by P. J. Conn
Murder on Ice
A Detective Joe Ezell Mystery
Book Three
by
Phoebe Conn
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ISBN: 978-1-947833-06-7
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Table of Contents
Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Meet the Author
Chapter 1
Los Angeles, California, 1947
Joe Ezell yanked on his trousers and hurried to answer the furious pounding on his apartment door. It was 8 o'clock in the morning, the first Wednesday in September, and as far as he knew the police weren't looking for him. His fiancée, the delightful Mary Margaret McBride, would use only a genteel tap to announce her presence, so the only person he cared to see hadn't come calling.
"Hold on, I'm coming," he yelled, and jammed his feet into his slippers. When he swung open the door, he found the apartment manager, Leon Helms, a jovial man in his sixties who loved wearing Hawaiian shirts. Today's had brightly colored tropical fish swimming in a vivid turquoise ocean.
"What's wrong, Leon? Is the building on fire?" Joe took a deep breath, but didn't smell smoke.
Leon Helms leaned against the doorjamb and struggled to catch his breath. "You've got to come with me, Joe. Something awful has happened in apartment three."
"Where the new couple moved in?"
"They've disappeared. Come look at what they left behind."
Joe grabbed his keys, closed his door, and buttoned his shirt as he followed Helms down the outdoor stairs into a central patio. There were six units in the building. Joe's was number six on the west corner of the second floor overlooking the street. Number three was in the back on the ground floor. He'd only seen the new tenants a few times, coming and going to work. Now that he was in his thirties, the couple had looked impossibly young, but they had to at least be in their twenties.
The door to number three stood ajar, and Helms pushed it open. "I watered the plants on the patio this morning, and noticed their door wasn't latched. Something struck me as wrong, maybe they were ill, but they've gone, and taken everything they moved in with. The bed was stripped, there are no towels in the bathroom, and the medicine cabinet is empty."
"Do they owe you rent?"
"No, they're paid up until the end of the month. Go take a look at the refrigerator."
Expecting to find it empty, Joe walked into the kitchen to oblige. The refrigerator racks had been removed and placed on the counter. That would leave the Frigidaire as empty as a new freezer. A very bad feeling snaked up his spine. Gathering his courage, he yanked open the door.
"Good God!" he gasped.
"That's exactly what I said," Helms responded. "If my hair weren't already gray, it would be now."
A nude young woman had been folded in half; her chin rested on her knees and her arms were looped around her ankles. Her skin had a bluish cast, and a deep purple handprint showed clearly on her upper arm.
"How long do you suppose she's been dead?" Helms asked in a fearful whisper.
"A while."
Sun-streaked highlights brightened the thick waves of her long brown hair. Joe gently tucked a strand behind her ear to see her face, and her skin felt as cold as ice. She'd been a very pretty girl, but even without knowing her name, he recognized her as big trouble.
"I don't know her. Do you?" Joe asked.
"There's something familiar about her, but no, I can't place her. I wanted you to see her before the police arrived. Just to have a witness, you understand."
"I do. I don't have any early appointments, so I'll wait with you." Joe couldn't bring himself to close the refrigerator door, but he walked into the living room to wait. He had a fairly good idea who'd answer Leon Helm's call, and he wasn't disappointed.
Detective Jacob Lynch took one look at Joe Ezell and swore under his breath. "Has it even been a week since I last saw you?"
"One week and a day," Joe replied, equally uneager to see Lynch.
"I'm Leon Helms, the manager here. Actually, I'm the owner, but I call myself the manager to simplify things." He told the detective how he'd come across the body. "Scared me to death," he explained. "I asked Joe to come take a look, just to prove I wasn't crazy."
Lynch turned to Joe. "I can't help but wonder why you were here."
"I wasn't merely lurking in the neighborhood. My apartment is number six upstairs."
"That's right," Leon Helms assured the detective. "He's one of my best tenants and never causes a hint of trouble."
"Wonderful. Now where is the body?"
Leon led the way into the small kitchen. "The couple renting the place moved out without giving notice. The refrigerator was on, you can hear it humming, and I opened it to see if they'd left any food I'd need to toss out."
Lynch crouched beside the body to better study the deceased. "Do you recognize her?"
"No. I haven't asked the other tenants though. Should I try and catch them before they leave for work?" Leon answered.
"We'll handle it." The detective stood and smoothed his jacket. His suit was a light-weight whiskey plaid wool, perfect for autumn in Southern California. His brown silk tie had threads of muted gold, along with his matching handkerchief. His brown wing-tipped oxfords were highly polished.
Joe wondered how early Lynch rose to be so well-dressed before nine o'clock in the morning. He bought most of his own clothing in thrift stores so he'd easily fit into the crowd when he followed someone or conducted a surveillance. No matter what he intended to do, he couldn't afford Lynch's elegant wardrobe, but he'd heard the man had a wealthy wife. He wondered if she laid out his clothes in the morning so he wouldn't embarrass her when he left the house. He turned away to hide a totally inappropriate grin.
Detective Lynch led them into the living room. "I'll need the renters' names, along with their apartment application, and references. Is your office here in the building?"
"No, I live just down the street. It will take me only a minute to fetch it all."
"Go," Lynch directed with a h
asty wave. He turned to Joe. "You've served your purpose as a witness, and you needn't stay."
"Leon has had such an awful shock, I'd rather hang around and offer support," Joe replied.
"Snoop, you mean." Lynch took a quick tour of the apartment and found it as empty as Leon had discovered. "Did you know the couple renting the place?"
"Just on sight to say hello. I didn't know their names."
The detective pulled out his notebook. "Can you describe them?"
"Early twenties, maybe younger, tall young man with a slim build, and black hair clipped short. The girl had long brown hair, and had a cute figure. They were usually laughing when I saw them, teasing each other, and she had a high-pitched giggle."
"They behaved like newlyweds?" Lynch asked.
"I suppose. They were nice looking, and could have been college kids."
"Did you notice their car?"
"Yeah, they drove a 1939 Buick sedan. Too big a car for a young couple, but someone in the family might have owned it first."
"Save the speculation." He stepped out to speak with the uniformed officer who had come with him.
Joe wished he'd had time for a cup of coffee before Leon Helms had come to his door. A piece of sourdough toast with strawberry jelly would have been welcome too. He felt a brief surge of guilt for missing his breakfast with a dead girl crammed in the refrigerator. He wondered how she had died. There were no obvious wounds, and no blood he could see.
Leon came sailing through the door, puffing as though he'd run all the way home and back. "Here's the file I had on them. Their names were Vince and Peggy Thornton."
"Do you have a previous address?" Lynch asked.
Leon shuffled through the few papers in his file. "They said they had graduated from college in June, gotten married, and had been on their honeymoon before coming to Los Angeles to live."
"That's a no, I take it?" the detective asked.
"Yes, that's a no. They seemed like such swell kids, and I didn't ask for their parents' addresses."
"You remember the name of the college where they studied?" Lynch asked.
Leon looked flustered, and Joe spoke, "They had a decal from the University of Colorado on the Buick's rear window."
"Yes, that's it," Leon added. "They were from Colorado." He smiled as though he'd correctly answered a radio quiz show's sweepstakes question.
"Fine. How about work addresses?"
Leon ran his finger down the rental agreement. "He's with the Walt Disney Studios, not in the art side of it, but business. He emphasized that and joked he couldn't draw as well as a two-year-old."
"And the wife, Peggy?"
"She's a teacher at one of the Los Angeles elementary schools." He paused a moment. "This might look like I keep sloppy records, but they were such wholesome kids, I was happy to rent to them."
"Which you now regret?" the detective asked.
"Not really, they were very good tenants, but now I do wish there was more information on the rental agreement."
The crime scene photographer arrived carrying his 4 x 5 Speed Graphic camera and kit of flashbulbs. Joe had met him when he'd found a dead body outside his office one morning in July. He followed him to the kitchen door.
The photographer knelt to photograph the girl, and rose suddenly. "Do you have her name?" he called to Lynch.
"No, do you recognize her?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Cookie Crumble, one of the strippers from Sherry's."
Lynch and Leon edged through the doorway to get another look at the girl. "I told you she looked familiar," Leon offered. "I'm seldom in Sherry's, but I remember her now. She wore her hair in pigtails and had a cute act, more playful than risqué."
"Thank you for the review," Lynch replied. "Did your disappearing tenants leave their keys?"
Perplexed, Leon's eyebrows knit together. "They had two, and I haven't seen them. Let me look around a minute. Help me, Joe?"
"Sure." Joe went through the drawers in the kitchen while Leon checked the bedroom and bath. The keys weren't in the drawers of the end tables in the living room either.
"We didn't find them. Could Cookie be holding them?" Leon asked.
Lynch joined them in the living room. "We're not touching her body until the man from the coroner's office arrives. Why do you suppose your tenants left a dead girl in the refrigerator and didn't lock the door? It seems like the obvious tactic to employ."
"How should I know?" Leon asked. He sat down in the living room, leaned forward, and held his head in his hands. "This is the worst thing that's ever happened here."
"Never had a death among tenants?" Lynch asked.
Leon looked up. "One years ago. A sweet little old lady didn't wake up from her afternoon nap, and a friend coming for tea found her. That was different from this tragedy by a long shot. With an elderly woman, we were prepared for her natural death. This is a horrifying murder."
"I'm continually horrified," the detective muttered under his breath.
Joe took the comment as sarcastic rather than sincere. "Maybe the tenants had nothing to do with Cookie's death," he mused aloud. "Someone else might have noticed the apartment was empty before you did, Leon."
"I'm trying to recall the last time I spoke with them," he replied. "When did you see them last, Joe?"
Joe had had an exciting week, including being attacked by a razor-wielding murderer. His arm itched where he'd been slashed, reminding him he ought to have Mary Margaret remove the stitches.
"I saw them last week, Thursday maybe. I was going out as they arrived home, and we passed each other by the mailboxes. Someone else living here might have seen them after that."
"Who are the other tenants besides Mr. Ezell," Lynch asked, pencil poised above his notebook.
Leon leaned back in his chair. "Brett Wayne lives in number one. He writes screenplays for Western movies. I don't know if any of them have ever actually been filmed, but he calls himself a screenwriter."
"How long has he lived here?"
"Five or six years. Miss Abby Hicks has number two. She's a checker at the market on the corner. Sweet girl, she's been here three years, and never causes any trouble."
"All right, that's Mr. Wayne, Miss Hicks, and Mr. Ezell who are model tenants, as were the couple who disappeared. Tell me about who lives in four and five."
Leon raised his brows and glanced toward Joe. "Joy and Morris Kemble have number four, and they've been known to get into a loud argument or two, but no one has ever called the police on them. He's a restaurant critic, and she's an office manager at some firm downtown. They're long-time tenants.
"Melissa and John Todd have number five. They moved in last year right before Christmas."
"I'll bet they're a real sweet couple," the detective observed.
"I'd describe them as standoffish," Joe responded.
"Yes, indeed," Leon agreed. "They keep to themselves. Both work at the central library and seem to prefer books to people."
"How fortunate they found each other."
Lynch was full of snide comments today, but Joe let it pass. From any angle, he regarded the detective as an arrogant ass, so today was no worse than any other with him. One of the coroner's men came to the door, clipboard in his hand, and the conversation took a sharp turn.
"Where's the body?" he asked. His name, Roberts, was embroidered over the left breast pocket on his blue jacket. Coroner was stenciled in white letters across the back.
Lynch showed him into the kitchen, where the photographer was packing up. "Can you tell me when she died?" the detective asked.
"It's getting crowded in here," the photographer announced. "I always leave before the science gets too deep." He slipped around them, nodded to Joe and Leon, and let himself out the door.
Roberts took hold of Cookie's hand, and her arm fell away from the body. "She's been in a refrigerator, and the cold may have skewed the timing. Rigor mortis usually sets in the first twelve or so hours, and passes in forty-eight to
sixty hours. She may have been dead two days, or three. "
He knelt down to get a better look at her. "Hey, is this Cookie Crumble?"
"We believe it is," Lynch replied. "You saw her act at Sherry's?"
"Many times, she was really cute, dressed in schoolgirl uniforms and wore her hair in braids. This is a real shame. I need to get another man and the stretcher." Lynch let him go.
"Mr. Helms, do you have a key to lock the apartment when we leave? We'll mark it as a crime scene, and you won't be able to come back in until we clear it, but the door should be locked."
"I have the key on my ring." He stood to tug it from his pocket, and sorted through the keys once, and then again. "I would have sworn I had a key for number three. I have all the others."
"Who has access to your keys?" the detective asked. "Does your wife borrow them, or someone else in your family?"
Leon again searched through the keys. "No, my wife has no reason to touch my keys, and my son, Stuart, why would he want them?"
Lynch caught Joe's eye. "Perhaps he needed a good place to hide a body."
Chapter 2
Leon gasped and paled, and Joe grabbed his arm to guide him back into his chair before he fainted. "My son is a good boy, and he'd never be involved in a murder," he insisted. "I hang my keys on a hook by the back door, and didn't notice number three had fallen off my key ring. I often walk back and forth between my home and here, and could easily have lost it."
"Perhaps," Lynch responded. "Do you have another extra key, or do you need to call a locksmith?"
"Whenever a tenant moves out, I have the locks changed. I always ask for plenty of extra keys because they are so often mislaid or lost. Do you mind if I call my wife and ask her to bring a key for number three? I don't think I can walk home and back again just yet."
"Did you tell her about the murder on your last visit home?" Lynch asked.
