Vultures at Twilight by Charles Atkins

is forever chipping.’
    As a true Grenvillian, Hank knew exactly what I was talking about. ‘You’re more of the Chippendale set.’
    â€˜Exactly.’
    â€˜Do you still have Bradley’s Philadelphia bookcase?’
    As he spoke, I glanced across my dining room table at the gleaming mahogany bookcase with its flame finials and sunburst drawer fronts. ‘Yes, and I’ll be hanging on to that until they cart me off in a box.’
    â€˜Can’t blame you. If it was mine, I’d want to be buried in it. Anyway, you were saying about the auction . . .’
    â€˜You probably know this, but the preview went right up until fifteen minutes before the auction. Someone had to be there to put the finger in the drawer.’
    â€˜Which narrows it down to about four hundred suspects,’ he commented. ‘If indeed it was planted at the auction.’
    â€˜Had to have been. Didn’t it?’ I asked.
    â€˜Probably. Still, it’s too soon to throw out possibilities.’
    â€˜And not to question your judgment, but why in God’s name is Kevin Simpson involved in the case?’
    â€˜Lil,’ he said, laughing, ‘you must think I’m a complete idiot. He’s peripheral; we both are. Whenever there’s a homicide the state police step in. It’s for the best, as long as they don’t step on too many toes. They sent a Detective Perez who strikes me as capable. Ever since the finger was found she’s been over everything. Now, with two murders, they’ve added a second team of detectives. As for Kevin, he knows everyone and people like him, don’t have trouble talking to him. All said and done, they’ll be able to take care of things.’
    â€˜Are they?’ I asked, hoping for a bit more detail.
    â€˜I think so.’
    â€˜Close to an arrest?’
    â€˜Possibly.’
    I was wading into dangerous waters, but I wanted to know. ‘Tolliver Jacobs?’
    â€˜Lil, I can’t say.’
    â€˜For what my opinion is worth, Hank, I don’t think he did it.’
    â€˜What makes you say that?’
    â€˜I’ve known him his entire life. Not a violent bone in his body. Someone doesn’t just wake up a killer.’
    â€˜No, they don’t, but basically all you’re going on is intuition.’
    â€˜Pretty much.’
    He laughed. ‘Well, if you can nail it down any further, give me a call.’
    â€˜Of course,’ I said, feeling my private interview coming to a close. I tried to think if there was anything more that Ada might have wanted to know.
    â€˜Lil,’ Hank said, ‘it’s been good talking. I’ve missed seeing you . . . and Bradley, of course.’
    â€˜Likewise,’ I said, not wanting to overstay my welcome, and getting a funny feeling like he was about to ask me out. But then it hit me. ‘It was a warning,’ I blurted.
    â€˜What was?’ he asked.
    â€˜The finger. It had to be a warning, and it had to be planted by someone who knew McElroy.’
    There was a pause. ‘OK, I’ll bite.’
    â€˜You don’t go to the auction, do you?’
    â€˜Nah, I’m more the car-show type.’ Referencing one of Grenville’s other pastimes, vintage and antique car shows, from the June bonanza to Thursday night gatherings of enthusiasts in the high school parking lot.
    â€˜Right. I’ve been going to McElroy’s since his father ran it. Anyway, Carl has a thing about getting every single door and drawer open when he shows a piece of furniture. Someone was counting on the finger being found . . . by him.’
    â€˜But they couldn’t have predicted on it flying out into the audience.’
    â€˜True. In which case, the only person who was supposed to see it was Carl. You see what I’m saying?’
    â€˜Someone was trying to scare McElroy . . . Interesting, Lil. I’ll have the kids check