Tuesday The Rabbi Saw Red

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Ames could see that Sergeant Schroeder was highly pleased. "We picked up that student. Ekko,” he said, the minute he entered Hendryx's apartment.

"Good work," said Ames. "Has he talked?"

"No, but he will," said Schroeder confidently. "We'll let him stew for a while and then pull the cork and it'll all gush out. You'll see—" He broke off as a police cruising car drew up. "Here's Mrs. O'Rourke now."The cleaning woman looked quite confused, and not a little apprehensive. Schroeder began brusquely. "We're going to ask you some questions. Mrs. O'Rourke, and this time we want the truth."

"Let me handle this. Sergeant." said Ames. The cleaning woman visibly relaxed. "Now. Mrs. O'Rourke,” he said in a mild voice, "here's what I want you to do. Would you please clean this apartment, just the way you did the last time. You understand?"

"Yes sir. Now?"

"Now will be fine. Mrs. O'Rourke." said Ames.

"Well, I start here usually." They followed her into Hendryx's small kitchen, and she made motions of removing dishes from the table and placing them in the sink. "Like this?"

"Just a minute. Mrs. O'Rourke." said Ames. "Do you do all this in your coat?"

"Oh, I take that off first, of course, and hang it up in the closet."

"Then please do so now." said Ames. "And how do you get in?"

"Well, I ring the bell and Professor Hendryx lets me in."

"All right, then please go outside and we'll start from the beginning."

"This is like a— a play, isn't it, sir?" said the delighted Mrs. O'Rourke.

"Yes. Mrs. O'Rourke." said Ames seriously, he and Schroeder watched in silence as she simulated cleaning the apartment.

"When I finish this room," she said, warming to the scenario. "I usually empty the wastebasket."

"Go ahead."

"But it's empty."

"Well, for God's sake, woman, make believe it's full." snapped Schroeder. Dutifully, she picked up the wastebasket and opened the door.

"You leave the door open?" asked Ames.

"No, there's a draft sometimes and it slams shut."

"So you close it and Professor Hendryx would open it for you when you knocked?" Ames persisted.

"Oh no, sir. I wouldn't want to disturb him. I put it on the latch."

Ames directed her to do so, they watched her walk down the corridor to the back hall and make motions of emptying the wastebasket in a large trash barrel, she returned with the presumably now-empty basket and set it back in place.

"Don't you release the catch on the door now that you're back?" asked Ames.

"Oh, no, sir, on account I got to keep going out to empty the other wastebaskets and the newspapers and shake out the mops."

"I see." said Ames. "And when Professor Hendryx is not here? Say, he's gone across the street to the school?"

"Same thing. Nobody's going to come in, and I'm just down the hall."

"And when you finished and left for the day," said Ames, "did you remember to set the catch again?"

Her hand flew to her mouth in guilty embarrassment and she stared from one grim-faced man to the other.

"Well?" Ames' voice was suddenly hard.

"I don't remember, sir,” she wailed, and then in automatic defense. "But it don't make no difference, the professor would be in and out all day, and he was just across the street. Besides, it didn't happen here; it happened over there." And suddenly she buried her face in her hands and began to weep.