Death Spiral by James W. Nichol Read Free Book Online

think so.” He took off his cap and sat down. “So I hear you went for a header in some old man’s bathtub.”
    “Want a coffee?”
    “Sure. I’ll get it.”
    “I’ll get it, for chrissake, I can do something!” Wilf was just as surprised as Andy looked to hear himself flare up.
    “I wasn’t suggesting you couldn’t.”
    Wilf pulled himself up off his chair. “I was trying to see if he was still breathing. It was an accident; I slipped.” He limped over to the counter, purposely leaving his cane behind.
    “Must have been unpleasant, though.”
    Wilf filled up a large mug and hobbled back without spilling a drop though his hip hurt like hell.
    “Thanks,” Andy said.
    Wilf eased himself back down. “I’ve had my share of unpleasant experiences. I’ve seen lots of dead bodies, son.”
    Andy had to smile. When Wilf got pissed off at him, he always called him “Son.” He’d been doing it since they were twelve years old.
    “And not always from ten thousand feet in the air.”
    “All right,” Andy said.
    Wilf began to stir his stew around again. Andy sipped his coffee and watched him.
    “Have you read the police report?” Wilf finally asked.
    “Haven’t been downtown yet. Bolton, you remember him, right, Ted Bolton? He’s a cop now. Anyway, he knows we’re good friends so he called to tell me more or less what happened. You know what this town is like.”
    “Did he tell you what the housekeeper had to say?”
    “More or less.”
    It was obvious why Andy was heading downtown two hours before his shift started. Wilf could almost hear Linda demanding that he check in on Wilf first just to make sure he was all right. Andy wouldn’t have come over on his own volition, he wouldn’t have wanted to make a big deal out of it, he wouldn’t have wanted to risk embarrassing Wilf. To Linda that would have been beside the point.
    Wilf stabbed a piece of beef with his fork. “Did Bolton say anything about somebody forcing their way into Cruikshank’s house? Shattered window. Broken lock. Anything like that?”
    “No.” Andy stared across the table at him. “You know it was an accidental death, don’t you? You know the old man had a heart attack?”
    “That’s what Doc Robinson said.”
    “That’s right. And he’s the coroner.”
    “I just wonder if anyone checked the house. That’s all.”
    “Well, sure. They would have.”
    “Good.”
    All these questions. The pursuit of a crime, if there was a crime. It had all felt irresistibly compelling to Wilf and it still did. And dangerous, too, as if he were letting go of some essential part of himself, as if he were feeling his way into a dark place. He had already involved Carole and to have her company felt better. A society of two in the dark. And after all, Andy was a cop.
    “There weren’t any towels in Cruikshank’s bathroom,” Wilf said.
    Andy just looked at him.
    That was all the encouragement Wilf required. He began to tell him everything he and Carole had found out, including walking in on Frank Cruikshank arguing with Adrienne in the dress shop. “I’ve asked Carole to snoop around a little tonight, see if she can come up with a connection between the old man and Adrienne O’Dell.”
    Andy had been sitting tilted back a little in his chair. Now he got up and looked out the kitchen window though there was nothing he could see. “Poor Carole Birley,” Andy said. “She was engaged to be married to Donny Mason. Remember him? He’s younger than us. Anyway, he came back from overseas with a hot little number from Scotland. A redhead. And a baby.”
    Wilf nodded. That was interesting information actually, but he knew Andy was stalling.
    Andy started to search through his pockets for his cigarettes. He took his time lighting one up. “I think you’re way out on this whole deal, Wilf.”
    “Explain the ice on the floor then.”
    “A pipe burst, water pooled behind the wall, leaked out and froze.”
    Wilf hadn’t thought of that. He