Gertrude, Gumshoe by Robin Merrill

Author:Robin Merrill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery, cosy mystery, mysteries with humor, funny mystery, senior snoop, senior sleuth
Publisher: New Creation Publishing
Published: 2021-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Merle’s bedroom was a mess. The bed was a tangle of sheets. Clothes were strewn all over. Gertrude picked up a pair of pants and went through the pockets but came up empty. As she bent to pick up another pair, she saw Sheriff doing the same.

They checked every pocket in the room—no clues.

Gertrude opened each dresser drawer, but there was precious little in them. She went to the nightstand and sat on the edge of his bed for a break. His nightstand was cluttered with a dusty lamp, an even dustier alarm clock, a full ashtray, and umpteen pill bottles. She picked up a few and tried to read the labels, but it was gibberish to her. She wished she had Calvin with her. He was better with these things. “This is a lot of drugs. Are you sure he didn’t have more than heart problems?”

Allison didn’t answer her. She opened the drawer to find even more pill bottles. “Good grief,” she muttered.

She stood, left the room, came to the stairs, and looked up. Was this going to be worth it? Those were a lot of stairs. They would take a lot of effort, effort she wasn’t sure her legs had in them. And it would take her a long time. Shoot. She’d better get started. She set her walker aside and grabbed the handrail. “Let’s get going,” she said to her legs, and sure enough, they carried her up the stairs.

She didn’t realize until she reached the top that Sheriff Clarion had carried her walker up for her. Wowsa, he was swell!

She grabbed her walker and headed for the bedroom. It was empty save for a sheetless bed and a bureau. Gertrude looked to Allison for an explanation. The sheriff had let her into the room this time.

“This is my brother’s room. We don’t use it.”

“Where’s your brother?”

“West River.”

“How far away is that?”

Allison and the sheriff exchanged a look. “Where are you from, exactly?” Allison asked.

Gertrude turned and headed for the other upstairs bedroom. This one was chock-full of stuff. Gertrude sighed. It would take forever to go through it all. She went to the bureau first and pulled the top drawer open.

Allison took three quick steps and slammed it shut. “Okay, enough. I want to be helpful, but this is ridiculous. This is my private bedroom.”

“My apologies, Allison. You’re absolutely right. Let’s go, Gertrude.”

Going down the stairs was even harder than going up them. Her knees protested with every step, but she managed and then gratefully leaned on her walker. She headed for the back door.

“There’s nothing more,” Allison said. “You’ve seen the whole house.”

Gertrude pushed the back door open and looked out at the backyard.

“See? I told you. Nothing more.”

The sheriff hadn’t been kidding. There was ample evidence of what had once been a giant garden. Gertrude could still see logs that had been used to border the raised beds, but they’d been overgrown by tickletuppy. Still, despite the neglect, many flowers bloomed. She shut the door.

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