Latest from the Janitors, Asps, and Other Books - Horace Goes Home (Other Books) - Alan and Reggie solve side case and have a bit of fun doing it.

Today’s excerpt is from Horace Goes Home, the second of three Elmer Bader books.  With Elmer busy with the case of three murdered sailors, Alan and Reggie solve a side case.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day.

m.j.

 

“He doesn’t.  I better close the gap—he could reach his destination soon.”

“Yeah, don’t get to close—we don’t want to spook him.  Forget I said ‘spook’.”

“Forgotten.  But don’t worry about this dope.  He’s dumb as a rock.  He’ll have no idea anyone is following him.  I’m telling you this guy is loony.  I’m betting the widow has him on the way to off the gun—but if we catch him with it, I bet only his prints will be on it.”

“No bet.”

Sure enough, the brother pulled into a parking slot near a pier extending well out into the Pacific Ocean.  Alan found a spot three cars down from the brother, as the latter hurried toward the pier, with Alan and Reggie in hot pursuit.  They reached the end of the pier only steps behind the brother.  When he reached a spot about halfway to the end of it, he stopped.  As he reached under his jacket, Alan was only a step away.  “You drop your damned gun in the ocean, you’re going in right after it…freeze.”

The brother froze.  Reggie carefully took the weapon, put it in an evidence bag taken from his own pocket, sealed it, signed it, then asked the brother to sign it as well.  Like the dope Alan had predicted he was, he signed.  Alan and Reggie looked at each other, then shook their heads as Alan pulled the brother’s hands behind his back to handcuff him.  As Reggie marched the prisoner to their car while reading him his rights, Alan called Gordon.  “Hi, boss.  Got the brother with what I assume is the murder weapon.  Will you have someone go pick up the wife for me, please?  I’d like to ask a few questions of both at the same time.”

“Can do.  Give me her address…oh, also her name again.  I forgot what it was.”

Alan gave Gordon the information as he started to get in his car.  The brother looked around.  “Hey, we can’t go off and leave my car here.  It’ll get towed.”

Reggie smiled, “Very good idea.”  Then as he put the man in the rear of their car, he saw a uniformed officer, whistled at him, and signaled him to come to them. 

When the uniformed officer, who was on foot patrol in the beach area, arrived, Reggie told him to have the car in question towed to the LAPD impound lot.  The officer, on seeing the offered identification of Reggie, nodded, “Yes, sir, Lieutenant.”

As Alan and Reggie got in the car, the brother was protesting about his car.  Alan shook his head.  “My friend, your car is the least of your worries right about now.  If the gun you were about to toss in the drink is the gun that killed your brother, we’ve got you for about three felonies I can think of right now.  If the gun is the one that killed your brother, murder will be added to the list.”

“Murder!  No way—she did it, not me.”

Reggie held up his hand.  “Not another word out of you, until we get you to our nice little office.  You say another word until then, I’ll take the dirty sock off my big black foot and stuff it in your pie hole.”

As Alan backed out of the parking space, then started on the long drive to the office, he glanced at Reggie.  “Pie hole?”

 

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