Part 19 (1/2)
I moved to put the safe wide trunk of a big elm between me and the waiting man. It took me closer to him. When bright headlights swung into the driveway, I moved again to keep the elm between me and the lights.
It was a noisy vehicle and when it turned, I saw that it was a tow truck. I could see men moving around inside my apartment. The door opened and Captain Kruslov stood in the doorway and looked out. He walked out into the driveway and a thin man followed him.
The tow truck backed into position by my car and when its motor quieted I heard Kruslov saying, ”... and Bird can finish the apartment. You ride on in with the car, Danny, and get to work on the trunk right away. See if you can find anything else.”
That ”else” chilled my blood. The chain from the hoist on the wrecker clinked against the front b.u.mper of my car. A man got the hook in place, the hoist whined and the front end lifted off the ground. The thin man got into the truck beside the driver and it went away, my car swaying behind it.
Kruslov watched it go. The patrolman who had been leaning against my car stood beside him. Light shone from my open front door. Into the light came Mrs. Speers, a shawl around her shoulders.
”Did you take Mr. Sewell's car away?” she asked sharply.
”Yes m'am, we did,” Kruslov replied.
”Mr. Sewell is going to be very angry.”
”I guess so, m'am. You told me he went for a walk.
Is that right?”
”Of course it's right or I wouldn't have said so. I don't know what right you have to go into his apartment and take his car away.”
”We've got a warrant, m'am. It's legal.”
”It may be legal, but it isn't decent. He's a nice young man.”
”Mrs. Speers, would you mind if I asked you some more questions about last Sunday?”
”Not at all. But if you think that...”
”You said that Mr. Sewell filled up the back end of his car with trash and took it to the city dump. You mind telling me what he put in his car?”
”Cans and bottles and trash. Why the city can't collect trash the way they do in other places, I'll never si... I mean, m'am, what were the cans and bottles in? Cartons?”
”There was one carton of trash and then he had a big brown canvas thing packed with trash.”
”How big was the canvas thing?”
”Oh, I'd say about as big as a blanket. He had it full of trash and he held it by the four corners, like a sack.”
”Did he handle it as if it was heavy?”
”Of course it was heavy! It was full of trash.”
”Could the Olan girl's body have been in there?”
I distinctly heard her gasp, and I could imagine the expression on her face.
”Why what a ridiculous idea! You must be out of your mind.”
”No, lady, I am not out of my mind.”