Free Tenth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders

think she was a secretary in a medical laboratory.
    Something like that.'
    'But now she does nothing?'
    'She's a volunteer three days a week in a clinic downtown. But no regular job.'
    'Have many friends?'
    'Seems to. She goes out a lot. The theatre and ballet and so forth. Some weeks she's out every night.'
    'One particular boyfriend?'
    'Not that I know of.'
    'Does she ever have her friends here? Does she entertain?'
    'No,' Mrs Effie Dark said sadly. 'I never see any of her friends. And there hasn't been much in the way of entertaining in this house. Not for years.'
    She waved a plump hand around, gesturing towards overhead racks, the utensils, the bins and spice racks, stove, in-the-wall oven, refrigerator, freezer.
    'See all this? I don't use half this stuff for months on end. But when the kids were growing up, things were different. The Professor was at the University most of the day, and this place was filled with the kids' friends. There 67
    were parties and dances right here. Even Mrs Stonehouse had teas and bridge games and get-togethers for her friends. My, I was busy. But we had another maid then, a live-in, and I didn't mind. There was noise and everyone laughed. A real ruckus. Then the Professor resigned, and he was home all day. He put a stop to the parties and dances. Gradually, people stopped coming, he was such a meany. Then we began living like hermits, tiptoeing around so as not to disturb him. Not like the old days.'
    I nodded and stood up.
    'Effie,' I said, 'I thank you for the refreshments and for the talk.'
    'I like to talk,' she said, grinning, 'as you have probably noticed. A body could climb the walls here for the want of someone to chat with.'
    'Well, I enjoyed it,' I said, 'and I learned a lot. I hope you'll let me come back and chat with you again.'
    'Anytime,' she said. 'I have my own telephone. Would you like the number?'
    As she dictated, I wrote it down in my notebook.
    'Effie,' I said in closing, 'what do you think happened to Professor Stonehouse?'
    'I don't know,' she said, troubled. 'Do you?'
    'No,' I said, 'I don't.'
    When I went back into the living room Mrs Stonehouse was alone, still curled into a corner of the couch. The sherry bottle was empty.
    'Hi there,' she fluted. She tried to touch her nose and missed.
    'Hi,' I said.
    'Glynis went beddy-bye,' she giggled.
    I glanced at my watch. It was a few minutes to ten. Early for beddy-bye.
    I caught the subway on CPW, got off at 23rd Street, and walked the three blocks to my home. I kept to the kerb and I didn't dawdle. When I was inside the building, I felt that 68
    sense of grim satisfaction that all New Yorkers feel on arriving home safely. Now, if a masked intruder was not awaiting me in my living room, drinking my brandy, all would be well.
    It was not a would-be thief awaiting me, but Captain Bramwell Shank, and he was drinking his own muscatel.
    His door was open, and he wheeled himself out into the hallway when he heard me climb the stairs.
    'Where the hell have you been?' he said querulously.
    'Come on in and have a glass of wine and watch the eleven o'clock news with me.'
    'I think I better take a raincheck, Captain,' I said. 'I've had a hard day and I want to get to bed early.' But I went in anyway, moved laundry off a chair, and sat watching the 24-inch colour set.
    'You get your invite to the party?' Captain Shank demanded, pouring himself another glass of wine.
    'Yes,' I said, 'I got it.'
    'Knew you would,' he said, almost cackling. 'Happened just like I said, didn't it?'
    I took a sip of wine, put my head back, closed my eyes.
    The local news came on, and we heard more dire predictions of New York's financial fate. We saw a tenement fire in the Bronx that killed three. We watched the Mayor hand a key to the city to a champion pizza twirler.
    I was contemplating how soon I could decently leave when the news came on. The anchorman read a few small items of local interest to which I drifted off. Then he said:
    'Service was halted