ND/Investigate with the girl 1
From Create Your Own Story
You take the .44 Magnum and wipe it down thoroughly. The girl looks at you, disapproving. 'I'm not going to leave my prints for the cops to find,' you say. She doesn't reply.
Riordan is definitely dead. There's nothing you can do for him. You turn you attention to the coffee table beside his body and pick up the wineglass. It's empty and there is an imprint of red lips on the rim. There's another glass beside it, this time free of lipstick. Two people. One of them a woman. The other probably a man. In your experience women don't carry .44 Magnums. Either one of them could have pulled the trigger though. And either one could have knocked you down when you entered.
You turn to the girl. 'Did you see anyone come out of the house?' you ask. 'Whoever it was they probably made their getaway once I was out cold.'
The girl shakes her head. 'I just heard a couple of shots from my room in the next house so I called the police and then rushed down here to take a look. When I got here all I saw was you standing over him with a gun in your hand.'
'Yeah,' you say. 'I remember.'
'Who is he?' the girl says quietly.
'You know, you sure are taking this well. Most women would have been sick at the sight of him.'
'Most women don't work at a paper for their living,' she replies simply.
'He's Arthur Riordan,' you tell her. She makes a curious noise. You look at her. 'Why?'
'Well... the girl who lives here is his secretary,' the girl says.
'This secretary,' you say, 'good looking?'
The girl blushes, catching your meaning. 'Yes,' she says. 'She's also a decent, hardworking girl.'
'You blush easy for a girl living in this kind of neighborhood.'
That makes her go quiet and purse her lips. You turn back to Riordan. So... middle aged businessman and attractive young secretary. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened and it won't be the last. Not that it does your case any good. Not without any proof.
You stand up. There's not much more you can do here. 'You probably don't want to be here when the cops arrive,' you tell the girl. 'They're not very nice to people as a rule. Don't worry. I'll take it from here.'
She narrows her eyes. 'You're not trying to get rid of me so you can skip out, are you? Because I can still describe you to the cops, you know.'
You smile. 'No, I'm not trying that.'
She turns and heads for the door. 'Say,' you call out. 'I don't know your name.'
'It's Celia,' she says, stopping and looking back at you. 'Celia Macpherson.' With that she disappears, leaving you alone with the body. You turn back and think about what to do.
