Part 28 (1/2)
”How do you suggest I stop her?”
”Hold her on suspicion of something.”
”Suspicion of what?”
”Suspicion of using henna rinse. What the h.e.l.l does it matter?”
”It matters when some low-life lawyer sues me. No offense meant.”
”None taken,” Becky said.
”You wouldn't represent her, would you?” Cora said.
”I don't know. Does she have money?”
”You're not helping. The woman's getting away.”
”Do you want her here when the other woman shows up?” Harper said.
”It might be interesting.”
”It might be chaotic. It's bad enough having you here. I don't need three women fighting over the same man.”
”I'm not fighting over Melvin! I have no interest in Melvin! The women are welcome to Melvin!”
”It's a small office. I can hear you just fine.”
”Would you like us to leave?” Becky suggested.
”Stick around. Who knows what Dan will bring back this time.”
The second time Dan got it right. Fifteen minutes later, he ushered in Bambi.
The young woman sized up the present company and twisted her lips into a pout.
”Do you know why you're here?” Harper said.
”Yeah.” Bambi jerked her thumb at Cora. ”She ratted me out.”
”I mean did Dan explain why we want to talk to you?”
”No. He just said you did. I'd have argued with him, but I didn't want to wake Melvin.”
”Considerate of you,” Harper said. ”I understand you got a letter.”
”I didn't get a letter. I got a crossword puzzle and a number puzzle.”
”A KenKen,” Cora said.
”Whatever. It was slipped under the door. I didn't know what to do with it, so I brought it to her. She said it didn't mean anything. If it didn't mean anything, why am I here?”
”The puzzle led Ms. Felton to an address at the edge of town. There was a mailbox at the end of the driveway. There was a gun in the mailbox.”
Bambi's mouth fell open. ”There was what!”
”There was a gun in the mailbox. We won't know until the forensic tests are done, but it might be the gun that killed Mr. Randolph.”
”That can't be true.”
”Why not?”
”It makes no sense.”
”It makes no sense because we don't know the facts. Once the facts are known...”
”What facts? What mailbox? Whose house was this?”
”The house belongs to a Mr. and Mrs. Prichert. They've been residents of Bakerhaven for over forty years. They have three grown children, all of whom have left home. She's a retired schoolteacher. He's a retired farm equipment salesman. The chance that either of them is involved in the murder of a banker seems rather slim.”
Bambi crinkled her nose. ”Then what was a gun doing in their mailbox?”
”I have no idea.”
”Are you sure you found a gun in their mailbox?”
”It looked like a gun to me,” Cora said. ”I suppose we'll have to wait for ballistics.”
Bambi looked baffled. ”That doesn't make any sense. If the gun had been in the motel room...”
”What motel room?” Harper said.
”Didn't she tell you about the motel room?”
”No, she did not. What's this about a motel room?”
Bambi explained how room 106 was right next to Melvin's motel unit. ”She searched it first. It was only when she didn't find anything she went looking for this mailbox.”
”That's mighty interesting.” Harper turned to Cora. ”You left that part out of your story.”
”When you summarize a case, do you include all the false leads? If I listed every place there wasn't a gun, we'd be here all day. I just told you where one was.”
”So what about the motel room?”
”That was the first theory. It sounded promising, but it wasn't.”
”How'd you get into the motel room?”