"RICHARD_M_ELLIS_-_THE_DARK_WELL" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ellis Richard M)

"Wouldn't be surprised," said the sheriff.

"Yeah. He even managed to get engaged to Agatha Baker some years back, but she evidently got wise to him and give him the boot," Mullins said.

I wondered briefly if that was when Agatha had bought the toy bear. Then I heard the clomp-clomp of hurried footsteps in the outer office, and Deputy Jack Avery burst in. For once he looked wide awake.

"I got somethin', but I ain't sure what," he snapped. He took a couple of deep breaths, and went on, "Parmeter was at this bottle-club last night. Acted like he meant to stay the evenin', drinkin' and playin' poker with some of the fellers there. When he got a phone call."

Carson sat up straight in his chair.

Avery grinned. "Yeah. Feller that owns the place answered the phone. It was a woman, and it ain't the first time she'd called there, wantin' Parmeter. But last night he wasn't glad to hear from her. In fact, he was overheard tellin' her to go to hell. But then he said, 'Okay, okay but this is the last time, Noreen.' He flung down the phone and left. This was at a few minutes after eight."

I said slowly, "Noreen. Well, well."

"Mebbe one Noreen Henderson wasn't as all alone last night as she kept tellin' us she was," Carson said. "Come on, Lon."

The noon whistles were blowing as Carson tapped on the front door of the Henderson house. Noreen wasn't glad to see us. Opening the door a few inches, she glanced past us toward the yard of the Parmeter-Ames place next door, and seemed relieved to see that the crowd over there had dwindled to a handful of kids. Her gaze came back to us, and hardened.

She said, "You'll find J.C. at the store downtown."

"It's you we wanted to talk to," Carson said mildly.

"Me? What about?"

"We're curious about how many times Lloyd Parmeter was over here keepin' you company, on evenin's your old man worked late," I said. "Like last night, for instance."

"Oh, no," she breathed, backing away but leaving the door open. She kept backing until she hit a chair and half fell into it. Carson and I followed.

Noreen Henderson stared up at us, her blue eyes wide and glazed with fear. "Listen, it wasn't at all like you think. Lloyd was a friend, that's all. J.C. knew."

"Did he?"

She covered her face with her shaking hands. "Please, don't tell him. He'd kill me."

"What happened last night?"

"Nothing! I I got in touch with Lloyd and asked him to come see me. He'd been avoiding me for a couple of weeks. He drove in at his place a little after eight, and came on over here. We talked a while." She dropped her hands. Her face was slack and sweaty.

Carson asked, "What did you talk about?"

"Lloyd just told me he was through. That he'd married this, this tramp of his in the city, and he wouldn't be seeing me anymore." She shrugged plumb shoulders. "I didn't especially care. I was more relieved than anything else, believe it or not."

I grunted dubiously. "What time did he leave you?"

"Twenty minutes till nine. J.C. was due at nine, so I was watching the clock. I went to the door with Lloyd, and watched him cross the yard and unlock his front door and go inside. He slammed the door real hard behind him. He hadn't acted mad at least not when he left but I guess he was."

Carson said, "Did he bring his briefcase over here?"

"Oh, yes. He didn't stop at his house when he arrived, just hustled on over. I was watching for him."