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But you can induce heart trouble, Dr. Levine. You can prepare intimate little di
But if they had thought to delve into Claire's death…
The chops were nearly cooked. He expertly seasoned the watercress, removed the asparagus from the steamer and took a half bottle of Beaujolais from the wine rack in the pantry.
He had just begun to eat when the phone rang. He hurried to the extension in the kitchen. "Dr. Highley," he said curtly. A sob sounded over the phone. "Oh, Doctor, it's Gertrude Fitzgerald. I decided to go see Edna on my way home."
He tightened his grip on the receiver.
"Doctor, Edna is dead. The police are here. She fell. Doctor, could you come right away? They're talking about performing an autopsy. She hated autopsies. She used to say how terrible it was to cut up dead people. Doctor, oh, please come here and convince them that she fell and that they don't have to cut her up."
KATIE made a cup of tea and took it with her in the car. She'd pla
How could a person she'd met only once have made such an impression on her? In that one conversation they'd had, Edna had understood perfectly about John. She'd said, "I know what it is to watch someone die. You want the misery to be over for them, but you don't want to let them go. When Mom and Dad died, all my friends said, 'Now you're free, Edna.' And I said, 'Free for what?' I bet you felt that way too."
Edna had reassured her about Dr. Highley. "You couldn't find a better doctor. That's why it makes me so mad when I hear him criticized. And those people who file malpractice suits! I could shoot them. I tell you, when a doctor loses a patient today, he has to worry. I guess nobody's supposed to die anymore."
What had Charley meant by saying that Edna had phoned Chris Lewis last night? Was Charley suggesting that Edna might in some way have threatened him?
As she drove into the parking lot of Edna's apartment complex, she slowed down; a black medium-size car was pulling in ahead of her. The driver chose the first spot available on the right. Katie found a space directly behind the building, parked and got out of the car. Suddenly she heard footsteps and turned quickly. A figure loomed near her, a silhouette accentuated by the dim light from a solitary lamppost. "Excuse me. I hope I didn't startle you." The cultured voice had a faint English accent.
"Dr. Highley! Did my office call you?"
"Mrs. DeMaio. We didn't expect to see each other so soon and under such tragic circumstances, Here. Let's take this footpath around the building." Lightly touching her elbow, he followed her on the path. "Mrs. Fitzgerald called me. Evidently she was the one who found Edna."
They were turning the corner to the front of the building when Richard appeared. She was very glad to see him. He grasped both her shoulders and pulled her to him. Then his hands dropped. "Scott reached you?"
"No. I happened to call Edna myself. Oh, Richard, this is Dr. Edgar Highley." The two men shook hands. Charley let them into the apartment. He said to Richard, "We've got pictures, but I'd like you to have a look too."
Katie was used to death. She often studied gory pictures of crime victims. But it was a different matter to see Edna crumpled against the radiator, to see the solid evidence of loneliness-the slices of ca
Gertrude Fitzgerald was sitting on a couch, sobbing softly. Katie and Dr. Highley sat down beside her as Richard went into the dinette to examine the dead woman.
Gertrude tried to talk to them. "Oh, Dr. Highley, Mrs. DeMaio, isn't this just terrible?" The words brought a fresh burst of sobs. "She was always such fun. She always made me laugh. Maybe she had that little weakness, but she never bothered anyone with it. Oh, Dr. Highley, you'll miss her too."
"I surely will, Mrs. Fitzgerald."
"Doctor," Gertrude blurted out, "I told them you've been here, that you knew about Edna's little problem. It's just silly to say she didn't fall. Why would anyone want to hurt her?"
Dr. Highley looked at Katie. "Edna suffered from sciatica, and a few times when she was laid up I dropped off work for her to do at home. On one occasion I came unexpectedly. It was then I realized that she had a drinking problem."
Katie nodded, looking past him. Richard had completed examining the body. Getting up, she walked over to him and asked what he had found.
He shrugged. "I'll have to see how bad the fracture is. Certainly it was a hell of a smash. But she might have stumbled when she tried to get up."
"Any sign of forced entry?" Katie asked Charley.
"None. But you could spring these locks with a credit card. If she was as drunk as we think, anyone could have walked in." "What were you telling me on the phone about Chris Lewis?" "The superintendent's wife-name's Gana Krupshak-was a buddy of Edna Burns. She was with Mrs. Fitzgerald when the body was found. We let her go to her own apartment just before you came. She's shook up bad. Anyhow, last night she came over here around eight o'clock. She said Edna already had a bag on. She stayed till eight thirty, then put out the ham, hoping Edna would eat something and sober up. Edna told her about Vangie's suicide. Then, when Mrs. Krupshak went into the kitchen, she heard Edna on the phone. She swears Edna called whoever she was talking to 'Captain Lewis,' and told him she had to talk to the police tomorrow. And get this. Krupshak swears she heard Edna give Lewis directions for driving here. Then Edna said something about Prince Charming."
"Prince Charming?" Charley shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." Richard said, "Obviously we'll treat this as a potential homicide. I know Scott has a hunch about Lewis. I can see why." Katie thought, I do not believe Chris Lewis could have done this to Edna; I don't believe he killed his wife. She looked around. "Are you sure there's nothing valuable missing?" Charley shrugged. "Her wallet's in her pocketbook; eighteen dollars there. Credit cards. The usual. No sign of anything being disturbed, let alone ransacked."
"All right." Katie returned to Dr. Highley and Gertrude. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, I think it would be best if we have you driven home." Dr. Highley reached into his pocket. "I brought these sedatives along in case you needed them. Here, take one now."
"I'll get a glass of water," Katie said. She went down the hall to the bathroom, then came back to Gertrude and sat beside her. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, do you know whether Edna kept any valuables here-any jewelry, perhaps?"
"She had a ring and a pin she wore on special occasions. I wouldn't know where she kept them. Oh, wait a minute. Doctor, I remember that Edna said she showed you her ring and pin when you were here. Perhaps you can help Mrs. DeMaio."
Katie looked into the cold gray eyes. He hates this, she thought. He's angry about being here. "One time Edna did show me a pin and ring that were in a box in her night-table drawer."
"Would you show me, Doctor?" Katie asked.
Together they walked down the hall into the bedroom.
"It was in there," Dr. Highley told her, pointing to the night table on the right side of the bed. Using only the tips of her fingers, Katie opened the drawer. She knew that the fingerprint experts would be called in.
The drawer was deep. Reaching in, Katie pulled out a blue plastic jewelry case. She raised the lid to find a small butterfly-shaped brooch and a thin old diamond ring nestled against cotton velvet.
"That eliminates the robbery theory, I guess," Katie said. She started to close the drawer, then stopped. "Oh, Doctor, look." Setting the jewelry box on the bed, she reached back into the drawer. "My mother kept her mother's old black hat for sentimental reasons. Edna must have done the same thing."