Tony Dunbar - Tubby Dubonnet 03 - Trick Question by Tony Dunbar Page A
Authors: Tony Dunbar
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sandwich named for Harry turned out to be roast beef on a seeded roll with melted Swiss and grilled onions covered with mushroom sauce. Tubby showed it to everyone to make them envious.
“So what have you got?” he asked Flowers.
“I’ve got a scrawny, bearded, slick-talking slimeball. That’s my initial unbiased impression. His office is uptown on Prytania Street. He advertises himself as a chiropractor for professionals. I don’t think he’s doing so good because there was no one in his waiting room. His receptionist told me there had been a cancellation, so the doctor could make an exception and see me without an appointment. I had to sit in an examining room and wait for fifteen minutes. You know, they’ve got this strange chart of the human anatomy, according to the science of chiropractic, that shows how we’ve really got only one single great big nerve running through our entire body. Can you believe that? When Bennett came in I introduced myself and told him what case I’m working on.”
“What reaction?”
“He pretended not to know what I was talking about and took offense that I wasn’t there to have my spine adjusted. So I tried the direct approach and told him I’d heard he was having an affair with the widow Valentine. He got very huffy and asked how dare I insinuate such a thing. Basically he blew a fuse and ordered me out of his office, so I went peacefully.”
Tubby chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. There was some garlic in there somewhere. “Good,” he remarked. “I mean, it’s good we’re making our presence known. What time was it when you left Bennett’s office?”
“Let’s see.” Flowers consulted a little notebook he kept in his pocket. “Twenty minutes past eleven,” he reported.
“That probably explains what happened to me. Mrs. Valentine agreed to see me for a few minutes at her house. She’s nice-looking, as you said, but kind of plump. She sat me down in the kitchen and fixed me coffee. I told her how sorry I was about her terrible loss and explained I’m just searching for another possible explanation of her husband’s murder – one that doesn’t point a finger at my client.
“She said she understood that this is my job, but she knows no one who disliked her husband. He never complained about anyone at work, or at the medical school, or anywhere else. They were extremely happy and hadn’t a care in the world.
“Then the telephone rang and she took it there in the kitchen. When she came back she told me forcefully that she had spent as much time talking to me as she was going to. I also went peacefully.”
“So now we have two great suspects who won’t talk to us,” Flowers commented.
“What does it all add up to, Mr. D?” Cherrylynn asked.
“Not a big hill of red beans.”
A crowd had built up outside the restaurant. People loved the place, just because it served big portions of real food and was clean. A child outside, nose pressed to the window, watched the three of them sitting there. Please get up, those eyes said, so I can come inside for a piece of pie.
“Let’s go,” Tubby said.
He paid at the register and followed his two investigators outside. The waiting crowd parted, happy to see them leave.
“Cherrylynn, you can go to the office now, or in the morning,” Tubby said, “but I want you to draw up subpoenas for all three of them, Ruby Valentine, the slimy Dr. Bennett, and your buddy Magenta. Get the sheriff to serve them first thing Monday morning. And I also want you to subpoena Auchinschloss, the head of the laboratory. And Dr. Randolph Swincter, Valentine’s colleague, and anybody else I think of between now and then.”
“What do you want me to do?” Flowers asked.
“Just keep a watch on Bennett and Mrs. Valentine. And see if you can think of any way to lay off some of your expenses on another client.”
“Understood,” Flowers said. “Where can I reach you?”
“Actually, that may be hard. I’m going to visit
“So what have you got?” he asked Flowers.
“I’ve got a scrawny, bearded, slick-talking slimeball. That’s my initial unbiased impression. His office is uptown on Prytania Street. He advertises himself as a chiropractor for professionals. I don’t think he’s doing so good because there was no one in his waiting room. His receptionist told me there had been a cancellation, so the doctor could make an exception and see me without an appointment. I had to sit in an examining room and wait for fifteen minutes. You know, they’ve got this strange chart of the human anatomy, according to the science of chiropractic, that shows how we’ve really got only one single great big nerve running through our entire body. Can you believe that? When Bennett came in I introduced myself and told him what case I’m working on.”
“What reaction?”
“He pretended not to know what I was talking about and took offense that I wasn’t there to have my spine adjusted. So I tried the direct approach and told him I’d heard he was having an affair with the widow Valentine. He got very huffy and asked how dare I insinuate such a thing. Basically he blew a fuse and ordered me out of his office, so I went peacefully.”
Tubby chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. There was some garlic in there somewhere. “Good,” he remarked. “I mean, it’s good we’re making our presence known. What time was it when you left Bennett’s office?”
“Let’s see.” Flowers consulted a little notebook he kept in his pocket. “Twenty minutes past eleven,” he reported.
“That probably explains what happened to me. Mrs. Valentine agreed to see me for a few minutes at her house. She’s nice-looking, as you said, but kind of plump. She sat me down in the kitchen and fixed me coffee. I told her how sorry I was about her terrible loss and explained I’m just searching for another possible explanation of her husband’s murder – one that doesn’t point a finger at my client.
“She said she understood that this is my job, but she knows no one who disliked her husband. He never complained about anyone at work, or at the medical school, or anywhere else. They were extremely happy and hadn’t a care in the world.
“Then the telephone rang and she took it there in the kitchen. When she came back she told me forcefully that she had spent as much time talking to me as she was going to. I also went peacefully.”
“So now we have two great suspects who won’t talk to us,” Flowers commented.
“What does it all add up to, Mr. D?” Cherrylynn asked.
“Not a big hill of red beans.”
A crowd had built up outside the restaurant. People loved the place, just because it served big portions of real food and was clean. A child outside, nose pressed to the window, watched the three of them sitting there. Please get up, those eyes said, so I can come inside for a piece of pie.
“Let’s go,” Tubby said.
He paid at the register and followed his two investigators outside. The waiting crowd parted, happy to see them leave.
“Cherrylynn, you can go to the office now, or in the morning,” Tubby said, “but I want you to draw up subpoenas for all three of them, Ruby Valentine, the slimy Dr. Bennett, and your buddy Magenta. Get the sheriff to serve them first thing Monday morning. And I also want you to subpoena Auchinschloss, the head of the laboratory. And Dr. Randolph Swincter, Valentine’s colleague, and anybody else I think of between now and then.”
“What do you want me to do?” Flowers asked.
“Just keep a watch on Bennett and Mrs. Valentine. And see if you can think of any way to lay off some of your expenses on another client.”
“Understood,” Flowers said. “Where can I reach you?”
“Actually, that may be hard. I’m going to visit
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