Page 160 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Slow Burn

“Maybe I do. But what, if anything, points to the identity of the
killer?”
She fixed me with one of those piercing green-eyed glances. “I was
hoping you might be able to shed some light on that.”
I took out my little notebook with a flourish. “As a matter of fact,
I can. That old, uh, lady in the downstairs apartment got a look at our
killer. She wouldn’t admit to peering out the door every time the
outer lobby door was buzzed open or she heard voices out there, but
it was obvious she had a handle on the comings and goings of the
other seven occupants.”
“Wait a minute. Did you check the emergency exits?”
“Yes, all secured. The fire door at the end of the building sets off a
siren when it’s opened. So nobody gets in unless they either have a
key or can convince a resident over the intercom to let them in.”
“And what did she see or hear yesterday afternoon and evening?”
I consulted my scribbled notes. “Well, lots of people apparently
use the front door on Sundays. Only one of them, however, made
any lasting impression on her. At five o’clock, just as the wrestling
program on TV ended, she heard someone coming down the stairs
very loudly, then stumble and crash against the wall. She opened her
door to see what was going on, and saw the back of a man as he
threw open the front door and ran out into the street.”
“Did she describe him?”
“Yes. About medium height, probably under forty, judging from
his speed and movements. His clothing, as much of it as she could
see, included a green and white plaid sports coat and pink trousers.
He had bright orange hair, not very well-combed, and was wearing
white gloves.”
Labelle grimaced. “Too bad she couldn’t have seen the clown nose
or the plastic lapel flower that squirts water. No chance of her
making this up, I suppose?”
“I doubt if she has the imagination. Anyway, I talked to all the
other tenants. None had any such visitor, yesterday or ever.”
“So the killer escapes in an outfit designed to distract attention
from any significant physical characteristics. It’s a takeoff on dazzle
camouflage. He could have been a hunchback or bald or missing
several fingers. Or he might have been a she. Very clever.”

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