The Turquoise Shop by Crane Frances

Author:Crane, Frances [Crane, Frances]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, New Mexico
Publisher: Crown
Published: 1941-09-01T16:06:54+00:00

28.

Patrick said he’d have to sift the ashes. I suggested his waiting till the fire died down a little more. . The fact is, I wanted to know more about the ring. I had some bourbon and ginger-ale and we sat down with long drinks at the fireside, and I was just ready to start quizzing when Patrick Abbott said:

“What a hell of a nuisance!”

“What?”

“Losing that ring. What chance have I got now of a real vacation?”

“How’s that?”

Patrick said, “Mr. Trask thought that ring a real clue to the murderer. Therefore whoever was outside the window saw me with the ring and evidently suspected me of some connection with the investigation and chanced a shot at me. In other words, suspected that I’m a dick.”

“A what?”

“A detective.”

“Well, I didn’t tell it,” I said. “Maybe somebody was just playing with a gun.”

“You think so?”

“No, I just said it.”

Patrick Abbott grinned. “Thanks. It cheers me up. But it might have hit you, you know.”

“Well, it didn’t,” I said, wondering if he’d care. “Why would Mona take the ring?”

“How do we know yet that she did?”

I said, “Maybe she fired the shot. Maybe she wanted the ring and shot at you and saw you drop it and then came in to get it.”

“But how did she get across the corral to the road and into her car so quickly?”

I said, “Just where did you meet her?”

“At the foot of the hill.”

“That’s what she said, too. Was Luis with her then?”

“Yes. He was driving. We almost met head on.”

“Do you think she fired the shot, Pat?” I said, repeating myself, more or less.

“What would be her motive?”

“Well, what would be her motive in taking the ring? Isn’t it all the same thing somehow? Does there always have to be a motive?”

“Always. Even a nut thinks he has a motive for a crime.”

“The whole thing is simply haywire,” I said. “Crazy.”

Patrick said, “Mona didn’t fire the shot. She wouldn’t’ve had time to climb your wall, run across the corral, reach the road, and get into her car by the time we met at the foot of the hill. She had on evening slippers and a long fluffy dress. There was no evidence about her clothes to indicate that she’d been sprinting over walls and fields and such.”

“Did you have time to see that?”

“Nothing to that.”

“Do you always carry a gun, Pat?”

“Not always,” he said.

“Luis could have done it,” I said, feeling awful for saying it, too. “Maybe Mona waited for him in the car. Then they came on here to get the ring.”

“How about motive?” Patrick asked blithely. “The ring alone isn’t enough.”

“Well, Luis has been wanting money. Mona’s up to her neck in something. She’s worried. Maybe she wanted the ring and so—”

“I hardly think she’d take that means of getting it,” Patrick said.

I felt irritated.

“I’ll show you something,” I said. I went to the closet in my room and took the roll of money from my coat. “Look at this. Luis came into the shop to-day and paid me every cent he owed on the stuff he has reserved for himself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.