Mystery Murder

in front of 745 East 38th Street, and that address held memories, most of them sour, for the personnel at Homicide East, from Darwin down. A violent death that

d surroundings. A photographer took shots from various angles. Pedestrians from both directions were shunted across the street, where a crowd gathered behind the rope. Some twenty city employees, in uniform and out, were on the scene in less than half an hour after the cop had m

s well have you and Bolton together, and this

n his phone and knows nothing of all the excitement, and cares less. If I went in and told him

here in t

hatever about the taxi. When I c

id you c

minutes p

d you co

e quit my job, so if you're determined to s

lling me yo

on't work he

ied all the wrinkles there are, but this

in, that depends on Mr. Bolton's handling of a certain problem, but when I left th

an leave the h

etter than him. She offered to pay me fifty dollars for consultation on how to win a bet she had made, and we sat here to consult. We had been here fifteen or twenty minutes when the prowl car came along and stopped by the taxi, which had been standing there

er seen this

et she wanted to

ffair. She's h

come in

y knowledg

her get out

y up the stoop when

ne get out of the

No

's her

sk

through the open door had included the framed picture of the hackie and her name. As

" she

at i

Her voice was c

drive that

No

come her

No

method three, a

n appointment to

"

do you

en West Eighty

your occ

Mostly fashi

you ma

don't live wi

our husban

closed it again. "Daren Wa

ou divo

No

xi here when

but I suppose it was because it

d you co

think that

r head. "No. For instance, if somebody drove me here, or nea

ew what "no tri

in advised her, "to t

ld rath

you wanted to consu

. It was a private bet with

know, do I have to tell him about my private af

me connection between your private affairs and his publi

is all this?" Jak

wide open and he was standing on the threshold, his b

let him reply, but he didn't. Apparently he was too flabbergasted at seeing Bolton ac

iver in it. A police car came along and stopped, and a cop found a dead body, female, in the taxi under a piece of canvas. I was there looking in when he removed the canvas. I came back up the stoop to sit with my client. We recessed our conference to watch the proceedings. Officers arrived promptly, including Inspector Darwin, When he got around to it he came and

hy didn't you bring

not my house.

invite you to use it for consultation with your client. Sitting here in

No

you, Mi

me. "I didn't have any," s

minute." He had come on up to the stoop and was at my elbow, focused on Wolf

Ye

Wh

egious, Mr. Darwin

with Miss Nest or what she wa

No

taxi was parked at your do

No

ow Miss Holt

atently, did

ow the taxi

n the circumstance that brought you here, or Miss Holt, would he have sat here with her, supine,

s and bring them down," touched Clara Nest's arm,

e there's no telephone in the front room and you may have occasion t

in the situation. Miss Clara drove that taxi here. A friend of hers named Nelly Graham is one of the ninety-three female h

aid. "Judy le

of a building and went in the building for something, and when she came back there was a dead b

d. "It was under that pan

d consult you and me. I met her on the stoop. She told me a cockeyed tale about a bet she had made with a friend which I'll skip. I said somewhat level-headed. I let her see that I knew she was feeding me soap but kept

"but she didn't. I was going to tel

easted jam. I'll know more about it after she tells me things. The point is, did she kill that woman? If I thought she did I would bow out

ton's client. I would have shoved her off quickly, since that sort of demonstration only ruffles him, but she was

ere. Make it twenty to one. Add to that my observation of her while we sat there on the stoop, and it's thirty to one. Therefore I am keeping the fee she paid me, and I'm-by the way." I reached in my pocke

"I'll pay you more. Of cours

r after you answe

wait: what did yo

." She patt

ain for your offer of hospitality, but Darwin may be ringing th

his is preposterous. Give me

a brow.

your headstrong decision that our long association has ended, but even if it has, your repute is inextricably involved with m

twenty from the pocket where I had put the fee, and a five from my wallet, and handed