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“There are boxer shorts, too, and they’re Eddie Jr.’s size.”
“So he is living here!” Joan said with some satisfaction.
“Not necessarily,” Mike said. “Come with me.” He led them into what seemed like a small apartment, with a sofa, a TV set, and a bed. Beyond that was a large dressing room, with many suits, jackets, shirts, and shoes on display.
“Wow,” Joan said.
Mike opened a dresser drawer and fished out a pair of socks and a pair of boxer shorts. “These are the same size and by the same maker as the socks and underwear in the dryer.”
“Were the ones from the dryer damp or hot?”
“They were at the temperature of everything else in this room,” Mike said.
“So the things in the dryer could be Eddie Sr.’s, not Junior’s?”
“Exactly,” Mike said.
Joan spoke up. “Eddie Sr. and Eddie Jr. were the same size and wore the same size of everything.”
Mike nodded and continued, “They could have been put inthe dryer before or just after Eddie Sr. died, then forgotten by the maid. But there’s still another possibility.”
“Not another possibility.” Joan sighed.
“Although the things in the dryer are Eddie Sr.’s, Eddie Jr. could have been wearing them, and as recently as today.”
“Oh, swell,” Joan said.
“Is there any indication that Eddie Jr. might be using this place, either for sleeping or for laundering?”
“Possibly,” Mike said. He shone his flashlight at the top of a cabinet holding suits. “There’s a trapdoor up there, leading to an unfinished attic.”
“Any sign that Eddie Jr. has been there?”
“Absolutely none, but it’s the kind of place that a small boy might use when playing.”
“Eddie Jr. is not a small boy,” Joan said.
“Ah, but he used to be,” Mike said. “And so he would certainly remember it.”
“Why would there be a bed in this dressing room?” Stone asked.
“Oh, that’s right, you’re not married,” Mike said. “Sometimes married men annoy their wives and get banished from their shared bed. My guess is that, when they renovated this house, Annetta insisted on that bed being available.”
“That would have been just like her,” Joan said.
“Can the washer or dryer be heard from the master bedroom?” Stone asked.
“No. We turned everything on in the laundry and not a peep got to the bedroom.”
“Has the bed in the dressing-room suite been slept in?”
“It doesn’t appear to have been used, and it was neatly made up, with fresh linens.”
“So, what do we do now?” Joan asked Mike.
“May I make a suggestion?” Stone asked.
“Please do,” Mike replied.
