CHAPTER V: POUNDING THE PAVEMENT

Tuesday came and went and so did Wednesday. I called Jonathan a couple of times (ok more than a couple) but he said there was nothing new that he knew of.

DRAT.

I kept going over and going over what I knew.

Ryan was OUT in my mind as a suspect. But if not him then who?

Was the detective actively looking for someone else? It didn't seem so and I would prove to be right. Was he talking to her neighbors and friends? I wondered and finally I told Joey I was going to the station and he nodded without pressing. He knew how upset I was.

When I got to the precinct, Jonathan was on the phone so I sat down and waited. Pretty soon, he hung up and looked over at me...a bit warily I thought.

"What?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing."
"Hmmm. Jonathan I need to ask."
"Ask away."
"What is the detective doing? Is he looking elsewhere? Is he talking to the neighbors and family and friends?

"I don't think so Dylan. He didn't come in this morning until about an hour ago and didn't come in at all yesterday. I think he is stumped and doesn't want to admit it, to be honest," and that was said in a hushed tone so as not to be overheard.

"Good God. Jonathan...my fear is Ryan is going to get railroaded for the murder and you and I both know he didn't do it."
"Yeh, but Brantford doesn't know him. Between you and me, he has to know Ryan is a bit slow. Maybe he thinks this will be an easy score."
"FUCK," I said and none too subtlely.

"Yeh, and I don't know that for sure and can't prove it. Just an instinct."
He leaned over to me and got really close to my ear.
"Brantford is not well liked here. He is kind of an asshole and that is not just my opinion. But so far he hasn't done anything to get himself fired so...not yet anyway. He came from Philadelphia and has that eastern big city brusqueness about him. Truthfully? I am not sure how he got here from there and I suspect there is a story there but I don't know anything for sure.

"Doesn't surprise me, Jonathan. Thanks.
Frankly, I can't just sit by and do nothing."
"What are you thinking of doing?" Jonathan asked with a look of dis-ease on his face that almost made me laugh. He knows me too well.

"Just see what I can find out," and with that I got up, turned and walked out the front door. I could feel Jonathan's eyes on me the whole way and again I wanted to bust out laughing and probably would have under different circumstances.

But where to start? Where? I didn't really know Lucille Williams, Ryan's landlady nor did I know much more than what was common knowledge about her that everyone knew. Her late husband had owned one of the local drugstores for years and she had been a teacher. English I think, but that was about the extent of it and that wasn't much. Her husband had died of cancer over 20 years ago, and she had retired about 8 years ago if memory served me. I had never had her as a teacher and while I certainly knew who she was that was about it.

What to do now? I knew Ryan needed me to go to bat for him and I was damned well going to...but, I had to figure out a game plan. I also needed Joey too. He is really good at seeing the things I don't and vice-versa, so I headed home to get him to agree to help. I went over the case I thought would be needed to be made all the way home...but when I got there and asked him he said sure and that was that. I should have known he would, but it never hurts to have a game plan is my creed. LOL.

I asked Joey what he thought about what we knew so far and he told me and like me it wasn't much. I did the same. Ryan was up in his room watching television and I went up and let him know we were going to run some errands and would be back later. He nodded and that was that.

Joey and I had agreed that we needed to start with the basics and so we headed out to go over to Ryan's neighborhood and see if we could get the neighbors to talk to us. We got there and the first stop was a next door neighbor. I rang the bell, and an elderly woman in a housedress answered. We identified ourselves but she said she really didn't know anything and had never known Mrs. Williams very well at all, and that was that. She smiled and shut the door. Joey and I looked at each other and knew we were thinking the same thing. Sure hope they aren't all like that. But the next two were. Then we hit paydirt. Two doors down was an older man probably in his early sixties who invited us in (first one to do so) and offered us coffee or tea or whatever. I looked at Joey and he at me and we hoped this would be the corner turning event. That remained to be seen.

                                      CONTINUE TO CHAPTER VI