Free Seven Ways to Die by William Diehl

Cal,” Cody said approaching the sofa. “And one of the reasons we picked you for liaison was your ability to focus. You were as focused on that page as a pitcher zoning on a catcher’s glove.”
    “There’s a lot to zone on.”
    “No laptop? Blackberry? Cell phone?”
    “Nope. There are slots for them, though. But the book is amazing. This is an autobiography of Handley’s life in shorthand. Other than this…” He held up a baggie into which he had placed several receipts, “the cupboard is bare. Some personal photographs and other stuff but the book and the receipts are a gold mine.”
    “Bag the book and the receipts and close the case.”
    “Right. There is one other thing.” He held up a baggie with a black Halloween mask in it. “This was in the briefcase.”
    “I’ll be damned,” Cody said. “Bring it along.”
    Cody heard a vacuum cleaner at work in Handley’s apartment. He opened the door and leaned into the apartment.
    “Wolf?”
    The pathologist stuck his head around the corner of the library. He was suited out and had a surgical mask covering his nose and mouth.
    “You and the kid made a pretty clean entry,” Wolfsheim said. Then added, “You may have missed a thing or two.”
    “Such as?”
    “I’m busy,” was his muffled reply. “We’ll get to that later. What do you want? We got work to do.”
    Cody took the briefcase from Bergman and sat it on the floor inside the apartment.
    “You’ll probably want to check this out. And you might be looking for a laptop, and a Blackberry. They weren’t in the case. We’re taking these.” Cody held up the bagged book, receipts, and the mask.”
    “Just make sure they’re dusted before you go messing around with them.”
    Cody chuckled and snapped his fingers. “Gee whiz,” he said. “I never would’ve thought of that.”
    “Don’t be a smart ass.”
    Wolf walked back into the library. As he did, he said over his shoulder. “We need to get that maid back here.”
    “Frank took her home,” Cody said to the empty library entrance. “My guess is she’s probably napping by now. She was hot-wired.”
    “Well, if she was as meticulous as I hear, we need her back here.”
    “Looking for a trophy?”
    “Didn’t you?”
    “Yup.”
    “Get her highness back as soon as we clean this mess up. This wasn’t a robbery. I want to know if anything strange is missing or was left behind.”
    “Well, while you’re sweeping the apartment you might keep an eye out for a safe.”
    “No kidding,” Wolf replied.
    “Any ideas about the blood?”
    “Yeah. I don’t think whoever whacked this guy was planning on selling it to the Red Cross.”
    “Let’s get back to the loft,” Cody said to Bergman, closing the door. “Or the chateau as he calls it.”
    “Wolf’s a little grumpy today.”
    “Are you kidding? He was born grumpy,” Cody answered. “He growled at the nurse when she cut his umbilical cord.”
    As they started down the stairs, Bergman said, “Ms. Cluett’s still peeping at us.”
    “Yup.”
    “All she had to do was walk across the hall, if she had a key.”
    “Yup.”
    “Would you consider her a suspect?”
    “Why not? So’s the maid at this point,”
    “Just asking.”
    “Until somebody makes a proper I.D., we can’t discuss the case with, or give up the victim’s name to, anyone but the crew. From what I gathered all Cluett understands is, Handley’s dead. No details. Right now, the maid knows more about the scene of the crime than anybody but us—and the killer.”
    They peeled off their gloves, left the house and put their satchels in the back seat of Cal’s cruiser.
    “Let’s get a few blocks down Lex before we put the red light on,” Cody said, taking out his cell. “Then we’ll have some fun wiggling through morning traffic.”
    Bergman smiled. “My favorite thing,” he said.
    Cody dialed Rizzo.
    “Here I am,” came Rizzo’s answer. “Wilma’s got her friend from next door sitting with her.