Her Thirties Part 82
Abe and I agreed to lay all our cards on the table and be open with each other.
He waved to Katie, the waitress, to drop another round and I waited until she left.
“You begin,” I told him.
He poured us both full glasses of draft, took a sip, and then started in.
“I responded when the Fire Marshall detected accelerants and thought the fire suspicious. The garage was made of wood and completely burned—to add to the problems, there were propane tanks stored inside, so the neighbors had to be evacuated.”
I shook my head and whistled softly. “That could have been a disaster.”
“It nearly was,” Abe said. “You remember that blaze at Sunrise Petroleum? The blast from that explosion damaged dozens of houses and could be seen and heard for miles.”
“I guess the firemen hung back for fear of a repeat.”
“Exactly,” he said. “By the time the flames were beaten down, everything was incinerated and any bodies inside were reduced to ashes.”
I paused to take in what he said before asking him the crucial question.
“So, you presumed both mother and daughter died in the fire?”
“We did—until we got the call from Ella, later that day, that Catherine turned up at her house in the Beaches, dazed and disoriented.”
“Okay, I get it—you knew about Catherine and the garage fire. So what did you think happened?”
He scratched his head. “Tell you the truth—I honestly didn’t know. At first, Catherine was a person of interest—not a suspect, mind you—but, she was there, and things weren’t adding up.”
“Why weren’t they adding up?”
“Catherine was terrified. She was showing all the signs of post-traumatic stress. She seemed more a victim than a perpetrator.”
I nodded.
“Besides, you get a nose for these things—you can tell what people are like—and Catherine certainly didn’t fit the profile.”
I knew what Abe was saying. Up until that moment, it never even dawned on me that the police might even suspect her.
“Anyway,” he went on, “when she didn’t immediately recover her memory, we knew we were dealing with some deep-seated trauma. Then, when she got out of hospital and was stalked, I figured she musta seen something—something incriminating for whoever was after her.”
I wanted to know where I came in.
“What made you involve me?”
“It was pure chance. Like I told you, my niece took your History course and said you knew all about the Depression era. I figured you might be able to help on the cold case. You did and we became friends, and naturally, I thought you could lend a hand with Marilyn’s case—pardon the pun, but the rest is history.”
“So, is that’s it—that’s everything?”
“Yeah well, let’s put it this way—those are the highlights.”
I laughed. “Didn’t you leave out the nights you spent guarding Marilyn and twisting Cindy and Erin’s arms to watch out for me?”
He flushed. “What can I say? I felt bad pulling you into this mess. Maybe I twisted Erin’s arm a little—but Cindy? That girl didn’t need any pushing—she was ready and willing to spend time watching you.”
I felt the color creeping up my neck.
“Don’t sweat it, Pal—I know you’re in love with Marilyn—but guys like us, we can’t help it. We’re just naturally charming.”
At that moment, as if to confirm his words, Katie tousled his hair as she breezed past with her tray.
His eyes crinkled. He didn’t have to say more.
“Okay,” Abe smiled, “ I sung for my supper—you’re turn.”
My anticipated confrontation had been effectively defused—instead, it turned into a glass bead game. Now I had to show what I had.
My mother (rip) would love your writing. Old school gum shoe. The best. Looking forward to the next post.
Joy
I like British murder mysteries myself :) Deborah Crombie et al
I love it too. :)
Joy
Abe was certainly convincing with his tale. But I still wonder.
He is slick :) but I'll cut Slick some slack for now, lol
Maybe he is more like Scott ... easily manipulated.
So Marilyn saw something, and because Scott is by her side he is a target too. Sounds like a dead end for both right now. So I wonder what Marilyn is thinking, she seems to take her safety in stride. Interesting
I think whatever is making her a target goes to the heart of the mystery - she is a major threat to somebody
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