The Counterfeit Murder in the Museum of Man_ A Norman De Ratour Mystery - Alfred Alcorn [100]
I resisted an impulse to look at Alphus for his reaction. But it would all be on tape anyway.
“Did you see Heinie with a revolver on the night he was murdered?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“But you’re not sure?”
“He was always waving the damn thing around.”
“Do you know where that gun is now?”
“No.”
“Did you murder Heinie?”
She laughed. “No. But there were times when I wanted to.”
“Do you know who murdered Heinie?”
“No. But I’d guess it was himself if the evidence wasn’t the other way.”
“Why?”
“Oh, Norman, the guy was a mess. You know what he couldn’t stand in the end? He couldn’t stand the way I felt sorry for him. I mean I tried to be sympathetic, but a woman’s got to have a life.”
“With Max?”
“Mostly.”
“You mean there were others?”
“The world’s full of trigger-happy men.”
I held up my hands and brought them together. “Okay. That’s all.”
“That wasn’t much. So what’s this big development all about?” She leaned forward and I was once again enveloped in her seductive, subtle musk, which had a touch of lavender.
“Well, it seems we have found the originals of the fakes that Heinie gave to the museum.”
“Really!” And she glanced away as the implications registered. “Where?”
“On the Albatross.”
“I should have known that’s where he’d put them. That thing became his little hidey-hole. Did you ever notice the pose he struck when he was at the wheel? You’d think he was Captain Cook sailing the South Seas.”
“He was a sad man, wasn’t he?”
“Among other things. So where are the originals now?”
“The police have them. Evidence.”
“So, who do they belong to?”
“Probably to you.”
“Because …?”
“Because he gave the other ones to the museum.”
“And kept the originals for himself …”
I hesitated. “Yes … except …”
“Norman, don’t be so melodramatic …”
“The so-called originals are also fakes.”
Her eyes widened and she put a hand to her lips. “No!” Then she laughed. “Oh, that is priceless. Just like Heinie.”
“Merissa, don’t you realize? The originals are worth more than two million dollars.”
She shrugged. “Easy come, easy go. Do you have a powder room?”
“Just down the hall on the right.” She was already fishing out her cell phone to make a call as she went through the door.
I turned to Alphus and signed, “Anything interesting?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t read her.”
“What was it? Her perfume?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Everything she said was a lie.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I think she is one of those people who lie even when they’re telling the truth.”
When Merissa came back, Alphus left with Angela Simone for a conjugal visit with Dalia. She’s a young female with a large, hairless face, intelligent eyes, and small ears who had come into estrus.
I should have sensed I was headed for the same sort of thing when Merissa insisted on taking me to the Little Café at the Miranda Hotel. She appeared utterly unfazed by the loss of the coins. Indeed, she was in high spirits, volubly bubbling up like the bottle of champagne she ordered.
“So really, Norman, not to be mercenary, but are the coins really worth that much?”
“They are. But you might not get that on the open market. Besides …”
She cocked her head. “I’m listening.”
“The estate would have had some real adjustments to make. Heinie’s accountants probably took a whopping deduction when he gave the coins to the museum. The IRS would have come looking for its due and more.”
She shrugged. “So I haven’t lost that much after all.”
“Enough. And who knows, maybe they’ll show up.”
We drank champagne and ordered. We nibbled at some fresh crudités as we waited. Merissa vacillated between chatty nonsense and frowning introspection. Then, as though interrupting her own thoughts, she said, “I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a while now.”
“I’m listening.”
She filled our glasses. “I want to tell you my real alibi for the night Heinie got shot.”
I felt my eyebrows go up. “What did you tell the police?”
She made a moue of disparagement. “I told them I went shopping. Blooms had a late-night sale, and