Read Armed for Free Online Page B

detective looked up at the clock on the wall. “Well, it is lunch time. Almost.” He put the sandwich down and wiped a bit of mustard from his chin. “What’s this all about?”
    “The shovel. I didn’t see it. Honest to God.” I leaned forward. “I think I can prove it,” I gave him my most engaging smile, which seemed to have no affect at all.
    “Unless you’re going to tell me you’re legally blind, how can you do that?”
    He seemed to be paying a lot of attention to his sandwich.
    “Go ahead and eat. You can eat and listen at the same time, can’t you?”
    Detective Van der Burg picked up the sandwich and took a large bite. I wondered if he would share. My stomach had digested my meager breakfast quite nicely and wanted more.
    “I didn’t want to go out into the factory.”
    “The clown thing,” he said through a mouthful of sandwich.
    “Yes. The clown thing. I would have given anything not to have to go out there. But I did.”
    “And?”
    “And? Don’t you see? I had to go out there because I couldn’t find a shovel.”
    Detective Van der Burg put the last bit of his sandwich down. “How does this prove anything?”
    I sighed. Was the man a moron? “If I had seen the shovel in the mailroom there would have been no need for me to go into the factory, but I did. Hence, I didn’t see the shovel.” I leaned back totally awed by my brilliant deductive abilities. If my business didn’t pick up soon, maybe I could get a job here. They seemed to need the help.
    “That’s your proof?”
    “Yes.” I said, annoyed he didn’t seem sufficiently impressed with my explanation.
    “Ms. Harris, that’s not proof. We just have your word for it. We need a bit more.”
    “Why? Now you’re accusing me of lying. To the police?”
    “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just wondering why you went out into a factory you’ve admitted creeps you out, with a shovel in the mailroom right where you worked all day. The fact there just happened to be a dead body in the factory makes it all the more interesting to me. Now, if you don’t mind, I have some calls to make.” He tossed out the wrappings of his sandwich, which, by the way, came from my favorite deli, and brushed crumbs into the wastebasket.
    I would not be dismissed so easily. I stood up and leaned on his desk, fingers splayed. “You don’t know me, but let me tell you a few things. I pay my bills on time, I ride my bike all summer to do my bit for the ozone layer. I work hard, and if I say I didn’t see that shovel, then I didn’t see that shovel!” Others in the room looked our way. I stood up and straightened my shoulders. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
    “Well, thanks for letting me know.” That ridiculous smile tugged at the corners of this mouth. “As long as you’re here—” He pulled some papers from a folder on his desk. “Take a look at these. Do they mean anything to you?”
    I glanced at each sheet and then shook my head. “It seems to be a list of clients and things they’ve ordered from Poupée Mannequins. What is it exactly? Is it important?”
    “We don’t know. The original is at the lab but I made a few copies. I gave one to Mr. Poupée. And yes, it is a printout of various clients. The question is why would Mrs. Scott have this in her purse?”
    I shook my head again. “I have no idea. Maybe she liked to work at home.”
    “Maybe.”
    Detective Van der Burg stood up and I noticed he looked more athletic than I had realized last night. Then his intense gray eyes were staring at me and I felt a damn blush coming on.
    “Are you going anywhere for the holidays?” he asked, catching me totally off guard.
    “If that’s your way of hinting I shouldn’t leave the country then let me know so I can cancel my flight to Brazil.”
    And then he laughed. An actual laugh. It sounded nice.
    “No. Not at all. Just curious.”
    I narrowed my eyes, wondering what his ulterior motive could be and then I mentally