Mrs. Parnell considered my question about the police as she popped another cigarette into the holder.
“Well, I’m not sure they were the police. They seemed to be saying that they were, but anyone could say that, couldn’t they?”
“That’s right.”
“One of them looked too much like a rodent for my liking, so I decided against opening the door.”
Mombourquette.
“A good move, Mrs. Parnell.” I sipped my Harvey’s Bristol Cream and beamed at her. “So one of them looked like a rodent. By any chance did the other one look more like a middle-aged Labrador Retriever with a bit of a weight problem?”
“Just the ratty one was there. With a skinny young fellow, reminded me of a Blue Heron. I didn’t see the Lab,” she said before taking a healthy swig.
“Mrs. Parnell…”
“But I think I saw you last night leaving with someone who looked a bit like a Saint Bernard, carrying cats which looked exactly like cats. And I do have to tell you, young lady, that you will have to do something about those noisy beasts.”
Behind her, a bird peeped in agreement.
“What about birds?”
“If you mean Lester and Pierre,” she said, nodding towards the cage with purse-lipped satisfaction, “birds, Ms. MacPhee, don’t disturb anyone.”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Parnell, that persistent chirping gives me migraines.”
“Very funny, but don’t try to change the subject. I knew those cats were there. And now look what’s happened. The police are asking about it. I didn’t like to turn you in, but I won’t be able to hold out forever.”
I looked at her with astonishment. “But, Mrs. Parnell, the police don’t care about cats in the apartment. That’s a civil matter.”
“Not too civil if you ask me,” she said, with a glance at the love birds.
“I mean, not criminal. You see…”
“Depends on your point of view,” she sniffed.
“Mrs. Parnell, one of those cats was murdered last night. To my knowledge, the occasional loud meow doesn’t merit the death penalty in this country.” I leaned forward with fire in my eyes. Perhaps it was the Bristol Cream taking effect.
“Murdered!”
“That’s right, its neck was broken,” I snapped my fingers.
“Dear me,” she said. “It’s the disintegration of society.”
“I don’t really see it as the disinteg…”
“How shocking for you. Goodness, you need that drink topped up.” She was spry enough to hop up and get the Harvey’s bottle. She filled her own glass to the brim right after mine. “So what are you going to do with the other three, now that this one’s dead?”
“The other five.”
“Five! I only spotted three, I must be losing it.” She polished off half the glass. “Oh well. May as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.”
“Mrs. Parnell, this is a serious business. I need your help. From time to time you may accidentally see something from the peephole in your door.” That was the kindest way I could think of to mention that Mrs. Parnell’s eyes were rarely far from that peephole. “When you’re checking up on suspicious noises.” I didn’t want to alienate her by adding that she was the nosiest woman I’d ever encountered.
She nodded at me and leaned forward. This Bristol Cream is the secret to promoting neighbourliness, I thought. I dug out the package of photos from my purse.
“Did you see any of these people going into my apartment last night?”
She kept nodding as I showed her each one of them. We went through them twice.
My heart banged a bit when she pointed to my new friend, Large-and-Lumpy.
“Are you sure?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t.
“Pretty distinctive, don’t you think? Looks like a bear. I thought at the time he must have been a boxer or something. He didn’t seem to be your type, but…” she shrugged her shoulders, “who can tell these days.”
I was clutching my sherry glass so hard the crystal pattern dug into my palms. Large-and-Lumpy, not my oldest buddy, but I’d felt a rapport with him, and now, to find out he’d been in my apartment the night the tabby was killed. On Wendtz’s orders, I was sure. It told me something I wanted to know: Wendtz was implicated, despite his alibi, and he didn’t want me digging around in Mitzi’s activities. It told me something I didn’t want to know, as well. Large-and-Lumpy would do anything he was directed to by Wendtz. Frightening me. Killing a cat. I swallowed the rest of the Bristol Cream and thought the next logical thought: Would he also have killed Mitzi on Wendtz’s orders? Did Large-and-Lumpy have an alibi for the time of Mitzi’s death?
Mrs. Parnell poured another healthy dose into my glass and added a discreet amount to her own.
“Well,” she said. “Well, well, well. Isn’t this exciting?”
Exciting wasn’t the word I was searching for.
“That explains, I suppose, that man who was working on your door today. And that the Super was up too. Good thing you and the Saint Bernard took the cats away last night.”
Two and three-quarters glasses of sherry were enough to make my head spin, and I still had to drop in to see Richard for a civilized little drink. Mrs. Parnell was good enough to call the Super to bring up my new keys. She must have a way with him. I’ve never gotten action that fast.
While we waited, I took a couple of shots of her peach-faced love birds for her. And got a nice one of her standing next to the cage.
“The police said something about cats, Mrs. Parnell,” said the Super as Mrs. P. opened the door and whisked the keys from his sweaty little hand.
“I think they said bats,” she told him. “The burglars were out of there like bats out of hell.”
I waved to him from the sofa.
As I staggered across the hallway to my empty apartment, I turned and asked her, “Promise me, Mrs. Parnell, that you’ll let me know if anyone comes to my apartment in the next few days. Here’s my office number. Thanks for the drinks. And for keeping my secret.”
“My pleasure,” she said, with what might have been the beginnings of a smile.
* * *
A bath, a nap, a change of clothes and the intervening three hours weren’t enough to get me back to normal before I hit the Harmony. It had been a busy and distracting day even before the sherry.
It was the first warm evening of the season, and a frisky breeze ruffled my hair. Climbing out of the cab, I smoothed my deep green jersey dress and gave it a little tug. I wasn’t used to having things end above my knees, and I wasn’t sure what I had been thinking of when I bought it.
I was steady enough on the high heels though, plus I had clean hair, face and teeth and, best of all, I was fifteen minutes early. I also had my camera and plenty of film.
I recognized Naomi by her big hair and chirpy voice. She was working with Brad, who had lots of teeth set on perma-smile. “Hmmm,” chirped Naomi, “no, I’ve never seen him.” She pointed to Large-and-Lumpy in the photo and gave a little shiver, “how could you forget someone like that?” She took a look at Rudy Wendtz’s brooding expression. “Oh yes, he was here often when Miss Brochu was in town, wasn’t he, Brad?”
“Sure was,” said Brad. “Remember the night of the big fight? When we had to call in security?”