Gathering Clues

Chapter Eight

Tuesday passed quickly, despite the fact that Janelle had lain awake most of last night trying to figure out who killed Jed Thorne. She didn’t mention the murder to her dad, but she did tell her sister on the phone.

“A murder!” Sherry had shouted. “You’d better look for another job.”

“No, I have to stick with this. I want to solve it and prove to Dad that I can be a good PI.”

“You are crazy, Nellie, absolutely crazy.”

Janelle sighed as the memory faded. She would get no sympathy from her sister. Sherry was exactly what Dad wanted Janelle to be—a wife and mother.

While Janelle was not averse to getting married, she had no husbandly prospects at the moment. And she was fascinated by puzzles. Murder mystery puzzles, to be exact. But Dad would say his daughter’s place was baking cookies, not tracking down criminals.

Janelle pulled the green notebook from her desk drawer. With a half hour before she could leave, she might as well put the time to good use.

She turned to a new page. Facts, she wrote at the top.

         Helga’s office door opened. Today she wore those same tight navy pants, but with a pink tailored shirt. At least this shirt looked clean.

         “Yanelle, you might as vell go home.” Helga glanced at the outer door, the one with the gold letters. “Let us hope Corrine Hackle does not make her stinky appearance today, eh?”

Janelle shoved the notebook in the drawer. “She does tend to be heavy on the perfume.”

“Did you know—” Helga lowered her voice. “The scent of Corrine’s perfume was in Yed’s office when he was found dead.”

Janelle drew in a sharp breath. “Do you think Corrine is a suspect?”

“Ja, of course. The bra that strangled him was made by Corrine’s Lingerie.” 

Hmm… she’d have to write that down. “Then why didn’t the sheriff arrest her?”

“Not enough evidence. But I know she killed Yed.”

Corrine wanted to kill his company, at least. “But what was her motive, Helga? What do you think?”

Helga shrugged. “I do not know. But Corrine would come here every day after work to meet Yed. I got sick of seeing her.” Helga walked toward the outer door. “Uff! I got sick of smelling her. I hope she gets locked up in yail someday and they make her drink all her perfume.”

If Corrine had been murdered, Janelle would know who killed her.

Helga opened the outer door. “I must talk to someone on second floor. You go home now, Yanelle. I vill see you tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, bye.”

Could Corrine be the killer? After all, Thorne’s competed with Corrine’s Lingerie in sales.

But what was the motive?

Janelle picked up her purse. She was going to solve this mystery, and there was only one way to do that—snoop around and ask questions. She would risk putting herself in harm’s way to unmask the murderer.

Where should she start?

Since the murder happened in Jed’s office, she needed to get into that room. She should also interview all the office workers—Helga, Howard, Elliot, Ben.

But she had already talked to Helga, Howard was still out of town, Elliot had left for the day, and Ben—

Maybe she should find out where Ben lived. After all, a person’s residence could reveal a lot about him.

Easing open the door to Helga’s office, Janelle entered and flipped through the Rolodex until she found Ben’s name written in neat, square printing. The words Rosewood Manor had been crossed out. Beneath it Helga had written 252 Poplar Road.

Janelle knew exactly where that was. Evergreen Road, where she lived, was two streets over from Poplar. But Rosewood Manor? What was that?

Sounded like a nursing home.

She glanced down the card. Beneath the address Helga had written, Ben’s phone number: 2-4-4-8. Janelle nodded. Within the small town of Greenvale, a person only needed to dial the last four digits. Easy to remember.

Leaving Helga’s office, Janelle glanced at the phone on her desk. One line was in use, and she could hear Ben’s muffled voice through the closed door. Hopefully he would stay on the phone a long time, but maybe not.

         She needed to hurry.