Free Loom and Doom by Carol Ann Martin Page A

having been done, she immediately changed the subject to what she’d really come in for. “I hear you found the body of the city inspector, Mr. Swanson. I can’t imagine how you must have felt. Terribly upsetting, I’m sure.”
    â€œIt was. Did you know him?”
    Both women shook their heads. “But I almost feel as if I do,” Judy said. “I heard so much about him from my neighbor, Susan. She didn’t like him very much, I can tell you that much. He was a”—she blushed—“oh, dear. There I go again, opening my big mouth. I should not speak ill of the dead.” She quickly overcame her embarrassment and continued. “But, in all fairness, the man did treat her shamefully when she redid her kitchen. She’d hired a contractor who did a beautiful job with the remodel. I saw the place myself. It was gorgeous. But that dratted inspector refused to give her a permit. For a while, it looked like she would have to tear the whole thing out and start over.”
    I could tell by the way Jenny had paused in her painting that she was listening intently.
    â€œHow awful,” I said, hoping to keep her talking. “She must have been furious.”
    â€œOh, you have no idea. I thought she’d kill the man.”
    Her mother looked shocked. “How can you say such a thing?”
    Judy’s eyes rounded as she realized what she’d just said. “I didn’t mean literally. It’s just a figure of speech.”
    â€œOf course,” I said.
    â€œThen, from one day to the next, everything was fine,” she continued. “She got her occupancy permit without having so much as an outlet changed.”
    â€œReally?” Jenny said, coming forward. “That sounds exactly like what happened to me. It looked like I would have to change the electrical panel all over again. And then”—she opened her hands—“everything was fine. No need to change a thing.”
    Judy chuckled. “What did you do? Sleep with the man?”
    Shock flashed over Jenny’s face, but she quickly covered it with an amused smile. “Good grief. I would have preferred to redo the electrical instead.”
    Judy guffawed. “Now that is funny.”
    â€œWho are you talking about?” I asked.
    â€œSusan Price. Maybe you know her?” I shook my head.
    â€œIn my case,” Jenny said. “Swanson told us we needed two permits, one for Della’s shop and one for mine. Then, once everything was ready, he told our contractor that we’d have to redo the electrical on my side.” She explained how we had then discovered that, since we shared the same civic address, we’d only ever needed one permit. “We can’t figure out why he would have lied.”
    Judy leaned in. “I don’t know about your case, but in Susan’s, I suspected she slipped him some money under the table.”
    As soon as she said this, I knew extortion had to be the answer. It explained everything. Why else would a city inspector hold back a permit unless it was for some kind of personal gain? That also explained how a city employee could afford a luxury home.
    â€œHonestly, Judy,” her mother said, sounding shocked. “The things that come out of your mouth.”
    â€œDid Susan say anything to suggest that?”
    Her mother gave her a gentle nudge. “Don’t you think we should get on our way?”
    Judy threw her an apologetic look. “Just one second.” She turned back to me. “Actually, she said, and I quote, that the solution had been expensive, but not nearly as much as if she’d had to redo the whole thing. When I asked her what she meant, she refused to elaborate.” She leaned forward and whispered, “If you ask me, a payoff is the only explanation. I mean . . . one minute she can’t get her permit and has to redo the whole thing, and then just a short time later everything