“You want to watch out, or you’ll never get back to work. It’s one of those haunted house pictures, isn’t it?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “There’s this old house up on a rock in New England. Barbara Delacourt answers an ad for a house-sitter. See, she’s supposed to take care of it while they’re in Europe. What she don’t know is the house eats people, and every so often they do this to feed it. Once she started to go into a closet, and the clothes hanging up and the shoe boxes on the floor all turn into teeth. I crawled right under the seat.”
“You didn’t have to worry—the star never gets it until the end of the picture. But speaking of haunted houses, you haven’t seen anything funny going on in the place two doors down, have you?”
“Not except that they’re tearing it down. They’re going to tear this one down too, and the place next door. They said they’d tell us when. Ed and me only rent, but we’re looking for something else, maybe an apartment if they’ll take Melissa.”
“They’re going at it pretty slow, if they’ve started on Free’s but haven’t even told you when yours is coming down.”
“Is Free their name? The place across from the Frees’s is condemned too.”
“The doctor’s?”
“No, that’s across from here. Across from the Frees’s. Only with the strike, it might be a long time.”
“I didn’t know there was one.”
“It’s the construction guys. They walked off yesterday afternoon. That’s why nobody’s working today. Some guy got hurt as soon as they started. Some cop. I mean a police officer.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“There was a big number about it. The TV came. Then two construction guys got hurt too, and the rest of them walked out. Unsafe working conditions, I guess.”
“I see.” Stubb rose smiling. “Listen, I can see you’re busy with the baby, and I don’t want to take up any more of your time. You’ve been a big help. If the forces of law and order got more cooperation from good citizens like you, well, the neighborhoods wouldn’t be as bad as they are.”
The young woman looked modest. “Officer, you were just somebody nice to talk to. A break in the day.”
“Thanks. Listen—that car I told you about? I don’t know if it’ll be back, but I will. If you see it, take a good look and write down the license number, will you? Try and see who’s in it.”
The man who answered the next door was large and black and yawning. He wore an undershirt and white boxer shorts. When Stubb showed his badge, he grabbed his wrist. “Hey, man, let me look at that. That say Private Investigator—you ain’t no real policeman.”
“Did I say I was a policeman?”
“Course you did.” The black plucked the badge case from Stubb’s hand. “Get your foot out my door.”
“No, I didn’t. I said I was a detective. I am. I’m a private detective, just like it says on the tin. I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
“You got this out the mail-order catalog.”
“Sure. Where else would I get a badge like that? There’s a company out in California.”
“You just get out my door.” The black drew back the door to slam it, and Stubb stepped inside. The black said, “Man, just what
“You said to get out of the door, so I did. I have to talk to you, and I figured you were probably freezing, standing there in your undies.”
“You woke me up, man. I was sleepin’. I work third shift this week.”
“Yeah? What do you do?”
“What you care? Little man, you know I could chew your ass up and spit you out.”
“Sure, but you won’t.” Stubb looked about the room, then sat on a straight-backed chair near the lone, comfortable-looking easy chair.
“You tell me why I won’t. Man, it’s cold in here.”
“Because you know I’m a private op, and I might be carrying a gun.”
“Are you doin’ that?”
Stubb got out a battered pack of cigarettes and offered one. “If I said, you couldn’t be sure you could believe me.”
“Guess you’re right.” The black accepted a cigarette and bent over Stubb’s match. “Here.” He tossed the badge case into the small man’s lap. “Keep it. I’m goin’ to get a blanket.”
He reemerged from the rear of the house in a minute or so, a plain, dark green blanket wrapped about his shoulders. “How about this? Look at superman. I got me a nice, warm robe a while back, but I spilled somethin’ on it. My woman’s been soakin’ it. Now, what you here for, wakin’ me up an’ botherin’ me?”
Stubb told him about the car.
“Didn’t see it. I don’t never pay much mind to what neighbors is doin’ anyway. If you do an’ they’re doin’ bad, they’ll get you for it. If they’re not doin’ bad, what’s the good of it?”
“Will you keep your eyes open for me anyhow? I’ll check with you on the weekend when you don’t have to sleep.”
