The Homicide Trinity 161
who could curtsy like that. 'You'd better save it,' I said. 'This egg not only hasn't hatched, it's not even laid
yet.'
Raymond Dell was boring holes through me with deep-set blue-gray eyes. 'I wouldn't have my picture taken with Carol Jasper,' he said, 'for all the gold of Ormus and of Ind.'
'You can squat down behind,' Hattie said. 'Come on Mr. Goodwin.' She moved. 'He wants to see the house. I hope the beds are made.'
I said I'd see them later and followed her out. Half- way down the hall she asked, not lowering her voice, 'How was that? All right?'
'Fine,' I said, loud enough to carry back. 'They're interested and that'll help.'
She stopped at a door on the left toward the front, opened it, and went in. I followed and closed the door. The window blinds were down and it was almost as dark as night, but she flipped a wall switch and light came from a cluster of bulbs in the ceiling. I glanced around. A sofa, dark red plush or velvet, chairs to match; a fireplace with a marble mantel; worn and faded carpet; an upright piano against the wall on the right, and beyond the piano shelves of books.
'Here,' Hattie said, and went to the shelves. 'I put the books back like they were.' As I moved to join her the comer of my eye caught something, and I turned my head; and, seeing it, I turned more and then froze. It was Tammy Baxter, flat on the floor behind the sofa, staring up at the ceiling; and, as if to show her where to stare, the handle of a knife at right angles to her chest was pointing straight at the cluster of lights.
Chapter 3
To show you how freaky a human mind can be, as if you didn't already know, the thought that popped into mine was that Hattie had been right, a counterfeiter would have more clothes; and what brought it was the fact that Tammy's skirt was up nearly to her waist, exposing her legs. That took the first tenth of a second. The next thought was also of Hattie, just as freaky but for men only, based on the strictly male notion that women aren't tough enough to take the sight of a corpse. I turned, and she was there at my elbow, staring down at it.
'That's a knife,' she said.
That plain statement of fact brought my mind to. I went and squatted, lifted Tammy's hand, and pressed hard on the thumbnail. When I released the pressure it stayed white. The dead hand flopped back to the carpet and I stood up. I glanced at my wrist; twelve minutes past one. 'You'll see the cops now,' I said. 'If you don't want- Hands off! Don't touch her!'
'I won't,' she said, and didn't. She only touched the skirt, the hem, to pull it down, but it was bunched underneath and would come only to the knees.
'It's your house,' I said, 'so you ought to phone, but I will if you prefer.'
'Phone for a cop?'
'Yes.'
'Do you have to?'
'Certainly.'
She went to a chair and sat. 'This is the way it goes,' she said. 'It always has. When I want to think I can't. But you can, Buster, that's your business. You ought to be able to think of something better than calling a cop.'
The Homicide Trinity 163
'I'm afraid I can't, Hattie.' I stopped. I hadn't real- ized she had become Hattie to me until I heard it come out. I went on, 'But first a couple of questions, in case some thinking is called for later. When you came back here this morning to sew on the button did you see Tammy?'
'No.'
'Did you see anyone?'
'No.'
'The car that came up on the sidewalk and hit you. Did you see the driver?'
'No, how could I? It came from behind.'
'The man and woman who helped you up, and the other man. Did they see the driver?'
'No, I asked them. They said they didn't. I can't think about that, I'm thinking about this. We'll go up to my room. Ray and Martha don't know we came in here. We'll go up to my room and you'll think of something.'
'I can't think her alive and I can't think her body somewhere else. If you mean we forget we came in and saw it, then what? You said nobody comes in here much. Do you phone or do I?'
Her mouth worked. 'You're no good, Buster. I wish I hadn't sewed that button on.' She got to her
