The Baby Jane Murders Read Online Free Page A

room,
waiting."
    A frail Miss Whiteford was waiting, crouched, her shoulders
drooped. Her small figure begged for pity. She shook when she heard
Kroupa approaching. He was aware he had to put her at ease, if he
wanted to have a meaningful conversation. "Good evening, Miss
Whiterord. I am truly sorry for disturbing you so late. I am a
detective. Kroupa is my name. Rowan Kroupa."
    " Please promise me you find the person who killed my Trudy,"
was her plaintive cry in response.
    "I promise you I'll do my best, but I need your help. Can you talk
about Miss Winterbottom now?" Kroupa purposely used the family
name, to create some distance. He thought that it would make Miss
Whiteford’s task easier.
    "If it will help, of course ."
    "How long did
you know Miss Winterbottom?"
    "We knew each other since she moved here, to Medlow Bath. I’ve always
lived here."
    "How many years? Approximately forty or fifty?"
    "Oh, no. Only about twenty or twenty five. You see, some people say
that we looked like we were of similar age, but I am twenty-five
years older. Trudy looked my age because she was worn out. She used
to drink, to drown her memories and sorrows. Trudy was only forty."
Miss Whiteford began sobbing again. Kroupa waited patiently until
she’d regained her composure, then he asked, "Do you know what
troubled her?"
    "No, I don't. It could ’ve had something to do with the photograph. You
see, for a long time she was normal. We’d talk, but not about the
past. Once I asked her if she had any photographs to show me. You
know… from when she was younger and before she moved to Medlow
Bath. She resisted first, but then she took out an album. It
slipped out of her hands and I remember that they were shaking.
When it opened up I saw that there were pictures of many people,
friends of Trudy embracing each other. And there was a photograph
of a baby. I asked who all the people
were, as anybody would, but she said she’d forgotten after so many years and didn’t want to remember any
more . Then she began to cry so I didn't ask again.
Since then I never asked her anything about her past. I always say,
'what you don't know you can't gossip about'. It’s my motto. I
guess that there was something in Trudy's life she tried to forget.
That's what I think. Trudy was a fine woman; the young ones today
will never be like her. I will miss her… I already miss her
now."
    "Miss Brunt claims that you argued with Miss Winterbottom. Is that
so?"
    " Now
that I look back on it, we started to argue after the incident with
the photo album. She became very edgy, if you know what I mean,
very irritable. She was upset about her irritability, started to
take some medicine, and I suggested that we should argue as a game.
We would first agree on what we’d argue about. Then I would come
over and we’d have some tea. I seemed to help her."
    "And that’s the way the unfortunate day she died played itself
out?"
    "Yes and no. I’ m sorry, but I didn't play by the rules. Sometimes
I really argued and that’s what happened that day. I went back
later to apologise, but it was too late." Miss Whiteford was
crying, her sobbing muffled her speech. Kroupa again waited, this
time for a longer time. Then out of the blue he asked, "Did Trudy
like coca cola?"
    "Trudy? She hated it. S he told me that she’d never taken illicit
drugs or drunk coca cola. She even hated the posters and the way
they served it at fast food outlets. She reckoned that all their
advertising should be banned. She said that it was a strong poison,
which first made people fat and later led to diabetes. It’s weird,
but I also remember her saying that people who drank Coke were
vulgar. Why do you ask?"
    " Oh,
no reason… just a thought." Miss Whiteford seemed not to register
what he’d said… she was lost in her memories.
    "Would you be long?" constable Milton asked, wondering when he’d
be able to go home and have his supper. His supper regularly
included a glass of Shiraz and he wanted it