Doe.
Madison walked us down the right side of the room and stopped at a corpse with number 2831 on his toe tag.
“Are you ready, Miss Turner?”
He didn’t bother asking the old shoe. Me.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be ready for this.”
“You’ll be just fine, Miss Turner. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Oh, brother.
“Ya want I should hold yer hand, Miss Turner?” Powell asked.
“No, thank you,” she said.
This was getting revolting.
“Okay,” Glenn said. “Here we go. I’m going to pull this back enough for you to see his face. All right?”
Claire nodded.
He slowly peeled back the sheet and when the guy’s face was fully exposed Claire gave a gasp and started to crumble. Powell caught her.
SIX
G
lenn Madison had taken over and I watched while he carried Claire Turner out of the morgue room to his office, where he placed her in a chair and called for a gurney.
Powell picked up some papers from the desk and started fanning her with them.
“You think that’s necessary?”
“The little girl passed out,” Powell said.
“It could be her heart,” Glenn said.
Claire opened her eyes. “Charlie.”
“Would you like some water?” Glenn asked.
I always wondered what water was supposed to do in cases like this.
“No, thank you.” She put her face in her hands and began to cry.
Helplessly, Powell looked at me. I shrugged.
“Glenn, ya better stop that gurney from comin down here.”
“What gurney?” Claire asked.
“I thought maybe you should be admitted,” he said.
“Admitted?” She eyed him like he was screwy. “I’m just so relieved. I expected it to be Charlie.”
“You mean it wasn’t?” I asked.
“I’d better cancel.” Glenn picked up the phone and turned his back to us.
“Miss Turner,” Powell said, “ya know who the stiff is?”
She looked shocked at his use of the word
sti f,
and he caught on real fast.
“I mean, the corpse, the body, the guy on the slab. Can ya ID him?”
“I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Powell and I looked at each other. We knew we were behind the eight ball again.
“I gotta get back to work,” Claire said. She stood up and turned to me. “You’ll keep looking for Charlie, won’t you?”
“The police are on this case, Miss Turner,” said Powell.
“Yeah, finally. Nobody paid any attention to me when I reported him missing.”
“You didn’t come to me. I’m on this case now.” Powell shot her what was supposed to be a smile, but looked more like he was in rigor.
“Wait a minute. What case is that?” Claire said.
“This case. Who the . . . the gentleman is.”
“I don’t give a damn who he is. I just wanna find Charlie.”
“Claire, if we can find out who this guy is, it might help us track down Charlie,” I said.
“Did it ever occur to ya, Quick, that Ladd mighta bumped off our John Doe?” Powell said.
“Hey. What’re you tryin to pull, you big lug?” Claire said. “Charlie wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Powell didn’t realize he’d put his hoof in his mouth because he came back with, “That’s what they all say.”
Course he was right but that wasn’t the point.
“Claire, I’ll stay on this thing as long as ya want.”
“Thanks, Faye.”
“Listen,” Powell said. “You better stay outta my way, Quick. I find ya interferin with
my
case, I’m gonna lock ya up.”
He marched out and didn’t look back.
“Is that true, Faye?”
“Nah. He’s just blowin
“It’s going to be very cold inside, Miss Turner.”
“That’s fine. I could use some cold air.”
Suddenly she was talking in a tiny voice, almost a whisper. I hated dames that did this. But both guys looked like what she said, and how she said it, was more important than Roosevelt’s infamy speech.
We went inside. The room had metal gurneys all lined up with sheets covering bodies. Good thing. I didn’t want Claire put off before we got to our John Doe.
Madison walked us down the right side of the room and stopped at a corpse with number 2831 on his toe tag.
“Are you ready, Miss Turner?”
He didn’t bother asking the old shoe. Me.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be ready for this.”
“You’ll be just fine, Miss Turner. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Oh, brother.
“Ya want I should hold yer hand, Miss Turner?” Powell asked.
“No, thank you,” she said.
This was getting revolting.
“Okay,” Glenn said. “Here we go. I’m going to pull this back enough for you to see his face. All right?”
Claire nodded.
He slowly peeled back the sheet and when the guy’s face was fully exposed Claire gave a gasp and started to crumble. Powell caught her.
SIX
G
lenn Madison had taken over and I watched while he carried Claire Turner out of the morgue room to his office, where he placed her in a chair and called for a gurney.
Powell picked up some papers from the desk and started fanning her with them.
“You think that’s necessary?”
“The little girl passed out,” Powell said.
“It could be her heart,” Glenn said.
Claire opened her eyes. “Charlie.”
“Would you like some water?” Glenn asked.
I always wondered what water was supposed to do in cases like this.
“No, thank you.” She put her face in her hands and began to cry.
Helplessly, Powell looked at me. I shrugged.
“Glenn, ya better stop that gurney from comin down here.”
“What gurney?” Claire asked.
“I thought maybe you should be admitted,” he said.
“Admitted?” She eyed him like he was screwy. “I’m just so relieved. I expected it to be Charlie.”
“You mean it wasn’t?” I asked.
“I’d better cancel.” Glenn picked up the phone and turned his back to us.
“Miss Turner,” Powell said, “ya know who the stiff is?”
She looked shocked at his use of the word
sti f,
and he caught on real fast.
“I mean, the corpse, the body, the guy on the slab. Can ya ID him?”
“I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Powell and I looked at each other. We knew we were behind the eight ball again.
“I gotta get back to work,” Claire said. She stood up and turned to me. “You’ll keep looking for Charlie, won’t you?”
“The police are on this case, Miss Turner,” said Powell.
“Yeah, finally. Nobody paid any attention to me when I reported him missing.”
“You didn’t come to me. I’m on this case now.” Powell shot her what was supposed to be a smile, but looked more like he was in rigor.
“Wait a minute. What case is that?” Claire said.
“This case. Who the . . . the gentleman is.”
“I don’t give a damn who he is. I just wanna find Charlie.”
“Claire, if we can find out who this guy is, it might help us track down Charlie,” I said.
“Did it ever occur to ya, Quick, that Ladd mighta bumped off our John Doe?” Powell said.
“Hey. What’re you tryin to pull, you big lug?” Claire said. “Charlie wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Powell didn’t realize he’d put his hoof in his mouth because he came back with, “That’s what they all say.”
Course he was right but that wasn’t the point.
“Claire, I’ll stay on this thing as long as ya want.”
“Thanks, Faye.”
“Listen,” Powell said. “You better stay outta my way, Quick. I find ya interferin with
my
case, I’m gonna lock ya up.”
He marched out and didn’t look back.
“Is that true, Faye?”
“Nah. He’s just blowin
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