Page 75 - Labelle Gramercy, On the Case

Thrown for a Loss

that Bertha Marks was getting on the escalator first. Cal did not
notice you, as his attention was probably directed back toward Go
Nuts for Donuts and Meza Patamian. You threw down a large
handful of quarters and yelled, diverting attention from the landing.
Then you pushed the button and ran back to the corridor you had
come out of, which was in the same direction as some of the coins.
You were not noticed. Then you re-entered the service passage with
your key and got rid of the stolen pager, gloves and keys, and put
your jacket back on. Then you rejoined the group, feigning
ignorance.”
Newt was sweating.
“That’s a lot of bull!” he shouted. “You’ve got no evidence!”
“Waylon Sachs is searching for the abandoned items right now,”
she replied calmly. “But you have incriminated yourself. You were
the only one in the group to eat a doughnut covered with powdered
sugar. That substance is on the cover of the emergency button, and
will undoubtedly turn up in many other places you will find difficult
to explain. You are also the only one who could benefit from Bertha
Marks’ death and her granddaughter’s probable incarceration for the
crime.”
“Ah...” Newt was clutching at the air.
“As son of Bertha Marks’ only other heir, your incapacitated
mother, you would gain control of a considerable estate. Newton
Reno, you are under arrest for the murder of Bertha Marks. Officer
Weller, put the cuffs on him.”
I was caught off guard almost as much as Newt was. The
handcuffs were buttoned into an old leather holster on my right hip,
and I had to take my eyes off the suspect for a moment to find the
flap. Newt took that instant to make his getaway, pushing me aside
and running for the escalator. I spun around and was about to crack
my head on the bench, but Lieutenant Gramercy was there to catch
me and lay me down easy on the floor. I felt like a complete idiot,
letting Newt escape and getting in her way. I struggled back to my
feet and got my bearings.
Newt had torn through the yellow tape and was running down the
still-immobilized escalator. In another moment he would be on the
ground floor heading for the nearest exit. I immediately foresaw a
long manhunt, bad publicity for the mall, my name in the news and a

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