Murder in the Winter (13 page)

“Tony McArthur mentioned to me that he was in a couple
of those plays. Were the two of you in the same production?”  

“Yes, we’ve acted in several plays together. In
Wait
Until Dark,
he played the part of the psycho and I played one of his
stooges. In
Dial M
, he played the husband, and I played the part of the
man he hired to murder his wife.”

“And how did everyone get along?”

“Handsomely. Both plays
had such a small cast
we all seemed like one big happy family. By the way, I died in both parts.”

“Well, let’s hope you fair better in real life.”

Mulroney smiled nervously, and I told him that that
was all for the time being, and Lou and I got up to leave.

As we were leaving, Mulroney asked me a question.

“Lieutenant, can you answer a question for me?”

“It depends. What’s your question?”

“I’ve been wondering. Do you know if Longworth or
McArthur recognized me as I played either part this weekend?”

“Neither did, Mr. Mulroney, but police lieutenants are
much harder to fool.”

He smiled as I related the first part of the message 
and  his  smile faded quickly as I concluded. As soon as I’d finished talking,
Lou and I stepped out the door, and I closed it.

+++

As far as I knew, no one in the building knew the identities
of the dead men, but then one of them did, if he or she was the murderer. We
had hoped we might trap our murderer as long as he or she was the only one who
knew the victims’ identities. Well, Longworth knew, but I needed him to make an
identification. Somehow, I didn’t picture Longworth as a guy who would murder
someone at his own place. But then, the murders didn’t take place at the inn.
If Longworth was our murderer, he would know that we would soon find out that
neither murder took place at his establishment. It was too early to eliminate
him as a suspect.

We’d kept everything out of the newspaper, but for how
much longer I wasn’t sure. For the time being, Lou and I would keep it that
way. I knocked on doors number four and five, even though dead men don’t answer
knocks. No one answered at Thornton’s or Simon’s apartment. If I didn’t find
the boots by the end of the day, I would look in those apartments. I hoped that
I found them before I had to check those apartments. A pair of boots would be
much harder to find at Overlook Inn. Or had they been thrown over the cliff?

16

I glanced at my watch. I knew that we couldn’t interrogate
everyone before lunch, so we took a break. There were only three other
apartments, and since one of them was McArthur’s and another one probably had
nothing to do with the case, our afternoon had possibilities of going quicker
than our morning. Still, I wondered how close we were to solving the case. Had
we already met the murderer, or murderers? I didn’t know.

Lou and I sat out front of Oppenheimer Arms discussing
the case, hoping to make someone nervous. I didn’t notice anyone fooling with
the blinds, so maybe all we did was waste some time.

“Well, Lou. Any thoughts so far?”

“Nothing, except that we know who our missing actor
is, but I’m not sure if what we learned today makes him innocent or guilty.”

“Me, either. For what it’s worth, for the time being,
I’m buying Rothschild’s story about not being able to walk. Those shoes and
boots of his have almost no wear and tear. Still, I’ll have Sam check him out,
see if we can find a doctor who’ll corroborate his story. Of course, I plan to
have Sam check out each of these birds. You never know what he might find.”

“And let’s not forget those people at Overlook Inn,
Cy.”

“I’m not. Sam’s already checking on them. I expect
he’ll have a report for us in the morning. In the meantime, let’s go eat and
then come back and meet the rest of this crew.”

“Cy, I think you’re slipping.”

I had no idea what Lou was talking about, which he
could tell from my confused look.

“You haven’t asked what thought I received today.”

“Okay, out with it. What clue did God give you today?”

“Smile, you’re on
Candid Camera.
”

“I hope nobody’s taking any pictures of us.”

“Me, too, but if they are, they’d better use a wide
angle lens.”

The two of us laughed.

+++

I started Lightning and drove to the Blue Moon. Since
we didn’t leave the Blue Moon until almost 11:00 that morning and we’d
interviewed three people since then, we were late arriving for lunch. Because
we were late leaving after breakfast, a late lunch wasn’t a problem. It wasn’t
as if the Blue Moon was one of those places that ran out of food before they
ran out of people. Rosie knew we’d be back, and probably had restocked the
joint since breakfast.

I had no more than turned the knob and opened the
front door when Rosie said, “Well, if it isn’t Dick Tracy Squared. How are my
two favorite policemen?”

“Hungry.”

“Hungry? Weren’t you two just here a few minutes ago?”

“It must’ve been hours. We’ve solved two murders since
we were here last.”

“Anybody I know?”

“You’ll have to wait for the news. Now, how about some
grub?”

“Well, your shovels have been washed and are waiting
for you. What can I get for you?”

“I’ll take an open face roast beef sandwich with lots
of mashed potatoes and float the whole thing in gravy.”

“You got it. And how about you, Sergeant?”

“There’s no reason to go against the boss. I’ll have
what he’s having and save the country fried steak for supper.”

Rosie hung our orders on the carousel and spun it,
then returned with a glass of sweet tea for me and root beer for Lou. Within a
few minutes, she brought our food. ”

After finishing off the pie and trying to extricate
the last of the meringue from my fork and my lips, we paid our bill, left a
sizable tip, and waddled from the diner, counting the hours until we returned
for supper.

+++

I drove a little slower on the way back to Oppenheimer
Arms, which gave my food a little extra time to settle. While Lou didn’t
mention it, I’m sure he appreciated it, too.

I parked the car and turned to Lou as if we were plotting
strategy. It was merely a ploy to allow my lunch longer to navigate the
interior canals of my body. A good nap would have been good. I contemplated
asking Mrs. Crouch for a key to Mycroft and Plankton’s apartments, so Lou and I
could have a little shuteye, but I wasn’t ready to let her know that she would
soon have two vacancies.

I had procrastinated long enough. It was time for us
to gather our strength and hoist ourselves from the car. I assumed a standing
position, and held on to Lightning for support. A couple of days later, I was
able to breathe normally again. Or should I say that I returned to my normal
method of wheezing. I studied the windows on the front of the building. No
moving blinds. No one seemed aware that Tweedledum and Tweedledee had returned.
We had three tenants left to talk to.

+++

I shuffled up the walk with the good sergeant close behind,
opened the door, and stepped into the hallway of the apartment building. Having
completed the right wing, we walked past Mrs. Crouch’s door and turned left. I
knocked on the door of number six, and a gray-headed man answered the door. He
looked to be around sixty-five, which made him older than the others. I showed
him my credentials, told him who we were. He told us his name was Virgil
Profitt, then invited us in and offered us seats.

“You might know by now, Lieutenant, that I’m the new
guy on the block. The others all know each other. I’m just beginning to learn
who they are.”

“Well, it’s always good to have a fresh perspective on
things, Mr. Profitt. Are you familiar with Sidney Longworth and Overlook Inn?”

“Well, every stage actor is familiar with the name Sidney
Longworth, but I can’t say that I’ve ever met the man. Does he live in this
area?”

“He operates Overlook Inn out at Precipice Point.”

“I’m not sure where that is.”

I gave him the approximate location of Precipice Point
and told him of its reputation. While I figured he had nothing to do with the
murders, I asked him to see his boots, nevertheless. He complied without
rancor. As expected, they didn’t match the marks made at my house.

“I understand you’re an actor, Mr. Profitt.”

“Was is more like it. I’m pretty much retired now, but
that doesn’t mean I won’t turn down a small part if one comes my way.”

“Tell me a little about your career.”

“Most of my acting has been on the east coast. Whenever
possible, I spent my summers in New England and my winters in Florida, mostly
doing what some people call highbrow stuff. I played Henry Higgins in
Pygmalion. I did a lot of Shakespeare, although you probably can’t tell that by
the way I talk. I enjoyed my craft, but did just enough to pay the bills. I
never had any interest in fame. I acted because I loved doing it. I never was
driven like a lot of people are, but then I have no problems with those who
yearn for Broadway.  I guess you can probably tell that. I retired to Hilldale,
not Park Avenue in New York City.” 

“Mr. Profitt, we’re looking into a couple of
incidents, and we’re checking with each of the building’s residents to see if
anyone can help us. Could you tell me what you were doing on Wednesday
afternoon, and also this past weekend?”

“My sister, Grace, was visiting me all of last week.
She arrived on Monday afternoon late and left early this morning to return to
her home. She probably won’t get home for another hour or two. As you can see,
I haven’t put away the cot I slept on this past week. I can tell you it will be
a joy to sleep in my own bed again. That cot was quite lumpy.”

“Were the two of you here, at your apartment, all of
that time?”

“Most of it, but not all. We’d planned to explore the
area together, but the weather turned bad and we ended up staying here. You
asked specifically about Wednesday afternoon and the weekend. We were gone most
all day on Wednesday. I gave my sister Tuesday to rest up from her long drive
and then we went out shopping and eating on Wednesday. Like I said, we’d
planned to have done more of that, but that snowstorm kept us huddled up here.
My sister has never lived where it snows, so she’s both fascinated by it, but afraid
of it. She didn’t want to venture out in it. If she hadn’t had to get back
home, she’d never have left until all of it melted. I convinced her that the
streets were all clear, and she shouldn’t have any trouble during the day.
Besides, an hour south of here there is no snow.

“Friday was the only other day we even went outside.
My sister has never seen snow quite this deep, except on TV, so we went out on
the porch. She even took pictures. I plan to go out sometime today to get them
developed. Double prints. Keep one set for myself and give her a set.”

“Front or back porch, Mr. Profitt?”

He had a funny look on his face when he answered
“both.”

“Did you see any of your neighbors while your sister
was here?”

“No, but then I seldom see them, unless we run into
each other at the mailbox. If so, most of them stop and chat a few minutes.
They seem like nice men. Like I said, they all are one up on me. They all know
each other quite well, and I’m just getting to know them. Besides, I’m several
years older than any of them. Oh, wait a minute. We did see the manager, Mrs.
Crouch. I knocked on her door, introduced my sister to her, and asked her if
she’d be willing to take a few pictures of my sister and me together. She was
most gracious. Even bundled up and went outside and took pictures of my sister
and me in the snow. My sister wants to show them to some of the people back
home.”

I thanked Profitt for his time and we left.

+++

We walked across the hall to Tony McArthur’s apartment.
It would be the first familiar face I’d seen since I’d arrived at the apartment
complex. McArthur opened the door, surprised to see us, but invited us in
without having to be asked.

“I sure didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What
can I do for you gentlemen?”

“Oh, we’re simply trying to finish up with this case.
We have a few questions we want to ask everyone here. I’ve already asked you
some of them, so I can skip those, but I’d like to know the name of someone who
can verify that you were in Chicago.”

He scribbled a name and number on a business card, handed
it to me.

“Call this guy. He can tell you where I was most of
the week. And you can verify where I was over the weekend. I saw where you
checked out yesterday. I decided to wait until this morning, hoping to get some
time with Longworth to see what he’s got lined up.”

“And did you get to talk to him?”

“Well, he wasn’t in the talking mood, after what happened
there this weekend. I still can’t believe this isn’t some kind of play.”

“Well, it’s not, Mr. McArthur. By the way, do you own
any boots?”

“Boots? Yeah, I’ve got a pair, and I sure could have
used them this weekend. Of course, it wasn’t too bad. I was only outside to
check in and check out.”

“May I see your boots?”

“Sure. You have footprints of the killer escaping?”

“Something like that.”

He reached into the closet, handed me the boots. I almost
dropped them when I turned them over. They were the boots the man who left me
the note wore.

“Mr. McArthur, does anyone else have a key to your
apartment?”

“You have some funny questions, Lieutenant.” When he
saw how serious I was, he answered. “Only Mrs. Crouch.”

“No one else.”

He shook his head “no.” I made a quick decision, decided
to let McArthur know some things, to see how he’d react.

“Mr. McArthur, these are the same boots worn by the
man who left me a note late Thursday night telling me that there would be a
murder at Overlook Inn over the weekend.”

“But that can’t be, Lieutenant. I was in Chicago. You
can check. Maybe it’s boots like those.”

“No, Mr. McArthur, it’s these boots. See how they’re
worn right there,” I said, pointing to the outside edge of one of the boots.
“It’s these boots. I assume you didn’t take these boots to Chicago with you.”

“No, Lieutenant. They were in that closet,” he said, motioning
to the door in front of us.

He seemed as stumped as I was, but then I remembered,
like   all   the   others,   he was an actor.   Oh, I’d check his whereabouts,
but now I wanted to see how someone could’ve broken into his apartment.

“If you’ll excuse us a moment, Mr. McArthur, we’ll be
right back.”

I motioned for Lou to follow me out into the hall,
then asked him to go outside and check the windows for forced entry, while I
did the same with the door to the apartment. With the building setting at
street level, that meant it would be easy for someone to enter an apartment
through one of its windows. While Lou checked outside, I check the three
windows on the inside, to make sure that each window was locked. They were.