Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders

CAREFUL. WE JUST GLUED THAT PIECE BACK ON.

IT'LL BE DRY IN A FEW HOURS.

HOW MUCH IS IT?

DANI, HOW MUCH IS THIS?

$25.

WOULD YOU TAKE 10?

SOLD.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT TO DRY.

I TAKE THE BUS,

AND I HAVE TO GO AND FEED THE BIRDS.

I LIVE JUST TWO OR THREE STOPS DOWN

ON ELM STREET.

THAT'S OKAY,

JENN WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO DELIVER IT TO YOU.

WOULDN'T YOU, JENN?

YES.

DELIGHTED.

9-1-1. WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY?

I'M CALLING ABOUT ARTHUR HENLEY,

914 ELM.

NUMBER 202.

I THINK SOMETHING MAY HAVE HAPPENED TO HIM.

IS THIS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

YOU SHOULD SEND SOMEONE.

SIR, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

SIR?

MR. HENLEY!

NO.

OPERATOR, I'D LIKE TO REPORT A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

NEVER MIND.

I CAN'T FIND A PULSE.

THIS SHOULD BE GOOD.

I WAS DELIVERING A PURCHASE,

AND THE CUSTOMER...

LOOKED DEAD.

I FELT FOR A PULSE,

I CALLED 9-1-1,

BUT THEY WERE ALREADY ARRIVING--

DETECTIVE, THANKS FOR COMING OUT.

HOMICIDE SHOULD HAVE A LOOK.

SOMETHING FEELS OFF.

HE'S RIGHT.

THANK YOU, JENNIFER.

WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE.

NO, WAIT, WAIT!

I'M THE ONE THAT DISCOVERED THE BODY,

AND I'VE ALREADY BEEN INSIDE.

I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU

A COUPLE OF THINGS.

FINE.

DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A STRUGGLE TOOK PLACE.

THERE'S NO BLOOD.

LOOKS LIKE A MEDICAL CALL.

WHAT'S SO OFF ABOUT THIS?

ANONYMOUS 911 CALL SAYING THAT HE NEEDED HELP.

WE CANVASSED THE NEIGHBORS.

NONE OF THEM MADE THE CALL.

SO, SOMEONE ELSE MADE THE CALL.

APPARENTLY, HENLEY HERE WAS A LONER,

SO WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN

THAT HE NEEDED HELP IN HIS APARTMENT?

911 COULDN'T SEE THE INCOMING NUMBER?

PAY PHONE. - ALL RIGHT, WELL, WHAT ELSE?

YOU HAD A DELIVERY OR SOMETHING?

YEAH. LONG STORY,

BUT HE CAME INTO THE STORE THIS MORNING

AND HE LOOKED PERFECTLY HEALTHY.

MAY I?

SMELLS LIKE WHISKEY.

SO, HE DRANK SOME WHISKEY AND HAD A HEART ATTACK.

THERE'S NO WHISKEY BOTTLE.

NO. I LOOKED EVERYWHERE, EVEN THE TRASH.

AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

NEIGHBORS SAY HE'S NOT A PRIEST.

HE WASN'T WEARING THAT COLLAR THIS MORNING.

INTERESTING.

HERE WE GO.

MY GOODNESS...

WOW.

YOU SHOULD BUY IT.

WELL...

YOU HAD ONE AS A CHILD, DIDN'T YOU?

HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?

WELL, IT'S OBVIOUS,

EVEN WITHOUT THE GIFT.

IF YOU EVER WANT A READING...

LET ME GIVE YOU MY CARD.

THANK YOU.

IT'S A TINY CLOCK RADIO!

DANI, THIS IS FANTASTIC.

ISN'T IT SO CUTE?

LOOK AT THE LITTLE KITCHEN,

AND THE LITTLE STOVE AND THE CHAIRS...

I THINK EVERYTHING IS HERE.

DO YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WOMAN WAS REALLY PSYCHIC?

I MEAN, HOW DID SHE KNOW

I HAD ONE AS A KID?

SHE GUESSED?

MAYBE.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE AREN'T PEOPLE OUT THERE

WHO REALLY HAVE THE GIFT.

WELL, COULD YOU ASK HER TO GIFT US

THE WINNING LOTTERY NUMBERS?

...NOT MUCH.

WENT TO A GARAGE SALE,

DANI BOUGHT A DOLLHOUSE,

I DELIVERED A PURCHASE...

SINCE WHEN DO YOU DELIVER?

HE WAS AN OLDER MAN TAKING THE BUS.

AND?

HE WAS DEAD WHEN I GOT THERE.

HE WAS DEAD?

DON'T WORRY, FRANK THINKS IT WAS NATURAL CAUSES.

"DON'T WORRY."

WHY WOULD I WORRY?

THESE GUYS ARE POSTING THESE VIDEOS ON THE NET,

WHERE THEY GO OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS

WITH NOTHING,

NO TOOLS, NO TENTS,

NO SLEEPING BAGS.

NOT EVEN WATER.

IT GETS COLD IN THE WILDERNESS.

I THINK IT WOULD BE AWESOME.

MAN VS. NATURE.

YOU KNOW, SURVIVAL.

WHY DON'T WE SKIP DINNER

AND REASSESS THAT ABOUT MIDNIGHT?

WE'LL GO IN THE BACKYARD,

IN THE DARK,

HUNGRY.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE NEVER EVEN BEEN REAL CAMPING.

WE WENT TO YELLOWSTONE.

THAT WAS JUST, LIKE, IN AN RV.

THAT'S NOT REALLY CAMPING.

DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW?

I WAS A BOY SCOUT.

I GOT SKILLS.

HEY, DR. BLAKE.

HI, JENNIFER.

WHERE'S DR. TREMEL?

HE'S ON VACATION.

HEY, FRANK.

I CALLED YOUR OFFICE, THEY SAID YOU'D BE HERE.

I GOT YOU A COFFEE.

DO YOU KNOW DR. BLAKE?

YEAH.

PLEASE TELL ME HE DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES.

WELL, HE DIED OF A CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA.

THAT'S GOOD.

NOT FOR HIM.

NO, I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT.

IT'S JUST, THIS IS A WEIRD ONE.

IT'S STARTING TO GET COMPLICATED.

WELL, IT MIGHT STILL.

HE HAD AN EXTREMELY

HIGH LEVEL OF NICOTINE IN HIS SYSTEM.

I THOUGHT YOU SAID

HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK.

HE DID.

BROUGHT ON BY A TOXIC LEVEL OF NICOTINE.

YOU MEAN LIKE

HE CHAIN-SMOKED HIMSELF TO DEATH?

NO. LIKE HE DRANK IT.

LIQUID NICOTINE?

WHERE DO YOU GET THAT?

WELL, IT'S USED IN INSECTICIDES, FOR ONE THING.

IT'S FAIRLY COMMON.

AND HE DRANK IT?

SUICIDE?

MAYBE.

UNLESS SOMEONE GAVE IT TO HIM.

AND THAT WOULD BE MURDER.

WELL, WAS THE WHISKEY ADULTERATED?

NOPE.

THE RESIDUE IN THE GLASS HAD NO NICOTINE.

THIS RINGS A BELL.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "IT RINGS A BELL."

IT SOUNDS FAMILIAR.

LIKE A BOOK I READ.

NO, NO, NO, NO.

NO, IT DOESN'T.

ALL RIGHT, WE GOTTA GO.

NO, FRANK, HONEST,

I READ A BOOK A LONG TIME AGO.

YEAH.

THE BURKHART DEAL CLOSED.

WE BREAK GROUND NEXT MONTH.

THAT'S NICE.

DOING SOME RESEARCH?

I'M RESEARCHING MURDER MYSTERY.

FRANK'S CASE,

THE ONE I TOLD YOU ABOUT?

IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE A BOOK I REMEMBER,

BUT I CAN'T FIND IT.

I DOUBT A KILLER IN THE BOOK

WOULD HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH FRANK'S CASE.

BUT THE KILLER IN FRANK'S CASE

MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO

WITH THE BOOK.

DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE?