Page 74 of Reckless Witch

He looks up from some paperwork and says, “Can I help you?”

“I would like to speak to the detective investigating my grandmother’s death,” I say.

Surprise flickers in his eyes, but he says in a neutral voice, “Who’s your grandmother?”

“Miriam Crowe.”

This time, the surprise in his eyes is almost palpable. “Hold on.” He picks up the phone and says, “Lynn, do we have someone investigating the death of a Miriam Crowe?”

Someone speaks on the other end of the phone, but I can’t discern the words.

“Uh huh,” the cop says. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He nods as if the person on the other end of the phone can see him, then hangs up and looks at me. “Miriam Crowe’s death was ruled a suicide. The case is closed.”

“Does that mean the detective who investigated the case won’t talk to me?”

“Detectives are too busy to spend time on cases that are already solved,” he says.

“Who’s the detective?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he grunts.

“I’m her granddaughter.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he says, but I don’t detect any empathy in his voice.

“Who’s the detective?” I ask again.

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. Now, get going.”

I nod slowly. “I bet they’ll know down at the paper.”

He frowns. “Paper? What paper?”

“The Journal News, New York Times.”

He sneers. “We don’t report to the newspapers.”

“They’ll look into the matter for me.”

I turn and get half a dozen steps before he says, “Wait a minute.”

I stop and face him.

“Maybe a detective can talk to you—for a couple minutes.”

Five minutes later, a tall man about fifty years old is showing me to a desk in a room that contains about half a dozen desks.

He sits in a chair behind one of the desks and I take the chair opposite him as he says, “I’m Detective Moore. What can I do for you?”

“Are you the detective who investigated my grandmother’s death?”

He nods. “You’re her granddaughter, Leilah Crowe? You ran away from home seven years ago.”

I blink. “Ran away? Who told you that?”

“Neighbors. How did you hear of her death?”

I smile. “Neighbors.”