Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 124, Nos. 3 & 4. Whole Nos. 757 & 758, September/October 2004

Eleanor’s mother’s nose inched higher. “Just the two of us. Mr. Zamphir and I.”

“And you have those keys now?”

“Yes. Mr. Zamphir entrusts the opening and the closing of the store only to me.”

“Could you get them for us now?”

“Certainly.” Eleanor’s mother marched down the hallway and then stomped up the stairs. All right for her, but whenever Eleanor made that kind of noise her mother was quick to warn her, “Don’t you go giving me any of your attitude, young lady.” Now Mrs. Korda was giving the cops more attitude than a gang punk off The Shield.

Out of the corner of her eye Eleanor could see the two cops watching her now. She had moved on to the next math problem and she squinted with concentration. Her ankles were crossed demurely, her skirt halfway down her shins, her underwear clean, her braids as tight as her alibi.

The big cop leaned towards the skinny one and spoke in a low tone, but Eleanor could hear him anyway. “Poor kid,” he said, and they both shook their heads.

Eleanor’s mother was gone longer than she should have been. When she finally came back she had her purse with her.

“I’m sure I had them with me,” she said, pawing through her purse again. “I always do.”

“You didn’t loan them?”

“Of course not! What do you take me for? No one else ever has them except me. I have a position of some responsibility—”

“Can you describe them for us, please, Mrs. Korda.”

“They’re on a green leather fob, three keys.”

Peeking out from under her bangs, Eleanor caught the look that passed between the two cops and she knew they had found the keys. Lenny must have had them in his pocket. If he hadn’t already been dead, Eleanor would have been glad to murder him again right then.

“When was the last time you saw Leonard Green?”

“I already told you, I don’t know any Leonard Green. I’ve never met him.”

“Your coworkers say he has been in the jewelry store twice. He spoke to you.”

“Well, how am I supposed to remember every person who comes into the store?”

“Your neighbors also confirm you talked with a man fitting his description just last week.”

Eleanor ground her teeth. Lenny coming here and talking to her mother! What had that skinny jerk been up to?

Mrs. Korda’s eyes did the narrow thing. “Those Pinkleys are the worst busybodies. They should take more care of their yapping dog instead of spying on their neighbors.”

“But you were talking to Leonard Green?”

“I didn’t know that was his name. I had seen him at the store, and then he just appeared on my sidewalk and said it was a coincidence. He is an overly familiar young man and I sent him on his way as soon as I could.”

“What did he want?”

Eleanor’s mother hesitated, and Eleanor turned to sneak a look at her. Was that a blush?

“I’d rather not say. He was a most presumptuous young man.”

“He made advances to you?”

“Exactly.”

“And you turned him down?”

“Of course!”

“You’re sure? You didn’t flirt with him just a little?”

“I most certainly did not.” Eleanor saw her mother was sitting with her ankles crossed and her hands folded as if the queen could arrive for a spot check at any moment.

“The other salesclerks at Zamphir’s indicate you talked to Leonard Green on two separate occasions, and that you flirted with him.”

“How dare they! Those little tarts, they’re just jealous of my position at Zamphir’s. Oh yes, they’d like to see me gone. Spreading lies...”

“Did Leonard Green ask you for the keys to Zamphir’s?”

“No.”

“Yet his body was found with your keys in his pocket. How do you explain that?”

“I don’t. The whole thing is preposterous.”

Eleanor knew her mother shouldn’t be talking to these cops without a lawyer. It was too bad her mother hadn’t watched more television, because that was one of the first things you learned. Get lawyered up quick.

Eleanor pushed her chair back from the kitchen table and went into the living room.

“Mom?”

“Not now, Eleanor Louise.”

“But Mom, what’s happening isn’t—”

“Never you mind. You have your math to finish, now get to it.”

Eleanor hesitated. The two cops’ faces were full of pity for her. Eleanor looked at her mother again and saw the fierceness of those thin lips, the searing eyes, and that gross hairdo — it was so bad it was almost retro. That was another thing her mother said, You can’t save a duck that wants to drown. Unfortunately there was some truth in that.

The female cop came down from upstairs as Eleanor was heading back to her homework. In one hand she held the little black light for illuminating blood that Eleanor recognized from CSI. In the other she had the good black dress in a plastic bag but Eleanor knew it wouldn’t be going to the dry cleaner’s as it should.

Eleanor couldn’t hear what she said to the big cop, but she could guess. Eleanor was pretty good at guessing. Eleanor shifted her eyes away from the problem of how many ten-inch-wide boards it would take to side a 5,000-square-foot house. The Kordas’ house was stucco and it wasn’t even a quarter that size. The female cop went back out into the garage.