Manhunt. Volume 14, Number 1, February/March, 1966

“I’m calling on the auxiliary deputies, Matt. If I have to I’ll run everybody in the county through that morgue. Someone here must know her.”

“Yeah,” I answered. “Someone knew her well enough to kill her. But suppose the killer’s the only one who knew her, Clyde?”

Clyde sighed wearily. “I know, Matt. That’s what’s worrying me. If the killer’s the only one who knew her he’s not likely to let us find that out.”

The afternoon was pretty well shot when I left Clyde. There was no hurry on Lane’s pictures so I decided to call it a day. I called Anita at her parent’s home. When I suggested we share an early dinner she accepted rather too eagerly to suit me and I was sure she’d heard about the murder and would be full of questions. For a moment I was sorry I’d asked her out. I’d had about all I could take of that murder for one day.

When I stopped off at the home I shared with my older brother Clint and his wife Maggie for a quick shower and change of clothes I learned news of the murder had reached the back-fence clothes-line circuit hours before. Maggie seemed to sense that I didn’t want to discuss it and quickly switched to something else. I felt better then and only hoped Anita would be as perceptive.

And she was. I even found myself chuckling inside when I caught the approval in her eyes as she looked at me. I knew I looked every inch the rising young photographer in my dark blue suit.

My hometown only has one hotel but it’s a nice one with an excellent restaurant and dance floor on the ground floor. We took our time over dinner and then took a few spins over the dance floor. It was still early when we left. I’ve never quite gotten over a rather childish pride in my studio so when we left the hotel I drove down past it. I glanced at the sign above — Matthew Braddock, Photographer — letting my eyes glance lovingly at the entire spot where it nestled, between a clothing store and a hardware store. I didn’t dare to hope that Anita was seeing it with any similar feelings. Suddenly I swung the car over to the curb. The display window was lighted and although the lights didn’t illuminate much of the front room I’d seen something in there. As I dashed up to the front door I caught another glimpse of something or rather someone moving through the doorway of the reception room. By the time I got inside he was gone, leaving the back door banging softly in the cool night air. A car started up down the alley but it was gone by the time I got out there.

Anita had come inside the studio when I came back. She looked frightened and lost. I suddenly realized that I’d never seen her frightened before. But I didn’t have time to think about that now. I called Clyde and then started taking a quick inventory.

None of the equipment seemed to be missing and the cash register hadn’t been touched. Then I saw my print files. I file both prints and negatives by number. The negative files didn’t look like they’d been touched. But the last drawer of the filing cabinet that holds my prints was pulled open and someone had begun to paw through them. I couldn’t figure it out but I got my appointment book out and started checking it against the prints to see if anything was missing. None of today’s work was in the file, of course. For a minute I thought he’d made off with a whole week’s work and then I remembered that I hadn’t filed anything from the last four days. I’d planned to do that today but Clyde’s early morning call to go out to the Banning farm had caught me before I’d opened up this morning. I went back to my finishing room and there they were just as I’d left them.

Clyde and Anita came into the finishing room just then. Clyde seemed just as puzzled as I was when I told him what had happened.

“And you say he started to go through your print files, Matt?”

I nodded my head. “Yep. That’s what it looks like. And just the recent ones, too.”

“Matt, are you sure you never saw that woman before?”

“Clyde, you don’t think it was the killer?”

“Can you think of a better explanation?”

“No. But.” I didn’t finish. They did come a little too close together to be pure coincidence. First the discovery of the body and then the raid on my studio.

“Matt, I want you to go through every picture you’ve taken for the past week. See if you can come up with anything.”

“But Clyde.”

“No buts, Matt. The killer obviously thinks you have something in those files. Whatever it is we have to find it before he comes back. I’ll leave Cal and another man here to keep watch.”

When Clyde had gone I looked helplessly at Anita. “Well, Honey. I guess it’s going to be a long night. I think I’d better take you home. Cal can watch the place for a few minutes.”

“Oh. No you don’t Matt Braddock. I’m staying right here. Someone has to keep you awake.” She moved briskly over to the hot plate where I keep my coffee pot. “I think we could both use some coffee.”