Q is for Quarry (Kinsey Millhone 17)

“Good for you.”

“Don’t you want to know the rest?”

“Sure.”

“The cops have already been around—Lieutenant Dolan and some pal of his. I thought my landlord was talking about you, but he said it was an old guy.”

“Stacey Oliphant.”

“That’s him.”

“They’re good guys. They’re fair. You should be talking to them.”

“I hate cops. What pigs. I’d rather talk to you.”

“What for? I’m just going to turn around and ask you the same questions Lieutenant Dolan would have asked.”

“You want to know where I was Friday night, right? I was in Santa Teresa, working my regular shift. Eleven to seven. And that’s the truth.”

“I thought you were down here with Iona.”

“Who told you that?”

“Weren’t you with her when she called and talked to Pudgie Thursday night?”

“Sure, but I left Friday morning and drove back to Santa Teresa.”

“Anybody see you at work?”

“Two-thirty in the morning, I’m moppin’ floors, not entertaining the troops. Reason I like the job is it’s quiet and nobody’s there to hassle me.”

“You were completely alone.”

“At that hour? Of course. Who’s going to be there? The place’s all locked up.”

“I don’t know. Someone else on the cleaning crew? A lawyer working late? A building that size can’t be empty.”

“For starters, there’s nobody else on the crew. I’m it. And second, even if there was someone in the building, how would I know? Six floors is tough. I got a lot of ground to cover. Some lawyer’s workin’ late, he’s not going to stop and make small talk with the likes of me. So. Nobody saw me. You’ll have to take my word that I was there all night.”

“You drove all the way down here to tell me this?”

“Hey, I could’ve had her alibi me, which she’d’ve done in a heartbeat, but I wanted to play straight.”

“Good boy. Now what?”

“Iona thought you might put in a good word for me.”

“Frankie, come on. You know better than that. No one gives a shit what I think. My opinion carries no weight at all. It’s like Iona thinking I had the clout to offer Pudgie a deal. It’s ridiculous.”

“Those cops like you.”

“Sure they do, but so what? Look, I’m perfectly willing to pass the story along, but trust me, without an alibi, my big, hot endorsement won’t help.”

“But you believe me?”

“Let’s put it this way; nothing would make me happier than your telling the truth. I’m sure the cops will be crazy about the idea, too.”

He dropped his cigarette and stepped on the ember with the toe of his boot. “You try, okay?”

“I’ll call Lieutenant Dolan tomorrow. Meantime, if I were you I’d get back to town before your PO gets wind of what’s going on.”

“I’ll do that. And thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I closed the window and had it latched again before Frankie reached the truck. I heard the door slam and she backed out, the headlights doing a reverse angle on the draperies as she pulled away. I shook my head. What a baby. Gone was the tough guy I’d met the first time around. As for his story, I wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. Sincerity aside, he was capable of manipulation if it suited his purposes.

In the morning, I changed rooms. There were far too many people who knew where I was and I didn’t feel safe. I chose an innocuous location on the second floor in the middle of a stretch of rooms. No ice machines. No vending machines. No reason to be up there unless you were a paid motel guest. At ground level, I figured I was a sitting duck for Peeping Toms or guys with a penchant for picking locks. Up here, even if the housekeeper propped my door open for hours on end, it would take nerve for someone to climb the stairs and pretend to be wandering around lost. From the second floor I had a nice view of the parking lot. I’d left Dolan’s car in a row of cars to one side so there was no way to associate the vehicle with my whereabouts.

At 9:15, I called Dolan’s house. Stacey picked up. I told him my concern that someone had entered my room and had taken a long hard look at my notes. He told me to change rooms, which I told him I’d done. He told me Dolan had left for an appointment with the cardiologist. I told him about Medora’s house, the note, and Frankie’s late-night visit. He told me I better watch my step and I said I would. Then he said, “What have we picked up in the way of elimination prints?”