Read Aurora 03 - Three Bedrooms, One Corpse for Free Online Page A

knew no one was in the Anderton house. They told the police that they saw Tonia Lee’s car pull up when it was still daylight, but fading fast. One woman got out. They sat watching TV and eating in their den while they watched, and no other car ever pulled up. They figured someone else had come to the front door. They did see Tonia Lee’s car pull out after dark, way after dark, but of course they couldn’t see who was in it. They were pretty interested, someone being in the house for that long; they thought someone might really be thinking of buying.”
    We all mulled that over for a minute.
    “I wonder why the police told you so much?” Patty asked.
    Mackie shook his head. “I guess they thought they would pressure me into confessing or something. If I’d been guilty, it might have worked.”
    “You run every night, you’ve always told us that, and I’ve often seen you. That’s not suspicious at all,” my mother said staunchly. We all murmured agreement, even Patty Cloud, who was none too fond of having to do work for a black man, I’d observed. Though having Debbie working for her didn’t seem to be a problem.
    “Lots of people run or ride bikes in the evening,” Idella said suddenly. “Donnie Greenhouse does .. . Franklin Farrell does.”
    Franklin Farrell was another local realtor.
    “I bet it was Donnie,” Eileen said bluntly. “He just couldn’t stand Tonia Lee screwing around anymore.”
    “Eileen,” Mother said warningly.
    “It’s true, and we all know it,” Eileen said.
    “I’m sure she just made an appointment with someone who used a false name, and the man killed her,” Idella said in so low a voice we had to strain to hear her. “It could happen to any of us.”
    We were all silent for a moment, staring at her.
    “Except Mackie, of course,” Eileen said briskly, and we all broke into laughter.
    “Naw, I just get framed for it,” Mackie said after the last chuckle had died away. And we were all sober again.

    Patty Cloud said suddenly, “I think it was the House Hunter.”
    “Oh,” my mother said doubtingly. “Come on, Patty.”
    “The House Hunter,” said Eileen consideringly. “It’s possible.”
    “Who’s that?” I asked. I was apparently the only one not in the know.
    “The House Hunter,” Idella said softly, “is what all the realtors in town call Jimmy Hunter, the owner of the hardware store. On Main, you know?”
    “Susu’s husband?” I asked. There were several women named Sally in Lawrenceton, so most of them went by distinguishing nicknames. “I was in their wedding,” I said, as if that made it impossible for Jimmy Hunter to be peculiar.
    “We all know him,” Mother said dryly. “And we christened him the House Hunter because he just loves to look at houses. Without Sally with him. He’s always going to buy her a house for her birthday, or some such thing. And he’s got the money to actually do it, that’s the only reason we put up with him.”
    “He’s not really in the market?”
    “Oh, hell no,” Eileen boomed. “They’re going to stay in that old house they inherited from Susu’s folks till hell freezes over. He’s just some mild kind of pervert. He just likes to look at houses.”
    “With women,” Idella added.
    “Yes, when we sent him out with Mackie, he didn’t call us back for months,” Mother said.
    “He won’t make appointments with Franklin, either,” Idella added. “Just that Terry Sternholtz that works with him.” Eileen laughed at that, and we all looked at her curiously.
    “Maybe he called Greenhouse Realty instead,” Mackie said quietly.
    “And since the Greenhouses are hard up, Donnie sent Tonia Lee out with him, just on the off chance he might really buy something.” This was Eileen’s contribution.
    “Let me get this straight. He doesn’t make passes?” I asked.
    “No.” Mother shook her head emphatically. “If he did, none of us would show him a doghouse. He just likes to look through other