and no one answered.
She was sitting at the kitchen table next to the telephone, trying to keep her mind on her English homework, when Lucas finally telephoned.
“I’ve got some information for you,” she said, and she read off her notes about Margo and Alice in a rush.
“Very good,” he said. There was a pause. “I don’t hear you complaining that now there are only more questions to answer.”
“I guess it’s because I’m getting used to the way investigators work.”
“Then you’ve finally made a start,” he said.
“But I don’t get used to you!” Jennifer said.
“Calm down. I’ll go over my notes with you. I was atthe hospital this morning, then spent a while in Records, doing the nitty-gritty work.”
“Hospital?” She interrupted him. “Oh—with Darryl.”
“He’s going to be in intensive care for a while, but the doctor’s pretty sure Darryl will get over his beating.”
“Did he tell you what happened to him?”
“Not a word. Darryl is scared pretty badly. It’s my opinion whoever beat Darryl thought he’d killed him. We’ll let him keep that thought. We admitted Darryl to the hospital under an assumed name.”
“You think Darryl is trying to protect someone?”
“Do you know anyone he’d want to protect that much?”
“Elton,” she said. “It could have been his brother, Elton.” And she told him about Elton’s conversation with her.
“Anything’s possible.” He paused. “Maybe you should take Elton’s advice.”
“No! I’m not afraid of Elton,” she said in a rush of words. “He talked to me out in public where he could be seen, with traffic going by. If he were going to harm me he wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“I’m giving that some fast consideration.”
“Please, Lucas. Remember, we’re working together. We’re partners in this. I can help you solve this murder if you let me.”
“Your safety is my primary concern. The case comes second.”
“I’ll be okay. Elton knows if anything happened to me he’d be suspect. Right?”
She waited, finding it hard to breathe, until Lucas answered. “You might be right. Just promise to tell me if he contacts you again.”
“I promise.” She changed the subject quickly before hehad second thoughts. “Can’t you make Darryl tell you who did it?”
“How? By giving him another beating?”
“Don’t get sarcastic,” Jennifer said. “At least we know something. He told us that Stella wasn’t his mother, so I guess she wasn’t Elton’s mother either.”
“Or Bobbie’s.”
“What?”
“That’s what I found out in Records today. Stella was not Bobbie Trax’s mother.”
14
Margie White with Newseye at Five. Today Estelle Trax was modestly and quietly buried at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, with only a handful of friends in attendance. Although Lieutenant Darvy had informed the press that Bobbie Trax, arrested Tuesday for the murder of her mother, would not be allowed to be present at the funeral, at the last minute she was spirited from the county jail and brought, in the company of two police-women, to the cemetery. Without emotion, without displaying any signs of sorrow, Bobbie Trax was present to see the coffin containing her mother’s body lowered into its grave. Newseye has brought you these exclusive films, which will be repeated during our newscast at ten o’clock tonight.
Both of them at the funeral. What a laugh. Especially the one who always makes me think of a wild-eyed cat with a dog on her tail. Thought she had to come, I guess.
That girl was there, too. Jennifer Wilcox. You don’t know how close I’m watchin’ you, do you Jennifer Wilcox? If you did, girl, you’d run.
Maybe she’s making me edgy. Or maybe it’s wondering about the stuff. It’s got to be somewhere in the house. If the police had found it, we’d know.
Maybe I should go back and take a look.
Maybe tonight. Or maybe tomorrow night when I think this thing through and figure where
She was sitting at the kitchen table next to the telephone, trying to keep her mind on her English homework, when Lucas finally telephoned.
“I’ve got some information for you,” she said, and she read off her notes about Margo and Alice in a rush.
“Very good,” he said. There was a pause. “I don’t hear you complaining that now there are only more questions to answer.”
“I guess it’s because I’m getting used to the way investigators work.”
“Then you’ve finally made a start,” he said.
“But I don’t get used to you!” Jennifer said.
“Calm down. I’ll go over my notes with you. I was atthe hospital this morning, then spent a while in Records, doing the nitty-gritty work.”
“Hospital?” She interrupted him. “Oh—with Darryl.”
“He’s going to be in intensive care for a while, but the doctor’s pretty sure Darryl will get over his beating.”
“Did he tell you what happened to him?”
“Not a word. Darryl is scared pretty badly. It’s my opinion whoever beat Darryl thought he’d killed him. We’ll let him keep that thought. We admitted Darryl to the hospital under an assumed name.”
“You think Darryl is trying to protect someone?”
“Do you know anyone he’d want to protect that much?”
“Elton,” she said. “It could have been his brother, Elton.” And she told him about Elton’s conversation with her.
“Anything’s possible.” He paused. “Maybe you should take Elton’s advice.”
“No! I’m not afraid of Elton,” she said in a rush of words. “He talked to me out in public where he could be seen, with traffic going by. If he were going to harm me he wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“I’m giving that some fast consideration.”
“Please, Lucas. Remember, we’re working together. We’re partners in this. I can help you solve this murder if you let me.”
“Your safety is my primary concern. The case comes second.”
“I’ll be okay. Elton knows if anything happened to me he’d be suspect. Right?”
She waited, finding it hard to breathe, until Lucas answered. “You might be right. Just promise to tell me if he contacts you again.”
“I promise.” She changed the subject quickly before hehad second thoughts. “Can’t you make Darryl tell you who did it?”
“How? By giving him another beating?”
“Don’t get sarcastic,” Jennifer said. “At least we know something. He told us that Stella wasn’t his mother, so I guess she wasn’t Elton’s mother either.”
“Or Bobbie’s.”
“What?”
“That’s what I found out in Records today. Stella was not Bobbie Trax’s mother.”
14
Margie White with Newseye at Five. Today Estelle Trax was modestly and quietly buried at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, with only a handful of friends in attendance. Although Lieutenant Darvy had informed the press that Bobbie Trax, arrested Tuesday for the murder of her mother, would not be allowed to be present at the funeral, at the last minute she was spirited from the county jail and brought, in the company of two police-women, to the cemetery. Without emotion, without displaying any signs of sorrow, Bobbie Trax was present to see the coffin containing her mother’s body lowered into its grave. Newseye has brought you these exclusive films, which will be repeated during our newscast at ten o’clock tonight.
Both of them at the funeral. What a laugh. Especially the one who always makes me think of a wild-eyed cat with a dog on her tail. Thought she had to come, I guess.
That girl was there, too. Jennifer Wilcox. You don’t know how close I’m watchin’ you, do you Jennifer Wilcox? If you did, girl, you’d run.
Maybe she’s making me edgy. Or maybe it’s wondering about the stuff. It’s got to be somewhere in the house. If the police had found it, we’d know.
Maybe I should go back and take a look.
Maybe tonight. Or maybe tomorrow night when I think this thing through and figure where
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