Miss Julia Paints the Town by Ann B. Ross

suspicion in his nature. But he nodded and proceeded to the chair, leather appendages creaking with every movement.
    â€œThat’s why I need to speak with you again,” he went on, as he rested his hat on his knee and removed a pad and pen from a pocket. “We’ve searched every inch of the mountainside, and we’re confident that Mr. Allen is not there.”
    â€œThat’s good news, Mildred,” I said, patting her shoulder.
    Lieutenant Peavey glanced at me. “Maybe. And maybe not. The question is, where is he? Which is what we’re dealing with now. So,” he said, turning his full attention to Mildred, “you told us that the last time you saw him was yesterday around noon. That’s a little over twenty-four hours ago. What I’m trying to do is track his movements from that point on. Do you have any idea where he might’ve gone or who he might’ve seen immediately after he left here?”
    Mildred closed her eyes in thought, or so it seemed, then said, “He might’ve gone to the bank, Lieutenant, the Mountain Trust, which is where he has an account.”
    â€œGood,” Lieutenant Peavey said, jotting down the information. “That’s something we can follow up on. Do you know if he intended to make a withdrawal?”
    â€œI wouldn’t think so. I assume he would be making a deposit. At least, I hope he was, since he left here with a check for a few thousand dollars.”
    Lieutenant Peavey’s eyebrows shot up. “A few thousand? How many, exactly?”
    â€œSix, I believe,” Mildred said, as if she wrote so many checks of that size that she couldn’t quite remember. “I can confirm that by my checkbook.” She took her lower lip in her teeth for a second. Then releasing it, she went on. “I suppose it might be relevant to tell you that that was the third check I’d advanced him in the past week.”
    Lieutenant Peavey blinked at this news. “How much in all, would you say?”
    Mildred waved a languid hand. “Close to twenty thousand or a little more. But I told him that was the last check I was giving him until next month. He was already into me for much more than that, always needing an advance on his allowance, always complaining about his creditors.” Mildred looked down at her hands in her lap. “He’s never been good with his finances, and even worse here lately. I have to say that I reminded him of that rather forcefully.”
    Lieutenant Peavey wiggled his pen in his fingers, letting the silence build in the room. I expect he’d never come across anything like the relationship between Mildred and Horace, and hardly knew what to ask next.
    â€œSo,” he finally said, “can we say that Mr. Allen had a greater than usual need for money in the last several days?”
    â€œOver the past month, I would say,” Mildred said. “And I don’t mind telling you that I had had enough. I told him yesterday that there’d be no more.” A tear trickled down Mildred’s face. “We argued, Lieutenant Peavey, on what might’ve been the last day of his life, we argued. And he left the table, angry and upset with me. Called me selfish and miserly. And I…well, sharp words were spoken, and now my poor Horace is gone forever.” She reached up and took my hand where it rested on her shoulder. “Julia, take a lesson from me, don’t let the sun go down on your wrath. Value Sam and let him have whatever he wants. Within reason, of course.”
    I nodded, while Lieutenant Peavey looked exceedingly uncomfortable at Mildred’s sudden gush of tears. I gave her a handful of Kleenex from the box on a side table and patted her again.
    Attempting to bring the interview under control, Lieutenant Peavey asked, “Instead of depositing that check, do you think he would’ve cashed it? Do you know if he was in the habit of carrying large amounts