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BROWN FROM THE SUN
September 13, 1938. 12:40 AM
Dead in the Basement
Rhiana Walters poked Tanner in the ribs and hissed, "I don't like Matthews.
He's hinky."
They were in the office of Herbert Matthews, the vice president in charge of
public affairs for the advertising firm of Matthews , Craddock, and Bangs.
Diane Klopsky, Matthews secretary, had been found by the janitor in the
basement. She wasn't inspecting the plumbing. Someone had ended her young
life with a .38 Police Special.
"What do you mean, hinky?"
"He's hiding something."
Tanner looked at his fiancee'. "What did you see, Rhiana?"
"His upper lip, his right temple and the back of both hands are wet. He's
sweating like a pig."
"Let's talk to him again."
Matthews carried with him an air of trust and responsibility like other men
carry body odor. He looked like a Rotarian who thought the Elks a shade
risque'. Short, with a broad face and heavy belly, the man acted offended
that his secretary had the bad taste to die in his employ. He stood on the
shiny hardwood floor directly in front of his desk. "I told it all to you
before. I don't know anything. Miss Klopsky was supposed to meet me here at
midnight. We have some overseas telephone calls to put through and they have
to be done at night. She never showed up. That's all there is too it."
The police arrived led by Lt. Henry Tootlestein, a small, quick Jewish cop
transplanted from New York to Los Angeles.
"Brownie, how's tricks? Miss Walters, how are you?"
"Disquieted, actually."
"Something personal? Tanner!? Have you been playing fast and loose with this
gorgeous young women's emotions?"
Rhiana jumped to correct him. "Oh no, Henry, Tanner's been wonderful. It's
this case."
They walked out of the office leaving Matthews standing in the middle of the
room, looking offended.
When they were out of hearing, Tanner told Lt. Tootlestein, "Rhiana thinks
Matthews is hinky."
"Hinky?"
Rhiana answered, "Definitely hinky. He make the back of my neck quiver."
Tootlestein said, "Hinky is a good word. I like it."
Diane Klopsky lay on an oriental rug in the living quarters of the janitor.
A small pool of blood had formed directly under her, soaking the rug. The
dead woman seemed to shrink into the rug. Her fingers were almost lost in
the nap. She wore a silk blouse and skirt, and the finest Italian shoes.
Pearls shined around her neck.
Rhiana asked, "Where did she live?"
Tootlestein consulted his notebook, "West Hollywood. In a good neighborhood.
I mean 'good' like my mother cooks soup. Really Good."
"How did she do it on a secretary's salary?"
Rhiana touched one of the dead woman's shoes gently. "These are Lowenstein
originals. She didn't money enough on her salary to buy these shoes."
The ambulance attendants took away her body. Detectives took the rug,
leaving unmarked dusty cement.
Tanner said, "I know who did it and where and why. Get Matthews and sweat
him."
How did Tanner know?
Can you solve the mystery? Think about it for a moment then page down for
the answer. If you enjoy 'Brown from the Sun', look at my book, "Dead Box"
with the same characters at www.lockedroom.com
Answer:
The floor in front of the desk was clean and shiny yet that is the place
which gets the most traffic in an office. Obviously, a rug protected the
floor before the murder. Also, no janitor's room ever had an oriental rug in
good condition. They're always in the basement and dirty. Also, the concrete
under the rug was dry and dusty. The blood would have soaked through and
marked the cement. Therefore, the rug came from somewhere else.
The floor in front of Matthews desk was shiny even though that the part of
the floor gets the most traffic. The murder had taken place in front of the
desk, and Matthews had rolled the body in the rug and carried it downstairs.
Matthews said he was working in his office at the time of the murder. This
means he must know something about it since it happened in the same room.
Diane Klopsky had been blackmailing him for a year. He ran out of money and
decided to end his own life or hers. He spent 10 years in prison.
If you have praise or curses, questions or comments, send them to me at
dlmarsh1044@yahoo.com
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