Vanity Fire by John M. Daniel

Author:John M. Daniel [Daniel, John M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-61595-034-8
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 2011-01-11T16:00:00+00:00

“Because, Mister Mallon, I don’t have to tell you dick.”

“But Rosa, for Christ’s sake, I’m the one who told you who Robert Worsham was.”

Rosa gave me a look that was half smile, half sneer. “Right,” she said. “He was the murderer, if I remember correctly. And the arsonist.”

“Okay, so I was wrong about that. How did you know to check his dental records, anyway?”

“Because, my friend, investigation is what I do. When a woman tells me her husband hasn’t been heard from for five days and I have an unidentified body in the morgue, I tend to put two and two together.”

“So,” I said. “So you admit you called Worsham’s wife, which you wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t told you about him. You were expecting to find him at home, right? I at least put you on the right track, right? Right?”

Rosa Macdonald sighed. “Okay, Guy. What else do you have to tell me? Any other hot tips? Let’s have it, because I have a lot on my plate right now.”

“Why are you so mad at me?” I asked.

“I’m not. But I’ll tell you this: if you start your own investigation again, I’ll be mad. I’ll be more than mad. I’m running the investigation. So if you have anything for me, let’s have it right now.”

“First tell me—”

“No, no. Information flows this way. It’s a one-way street. We’re not swapping secrets. You’re contributing to my investigation, and if you know something and don’t tell me what it is, you’re obstructing justice, and you know what happens when you do that.”

“You don’t seem to realize that the woman I love is missing, too,” I said.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t expect me not to try to find out where she is. The arson investigation is your business. Carol’s safety is my business. Don’t you obstruct me, either.”

She nodded. “Okay, I understand. If I find out anything about Carol Murphy, I’ll certainly let you know. I promise. I have to tell you she’s number three on the list of people I most want to locate myself.”

“And the others?”

She shook her head.

“Roger Herndon?” I asked. “Now that he’s among the living?”

“Lucky guess. Now—”

“Fritz Marburger.”

She laughed. “Okay. Bingo. Now do you have anything to tell me?”

“No,” I said. “Sorry. If anything turns up, I’ll—”

“Guy,” Rosa said, “be careful. Don’t go looking for trouble.”

“What are you doing about Herndon and Marburger, not that it’s any of my business? Do you know where either of them is?”

“I’m working on it. Please get out of my office and let me work on it. Good-bye.”

***

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