Dark Blonde by David H. Fears Read Free Book Online Page B

us.”
    “So, the mousy small-eyed paleface who called me — that who you call Bird Legs?”
    “The same. Miss Efficient — virgin I suspect — although that’s only an impression, not the result of close detection. I’ve just started on this case, what should have been a simple missing persons ticket. We’re going to need your special diplomatic talents with homicide detectives and some research efforts.”
    “They don’t ever seem to stay simple for you, do they? I mean, for us. Sometimes it slips my mind we’re partners.”
    I rubbed my fingers lightly over the back of my head, where the swelling had tightened the skin and blood had matted the hair. It wasn’t ready for touching. Dad warned me but I had to just rush in. “You’ll get used to it, if I don’t dump you first. Anyway, it beats police work. And speaking of flatfeet, I need to ask Julia a few things before the ulcer boys start browbeating her. With her charms they might monopolize her the rest of the day.” I winced when my fingers rounded the lump’s apex. A searing needle of pain shot through my molars and down my scar.
    “Where’d you get the egg?”
    “Victim’s house. Seems I interrupted someone rifling through the place. Did everything but tear the linoleum up. She must have had something they wanted badly. How long’s she been dead?”
    “I’d say sometime during the night. About 12 hours. Where is anyone’s guess. What little blood there is in the two rooms argues she was dumped here. If they’d killed her somewhere in the house there’d be a lot of blood. No cleanup in the bathroom, no wire, no rope anywhere. Those things were left behind, or removed.”
    “Which makes one wonder why they’d dump her here, naked and headless with some wild Greek goddess name. Seems like a lot of work a single slug could’ve done. Unless it’s to send a message or embarrass the congressman or make us think it’s some psycho.”
    “Which would establish a motive for political opponents. I hear the campaign is tightening up. Big debate coming soon. Some might argue all politicians are psychos. Of course that’s an intellectual tap dance I’d hesitate to engage in.”
    “I’ve never heard of politicians cutting heads off constituents, maybe because they can’t overtax a dead man. If the killer were on Whipple’s team, dumping a body in the Henry’s estate would be one way to narrow the gap. I’d imagine a body in the guesthouse reflects poorly on one’s standing at the country club. Now, let’s see — who’s lining up behind Whipple? The Teamsters and a few other labor toughs, all the fat plumbers in the Whipple’s union. He’s from Cicero, Capone’s old hometown.”
    “The kind of neighbors you put up with, Mike. After the police are done here and we give our statement, you can fill me in on any other details in the case. I’d like to see Gail’s house too, if the cops haven’t sealed it up by then. Getting sapped, you might have missed a few things, but it means whoever was ripping the place apart wasn’t finished. Maybe they missed what they were looking for. If it was the killer who blackjacked you, why didn’t he finish you? He’d have nothing to lose.”
    Two cars glided rapidly into the porte-cochere, one squad car and one unmarked. A curtain stirred in an upstairs window, parted by a white hand, then fell back.
     

 
Chapter 6
     
    The lush grounds held the cold still air, the sky opening up with a low sun brightening the expansive lawn. A robin, brave but too lazy to fly south for the winter, was sounding off about what a perfect setting it was. If I didn’t know there was a decapitated body in the guesthouse I would have thought Home Beautiful was on the way to film the place.
    I arm-waggled the cops toward the guesthouse, then walked rapidly toward the side door to the main house. Opening the door I turned and said to Rick, “Keep them occupied while I talk to Julia.” I needed to prepare Julia for the