Asey Mayo 22 Diplomatic Corpse by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

Author:Phoebe Atwood Taylor [Taylor, Phoebe Atwood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery;new england;cape cod;murder;detective
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2018-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

When Asey didn’t at once answer, George repeated his question.

“Yes, George, I seen him,” Asey said very patiently. “I also noted the beard. Huh. What’s that poem that Doc Cummings’s so fond of quotin’—something about how he never nursed a dear gazelle that right away it didn’t fall on the rug, butter side downwards!”

There was something faintly supercilious about the way George stared at him. “I know quite a lot of p-poetry, but I’m sure I never heard of any such p-poem! Look, why didn’t you follow him? Why don’t you? You’ve been talking about men with beards, and there’s your stolen car being driven by a man with a b—”

“Yes, George,” Asey interrupted. “I know. I didn’t try to whip of? after him because even if Clifton Bird was drivin’ my Porter in his own inimitable an’ inept fashion, I couldn’t overtake him in this thing. Not unless he wanted me to. Wa-el, let’s face it. Let’s pick up the gazelle an’ wipe the butter spots off the carpet. George, do you by any rare chance happen to have any part in this pageant, as an actin’ part?”

George said yes, certainly. Muriel had absolutely insisted on his being in it. Muriel had made his life miserable until he promised he’d portray Lord Andrews in the War of 1812 scene. Muriel felt that he ought to since their mother was a direct descendant of Lord Andrews. In case Asey didn’t know it, he went on, Lord Andrews was the British admiral who’d attempted to capture Quanomet in 1812, and who had actually made a landing on Quanomet Point.

“Where the embattled farmers an’ intrepid fishermen gallantly repulsed the invading force with gusto, like the bronze marker says. An’ did your ancestor Lord Andrews have a beard?”

George nodded. “Muriel said it would be provided as a part of my costume, but I brought along an old one I once had for a college show. It fitted me very well and I thought someone could trim it down a bit. I’ve got it right here in my pocket. The—”

An expression of bewilderment came over his face as he pawed around with increasing agitation in the pocket of his raincoat.

“Okay.” Asey pulled the shaggy beard out from inside his shirt. “Here you are. An’ I s’pose this rolled-up paper is just your briefin’ on how to be a proper pageant admiral?”

“That’s a new idea I had for p-possible Pporter copy,” George said with pride. “I b-blocked it out coming over on the p-plane this morning, and developed it as much as I could. It was b-bumpy.”

Asey unrolled the paper and read just enough of it to confirm that George was telling the truth, and then he leaned over and stuffed it back into George’s pocket.

“It’s rather an unusual approach, and I feel it p-presents new angles—”

The rest of his new angles were drowned out as Asey started the car. Lucky for him, he thought, that his Cousin Jennie wasn’t present. She could soar to heights with cracks about the brainy Codfish Sherlock at this point.

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