The Case of the Smoking Chimney

Chapter 27

Duryea telephoned his house, and when Milred answered, said: “I’m afraid I’m going to disrupt your family. Perhaps you’d better be in on it.”

“What’s the matter, Frank?”

“Your esteemed grandfather.”

“What about him? What’s he doing now?”

“According to reports we have just received, he has attended a political rally and listened to the speech of an opposition candidate. Now he’s headed toward Petrie, very probably intending to break into that cabin.”

“Going to arrest him if he does?”

“As the sheriff pointed out to me a few minutes ago, I can’t very well do that.”

“Why?”

“With an election coming up in a couple of months, I could hardly afford to give the opposition press that sort of ammunition. You can feature the headlines, and the editorials: ‘IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY — DISTRICT ATTORNEY ARRESTS WIFE’S GRANDFATHER. UNABLE TO FIND PRESSMAN’S MURDERER, DISTRICT ATTORNEY SWOOPS DOWN ON WIFE’S RELATIVE’— No, I can’t arrest him, not now anyway.”

“What are you going to do?”

“In about five minutes,” he said, “I’m going to pick you up; then you and the sheriff and I are going out to Petrie. If Gramps is in that cabin, we’re going to throw the book at him. It will be a star chamber session, and we’ll give him what’s known as a floater... But I think you get the idea.”

“You mean scare the pants off him?”

“Exactly. Your paternal grandparent is about to be completely denuded of trousers. We’re going to give him the cure.”

“I’ll be standing out in front ready to hop into the car,” she promised. “But don’t be too rough with him, Frank.”