The Corpse on the Dike Read Online Free PDF Page B

lake—people go sailing there.”
    “Some information anyway,” the commissaris said. “We’ll go into it tomorrow. Anything else we should do here?”
    “We could go talk to the girl next door,” de Gier said, “the girl who asked us to take a look here. She seemed to be in love with Wernekink but he never even asked her in, so she won’t know much. Still…”
    “All right.” The commissaris tried to look brisk and businesslike but all he really wanted to do was to go home and have a very hot bath. His legs were bothering him and the hot water would soak the pain out of his bones. “All right, let’s go next door.”
    The door opened the minute de Gier put his finger on the bell. “Good evening,” the commissaris said to the short fat woman who had introduced herself earlier to de Gier as Mary van Krompen. “We would like to ask a few questions to a young lady who lives here, I believe. Do you mind if we come in?”
    The woman stared at the commissaris. “Well…” she said, “it’s pretty late. Can’t you come back tomorrow? We would like to go to bed.”
    “Please, madam,” the commissaris said gently, “we are police officers and there has been a crime next door. A man has been shot dead; we would like to apprehend the killer and perhaps the young lady and yourself can help us.”
    Mary van Krompen weakened. The commissaris looked very harmless and kind. “Come in,” she said gruffly. They were led into a sitting room and the woman stamped off to find the girl.
    Their surroundings were very different now. The room was light and clean and the general appearance of the house was pleasant enough. Some effort had been made to restore the old building but the beams supporting the ceiling had been left as they had been for several hundred years, their dark color setting off the white walls. There were fresh flowers on the table and potted plants on the windowsills. A row of silver trophies were displayed on a corner table, some eight silver cups, varying in size. Grijpstra got up to admire them. “I say,” Grijpstra said, “you know what these are?” The commissaris and de Gier joined him. De Gier picked up one of the cups and studied it. The cup was decorated with two crossed revolvers.
    “Shooting trophies,” the commissaris said.
    They were still looking at the trophies when Mary van Krompen came back, bringing the girl with her.
    “Evelien Dapper,” the girl said to the three men, “that’s my name. You want to see me?”
    “Yes, dear,” the commissaris said, “please sit down. We know you are very upset but you discovered the body and you knew the man, so you can be very helpful to our investigation.”
    The girl sniffed.
    “Please tell us what you know,” the commissaris said gently.
    “I’ve already told the other men,” the girl said and crumpled her handkerchief into a hard little ball. “I was worried about Tom so I went into his house and there he was, on the floor.”
    “Yes. You had never been in his house before?”
    “No,” Mary said suddenly and glared at the commissaris. “They used to whisper to each other over the fence and she gave him cups of tea.”
    “We didn’t whisper,” the girl said indignantly. “We just talked and he was always very nice. We were neighbors, weren’t we, and he never did anything for himself except digging about in his garden; so why shouldn’t I make him a cup of tea sometimes?”
    “Quite, quite,” the commissaris said, smiling at Mary. “Why shouldn’t she? But he never asked you in?”
    “No,” the girl said.
    “But that’s strange, isn’t it? You are an attractive girl and he was a young man, and you got to know each other. How long did you know him?”
    “As long as I’ve lived here,” the girl said. “Three months now, I think.”
    Mary laughed and the commissaris gave her a puzzled look. “Sorry,” Mary said. “I don’t want to be unpleasant but I have been wondering myself. Here they were, every