“Take it easy,” Joe warned. “You’re listing a bit to
starboard.”
“I’m fine,” Judith snarled. “I didn’t dislocate, I
just . . . twinged.” She stopped by the piano at the far
end of the room. “I can’t believe this. Even if we don’t
get sued, we’re out of business for God knows how
long!”
“Come on, Jude-girl,” Joe urged, “try to relax a little.
It’s not like the place burned down.” He looked at
Dilys, who had her back turned to both Flynns and was
on her cell phone. “An APB has gone out on the mysterious cleaning woman. If there was one,” he added,
lowering his voice.
Dilys clicked off to face Judith and Joe. “Unfortunately,” she said, “the description isn’t very helpful.
Ms. Fleming thought the woman was wearing dark
clothing. The rest of her appearance is quite ordinary.
With all the new apartments and condos on this side of
the hill, there must be a hundred women like that
within three square blocks of here.”
Judith abruptly sat down on the piano bench. “No,”
she said slowly, “there’s only one.”
TWENTY
THERE WAS NO time for Judith to explain. The battalion chief came into the living room to consult
with the Flynns. His main advice was to contact
their insurance agent as soon as possible. Joe
agreed, saying he’d drive up to the top of the hill as
soon as the local office opened at ten.
“What about the damage?” Judith asked in a
plaintive voice. “How bad is it?”
“We’ll let you know as soon as we can,” the chief
said kindly. His name was Ramirez, and he spoke
with a slight Spanish accent.
Judith winced. “You’re sure we have to move out?”
Ramirez nodded. “It may not be for long. It’s the
water damage, mostly. That’s often the case with a
small fire. Only the bedcovers, curtains, and carpet
were destroyed. The rest of the fire merely scorched
the bed itself, the mattress, and one wall. By the
way, who tossed the room?”
Joe and Dilys both stared at Judith. “Um . . .” She
put her hands to her cheeks, which seemed to have
suddenly grown quite warm. “I forgot to mention
that. It must have been the intruder who knocked out
Ms. Best.”
Ramirez frowned. “So that’s what I heard someone
talking about. Where are the police?”
Dilys took a step forward. “
