Loom and Doom Read Online Free PDF Page B

shocked. “You mean Syd?”
    â€œI don’t mean him in particular,” Dempsey said, now backtracking. “You have to understand, in real estate, time is money. Builders have to pay interest on their loans. An extra year on a project is enough to eat up all a man’s profits.” I only half listened to what he was saying, my mind preoccupied with Syd Shuttleworth. Dempsey’s words supported what Syd had told us, that the inspector had caused all the delays in the project.
    â€œWeren’t you worried he’d find flaw after flaw to complain about in any house he bought?” asked Mrs. Renay.
    â€œI was lucky he liked my work. Besides, if I’d refused to sell to him, he’d probably have given me a hard time, just like he did to everybody else. Besides, a sale is a sale.”
    At that moment, I heard the sound of sirens getting closer. Dempsey, who had taken a seat on one of the sofas, looked at his watch. “Is it already eleven o’clock?” He jumped to his feet and dashed to the door.
    â€œHey,” Tom Goodall said, “you can’t leave now. The police will want to talk to all of us.”
    â€œMr. Goodall is right,” I said. “You can’t leave until the police allow it. You may think you have nothing to add, but sometimes a person will see things he doesn’t even realize is important.”
    Dempsey’s face turned red. “I don’t have to stay here. I didn’t hear or see anything. You did. Besides, I have more important things to do than to sit around talking to cops.” He pulled a card from his breast pocket and threw it on the table. “There. If they want to talk to me, they know where to reach me.” He turned and walked out.
    â€œLooks to me like he really didn’t want to talk to the police,” Tom Goodall said. “Or maybe he thinks he’s more important than the rest of us.”
    Mrs. Renay pulled herself to her feet and sighed. “I guess we’d better go outside. They’ll be here in a minute.”
    From past experience I knew just how grueling a police questioning could be. And since I was the one who’d found the body, I was likely going to be the principle player.
    Let the torture begin.

Chapter 4
    W e traipsed out through the main hall. To my surprise there wasn’t a customer in sight. The few employees who were still inside were huddled behind the counter, looking worried.
    â€œI told everyone to keep the office closed for now,” Goodall explained. “There’s no point in having people walking around all over the place until the police are finished here. Besides, everyone is upset. I doubt they could focus on doing their jobs right now.”
    We waited at the front of the building.
    â€œMr. Goodall mentioned you and the victim were close. How long did you know him?” I asked Mrs. Renay, more for the sake of conversation than curiosity. The prospect of being questioned was making me nervous.
    â€œAll my life. He and I were in college together.” The faint smile she gave, remembering, made me suspect the two might have dated back then. “Then,” she continued, “a few years after I started working here, he was hired as the city inspector. He’s been here nearly as long as I have. And I knew his ex-wife. Though, I haven’t seen her in about a year—since she and Howard got divorced. He just got remarried to a younger woman only six months ago. Men are so stupid—marrying a woman half his age. Can you imagine?” I was surprised at the anger in her tone. She seemed to read my mind. “I’m just thinking about Sondra.”
    â€œSondra . . . you mean the ex-Mrs. Swanson?”
    She nodded, then frowned. “Oh, dear. I suppose I’d better call his new wife and give her the tragic news after the police are done with us. How long do you think these things take?”
    â€œIt shouldn’t take