Страница 21 из 23
Then, in an instant, there was a gust of cool air and a freshness on the meadow. The wind had changed.
“Sky Village will not burn,” said A
Several times she almost fell, and Hans and Konrad had to support her, but she would not hear of being left on the slope until they could get help from the village. She was shaking and stumbling when they reached the bottom, but her head was high.
Several firefighters in hard hats surged past her, intent on their jobs. Gabby Richardson was there, too, spraying the roof with a hose so that no stray ember could set fire to her i
A
Richardson briefly looked away from the stream of water that splashed onto the shingles above. “When I’ve got time,” he told her, “I’d like to hear exactly what’s been going on around here. Can’t get a word out of that guy inside.” Richardson nodded toward the i
“Guy inside?” said Jupiter Jones.
“Jensen,” said Richardson. “He’s waiting in there for you.”
Hans, Konrad, A
Mr. Jensen, the bogus nature photographer, was indeed waiting. He sat on the arm of one of the big leather chairs in the living room. Opposite him, on the sofa, the woman who called herself A
“What happened?” asked Bob.
Jensen stared at A
Bob pointed at Havemeyer. “What happened?” he said again.
Jensen gri
17
A Mirror Image
It was dark before the firefighters had the blaze contained. Even then, the inhabitants of Sky Village did not relax. Many of them stayed on the fire lines to keep an eye on the hot spots where flames still danced in the charred trees. Some stray gust of wind might still carry burning embers into the town.
At the Slalom I
The deputy sat on a straight chair close to A
The platinum-haired woman who had pretended to be A
The deputy opened his notebook. “Before we begin,” he said to Jensen, “put that gun away.”
“I will if you put handcuffs on this crook,” said Jensen. “He tried to get away earlier. He’s not going to try again.”
“Nobody’s going to get away.” The deputy touched the pistol which hung from his belt. “Put that thing down before somebody gets hurt,” he ordered.
Jensen shrugged and put the tranquilizer gun in the closet. Then he took a chair from the dining table, set it before the front door, and sat down.
“That is a good idea,” said Hans. He planted himself in another chair, in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Now that we’ve got all the exits blocked, let’s get on with it,” said the deputy. “Miss Schmid, your cousins tell me you wish to bring charges against Havemeyer. Would you like to tell me exactly what he’s done?”
“Kidnapper!” said Konrad angrily.
“Robber!” added Hans.
“Please let Miss Schmid talk,” said the deputy. “Would you begin at the begi
A
“Then one day he sees me counting money to pay my bills. He says I should write checks and not use real money because it is safer to write checks. I told him that real money is most safe, especially my money because I keep it in my safe deposit box, and only A
“Is that when you hid the key?” asked Jupiter Jones.
A
“Where is the key, by the way?” asked Jupiter.
“Oh, that is very fu
Havemeyer made a choking sound and started to get up, but the deputy waved him back to his chair. “Go on, please, Miss Schmid,” he said.
“Two or three days after we talk about the money,” said A
The deputy shifted in his chair. “And then?” he said.
“I am surprised because he is not angry. He only laughs, and he points the gun at me and he says he has time. Then he makes me go with him to the high meadow where there is that cabin the young man made. He has put a lock on the door of the cabin and he shuts me in there. For two days I do not see him at all, and I have nothing to eat but some bread and a canteen of water. Then he comes back every day and brings me food, and always he wants to know where the key is. But I do not tell him. I see that he wants very much to know and if he finds out he will shoot me.”
“I see. How long were you there, Miss Schmid?”
“Six days. Maybe seven days. It is hard to say. Then today I smelled the fire and I was much afraid. I screamed and screamed and my cousins came. My cousins and the boys — and that terrible animal. That strange little man talked to the animal and then my cousins… my cousins…” A
“I will get you some water, A
“No.” She wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “It is all right. But how did you know where to come?”
“Jupe knew,” said Hans. “Konrad and I, we thought that woman there is A
“So she does,” said Jupiter Jones, “when she wears a wig. A mirror image. I certainly believed she was A
“Wedding ring?” said the deputy. “Signatures?”
“That woman practiced signing A