"Dorvad the lazy mate? Where does she get off, talking about me like that? I work my butt off around here," Dean muttered.
"Right," answered Fird of Kornor. "But what about the rest of it? She sure gives a lot of detail, the borrowed knife, him looking up, her wearing a disguise. My bet is she disguised herself as you-that's why Shipton said your name to Jake Weller!"
Dean had to smile at the picture. "The only disguise she could pull off would be an over inflated sister of the Michelin Man!" He tapped the page. "This stuff is pure fantasy."
"Maybe. But she sure has a way with words. And she makes herself a tad more attractive than real life."
"Yeah, and she has a pretty hot thirst for retaliation."
"Hey, it was your suggestion to her to make Shipton the villain in her book," Fred said. "I still think this stuff is important evidence."
"It's the rambling of a disturbed woman but you'd better bury it somewhere before you have to start explaining your upstairs cleaning habits. By the way, where are the cops? I passed Corday and his sidekick headed this way."
"Come and gone. They were mostly looking for you, and kinda ticked when you weren't here. Corday talked to Edith for about ten minutes, then skedaddled. The ice climbers are gone, too. They were sorry to miss you but most of 'em will be back later in the month. Gladys and Edith are both upstairs, the Quincys are at the library and young Donnie and his dad are still out someplace." Then he asked, "Did you get to telephone 'the lovely Queen Sinthee?'"
Dean brought Fred up to date on not only the telephone call to his wife, but his meeting with Weller and his speculation that Cynthia might have seen Donnie Ryland near the accident scene. The two fixed lunch-a tuna salad sandwich for Dean and a bowl of soup for Fred.
"Seems like talking to Donnie might be a tad productive," Fred said, rubbing his chin like Charlie Chan. "Suppose we could get Martha to feel him out? Those two kids get along like salt and pepper-different as black and white, but always on the same table. She came by a while ago, looking for him. I sent her up to the ice park."
"Why isn't she in school?" Dean asked.
"I asked her that. Seems she took off to take care of Janet, but I guess Janet made a miraculous recovery. I asked Martha back for supper. Maybe that'll give us a chance to talk to her."
"I'd like to hear Donnie's side of the story about the drowning of Shipton's son, too. What that guy Able Whitehouse said on the phone still bothers me. His version of the accident was entirely different from the story Ryland said Edith told him. I'd like to know which version is true." Dean rose to pour himself a glass of milk.