Murder On The Mainline - S01 E29

Story 5 hours ago

Murder On The Mainline - S01 E29

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 29

Mike says, "Manuel, this is my associate, Trudy Garneau. Can you answer some questions now?"

"I'm fixin my radio. Damn kids broke off the aerial so I got a new one. New one don't work."

Trudy says, "Your pretty good with your hands, aren't you? Couldn't you fix the old one?"

"Maybe. Might be better'n this damn thing. Scuse my language, Miss."

"Manuel, you walked Flo to her car so she wouldn't get hurt, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. She should have taken my advice. I told her to go home and go to bed. But she wouldn't listen."

"You liked Flo."

"Yes. She was a nice girl who’s life was messed up by a cruel man. I told her to go home to Ontario, but she wanted to try and make things work here. She should have gone home. It's so sad."

"But she knew she was living a dangerous life style. Why would she do that, do you think?"

"To take her mind off her ex and maybe to get even with him. Show him she could have almost any man she wanted. That's what I think."

"Did he come around the pub to bother her?"

"No. I wouldn't have let him in. She knew that she was safe here."

"Did she say who she was meeting later that night?"

"No. I wish she had. I would find the son of a bitch before the police and castrate him... slowly, before I killed him."

"You don't think the truck driver they arrested did it?"

"No. Ray comes in all the time. He's all right. It wasn't him."

Trudy touches his arm and says, "Thanks, Manuel. We'll find whoever did it. Mike knows what he's doing. I'm sorry about Flo."

Manuel looks down and says, "Me, too."

They go back to the car and Trudy tells Mike, "He was sweet on her." Mike nods as he starts the car.

"Guess I'll have to hurry to get you home for work. It’s just after three twenty."

"Damn! We won't have time for a quickie, will we?"

As they head out of POCO Mike says, "So, what did you learn from Caramel?"

"I made notes for you. Basically, she's new in town. Jay has been to see her and explain the lay of the land. She hasn't agreed to work for him yet, so she's curbed her activities the last while. She doesn't have any idea who Flo was meeting and didn't even know Flo that well."

"She's a hooker, though?"

"Yep. I checked Flo's locker but it was bare. The cops got there first. I guess that's where they got the address book."

"Figures."

They drive in silence for a while. Trudy passes him her notes. "Just slip them in my briefcase, honey."

"Mike, do you think it's possible we're overlooking the obvious. We're pretty sure it was a phony rape so could Flo have been offed by a female?"

"I know. I’ve been wondering the same thing."

They follow the Lougheed out to Agassiz then the Haig Connection to Hope. Mike drops her off after a long kiss and promises to keep in touch.

As he drives home he thinks about the possibility of a murderess and tries to screen out the suspects from the women they have met so far. He puzzles at it until he approaches Chilliwack then starts thinking about Trudy being so close if she moves there. Close, but not too close. He arrives home in half an hour.

As he comes in he spots Nina at the sink. "Hi. Supper won't be long. How was your day?"

"Where's Marlene?"

"Don't I get a kiss first?"

Mike takes her in his arms and kisses her soundly.

"Jeff came over and took her with the kids out to supper. It's just you and I for now."

"What's the occasion?"

"You forgot! It's Richard's birthday. Marlene said you had forgotten but I didn't believe her. How could you?"

"Oh Hell! I better nip out and get him something."

"Marlene got him a gift from you. She said she has had to do that for all the kids for the last few years."

"I remembered Shelly's birthday last year."

"She told me you brought her home something from Calgary two days after her birthday."

"But I remembered!"

"Mike, your impossible. Don't get into something in the office. Supper will be ready in half an hour."

"Right. Call me when it’s ready."

Mike puts his briefcase away and returns to the living room. He has decided to take a nap.

Nina wakes him for supper. He catches her hand and pulls her to him on the couch. "Give me a little kiss."

She smiles and bends to meet his lips. As he kisses her he pulls her down beside himself on the couch and proceeds to work a breast with one hand. She starts back and says, "Just a minute. Supper's ready."

He grins and says, "It'll wait." He pulls her against his chest and seeks her lips again.

"I worked to make that supper and we are going to eat it now. Come on, Mike, let me up."

He looks at her and sees she means it. "Why not turn it down and take care of more important things first?"

"It will be ruined. Don't you value the hard work I did to make it for you? Jeff would never do this."

"That's because you wear the pants in your family. Now I'm going to take them off." He proceeds to do so. As he rubs her sex she presses hard against his hand in response but she has tears in her eyes. Mike quits and she moans. "I want you so bad but I wanted you to like my cooking, too."

Mike shrugs and says, "Okay. Let's try your cooking first then." He lets her up and they go to the kitchen.