Free Lullaby of Murder by Dorothy Salisbury Davis Page A

instead of Tony’s five; to be called Our Beat with Formerly Tony Alexander Says …in smaller type and their names in still smaller type, Tim’s first, he being the senior partner; all copy to be cleared by the Legal Department and then by the city editors; there were other restrictions and qualifications. They were to finish out the month in the fifteenth floor office since Tony had paid the rent, sublet it, and then work among the common folk in the Editorial Room.
    “A month’s trial, and if it works we’ll go to three months. After that we can talk.”
    Tim explained to her with annoying eagerness that they would be going on at their same salaries.
    “How many people your age get an opportunity like this?” Hastings added. “It took Tony years to build his reputation.”
    Exactly, Julie thought. Who had ever heard of Tim Noble or Julie Hayes? Therefore, why? Why not some established personality? What she said was: “What about a twenty percent cost of living increase?”
    Hastings looked offended. “The cost of living hasn’t increased that much.”
    “Ours will.”
    He laughed, which ought to be worth something, Julie thought.
    “And what about Alice Arthur who’s been everybody’s secretary?”
    “She comes out of your cost of living increase.”
    For one month, for three months…Julie still wondered why. Then, as they were leaving his office, Hastings said, “Julie…find out what happened to Tony for us.”
    That put things in a more understandable perspective. And made it incumbent on her to participate in the investigation.
    THE POLICE SEAL had been affixed to the Alexander office door. They went across the hall to the borrowed office of Hale and Kister where Lieutenant Marks was going through Tony’s appointment book with Alice Arthur. Marks invited them to sit in and contribute anything they thought might be useful.
    Alice looked much as she did most days: neat, efficient and so discreet it would make you scream. About the only personal thing Julie knew about her was that she got terrible cramps during her period and took massive doses of Midol for them. Tony had once remarked that he could prescribe something better than Midol. What, Alice had wanted to know. Do you really want me to tell you? Whereupon she had shouted no and burst into tears. Julie was sure Tony had never made a pass at Alice.
    Alice kept deferring nervously to Tim or Julie with everything she said. Marks finally interrupted. He proposed to send out for coffee; then, when he looked at his watch he offered hamburgers. It was well past noon.
    Alice was on her feet at once. Marks waved her down and put a rookie detective in charge of lunch. He gave him a twenty dollar bill. His attitude had changed since Julie’s interrogation. The aggressiveness had toned down. Or maybe he was just tired. Or maybe the suspicion that Fran Alexander was implicated and the fact that a higher echelon detective was in charge there eased the pressure on him.
    Julie wanted to know how serious their suspicions were. “I saw Mrs. Alexander this morning,” she said.
    Marks didn’t take the bait.
    “Is she really a suspect in Tony’s murder?”
    Marks looked at her with tired eyes. “If Inspector Fitzgerald says so, Mrs. Hayes.”
    “Okay.”
    Marks put his feet up on a magazine table, a copy of Architectural World beneath them. “Let’s go at it this way,” he said. “Let’s take it from the top of yesterday and see how it rolls for everybody. Alexander was the first person in the office, right? And that in itself was unusual.”
    “Unless he slept over on the couch,” Alice said. “He did that once in a long while.”
    “When last?”
    “Maybe the night before last, but I’m not sure.” She was blushing, but you couldn’t tell much from Alice’s blushes.
    Marks went on: “He was at his desk when you arrived, reading what turned out to be Julie’s story.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Did Alice know he kept a gun in the copy box?” Julie