Murder by Installments

Episode 4

Welcome, folks. If this is your first visit, you might like to start with Episode 1.

Episode 4

Whatever fancy duds Fancy Dan wore, he was a thug. I knew that now. He frogmarched me out of the Brazelton's mansion on Broad and to the back entrance. I got ready for the bum's rush, and he didn't disappoint. He built up some speed and started to pitch me out on my ear, but I planted my foot and pivoted. He went sailing on by, landing in a heap at the bottom of the porch steps.

I reached in my pocket for my own gat, the sorry little Iver Johnson .32. It wasn't much, but all the last few months had left me with. Fancy Dan started to laugh when he saw it, in all its flaking nickel glory.

"I know," I said. "It's a funny little gun. But you just try me, if you think it won't put a hole in your eyeball, Blondie."

"Who the hell are you, bub?"

"I'm Matt Slade. I'm a private dick. Mr. B hired me to poke around—"

"Look, Slade. I think you was getting' the wrong idea back there."

"Whaddya mean?"

"You was figurin' Mr. B for a rover, and you ain't wrong. But then you start figurin' the Missus for a jealous wife?"

"And ain't she? When a hubby dies, you don't usually have far to look for—"

"That's just it, Slade. She ain't mad, she don't bat for that team. Mr. B is cover for her. If he's after the girls, the only way she gets jealous is she's hunting the same ground."

I put the little .32 back in my pocket. I walked over to the big stone balustrade and sat down.

"You're tellin' me this, why? That don't seem like something they'd want public."

"It ain't. But you said you was a private dick, right? You don't get paid to make a stink. If I get you on the right track, maybe you get out of the Missus' hair."

I turned that one over. It could all be a load of bunk, to get me off the right track. My first thought was that this big blond side of beef might be her… diversion, not that she wasn't interested at all. Well, file that away. Come back to it, maybe. "What, in your estimation, Walters, is the right track?"

"The list of who he ain't gotten crossways of is probably shorter than who he has."

"Thanks. That's helpful. I guess I'd better get back inside and finish up with Mrs B—"

"Hold on. All right. Say, you fancy a snort, Slade?" He dug a pint out from his tux coat pocket. I wouldn't've thought it'd hold it, but the proof's in the pudding.

I took a pull, handed it back. "So what's your read on the secretary, anyway?"

"Her? She the one who put yo on to the Missus?"

"Yeah."

"She's a cold one, she is. You'd figure her for hot pants, getting close to the boss, right?"

"I suppose I did."

"Well, it ain't really that. It's the power she likes. The boss is a busy man, see? So while he's off being rich and important, going to the club, the symphony, generally doing what big shots do, he needs someone to look after the business so he stays rich and important."

"And that's the Woodridge dame?"

"Bingo."

I thought about that. She wouldn't want him to go anywhere, would she? After all, if he was her ticket to power, if something happened to him, she'd be out. Who wouldn't?

"So… if Mr. B was to croak, who'd get the pile? Mrs B?"

"There you go again with the Missus. No, not her. She gets enough to be comfortable, but the pile goes to the little girl."

"Woodridge?" He's leaving it all to the secretary? Well, put her right back at the top of the—

"No, not her. The kid. His daughter."

"I… didn't know he had a kid."

"She's grown and out, but yeah."

"Oh, married off?"

"No, not her. She's a bluestocking. Some kinda… whaddya call it? Researcher? Up at Temple."

I stood to go. "Well, thanks, Walters."

"For the dope? Don't mention it, please."

"Nah, for the drink. We'll see if the dope is any good."

I walked out into the afternoon sun, peeking through the overcast. Going to meet a bluestockinged heiress, I needed to class up a bit. Heck, clean up a bit. I wanted her to talk, friendly like. I didn't think a rumpled raincoat and stained suit would get me far. Not as far as I needed. Vanity of vanities...

To be continued…

Thanks for reading, folks, and Merry Christmas! (Or Happy Channukah, or what other holiday you celebrate, I hope you had a happy one!)

If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing, for emailed updates, or following for in-app notifications of new posts. Either way, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Thanks, and I’ll see you next week.