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Tuesday, October 26, 2021

"Chasing the Evidence Race" by Susan Pearl (Tuesday, mystery blog #5)

 (Nate hurries to unlock the front door.  Garrett is waiting on the small wooden porch.)

Garrett: When I grabbed up my file I forgot the picture I had handed you to look at.

Nate:  I'll get it. (Nate goes to the desk and retrieves the picture and takes it to Garrett saying,) There you go.

Garett: That should do it.  I don't want to wear out my welcome.

Nate: (Looking at Garrett with an arched eyebrow he firmly says,) No, you don't.

Garrett. I see you rolled up your shirt sleeves.  You must have gotten busy doing something.  Still I'm surprised you had locked the door so soon after I left especially with that sign in your office telling people to just wait. 

Nate:  I have another sign I was in the process of getting to put on the door. (Nate leaves momentarily and comes back and hangs a sign reading, "All our storage units are full - there are no storage units currently available for rent." (Nate nods at Garrett and then shuts the door and relocks it.  Garrett starts to leave but suddenly stops before entering the main road, shuts off his car gets out and walks back to the small porch and knocks on the door again.  Nate watches from the window and returns to unlock the door. He answers the door saying)

Nate: Are you kidding me!  What else could there possibly be? Don't you have anything else to do but to keep interrupting me?

Garrett:  I want to ask you if you know Maze Arman?

Nate: No, I don't. Never heard of him. 

Garrett: Did you know Sylvia Quade?

Nate;  Isn't that the name of the murdered victim from last week?

Garrett:  Yes, she was a receptionist at Automotive Restorations near here.  I thought that, maybe, you knew her from your restoring cars. 

Nate:  I've been at Automotive Restorations a few times but I can't remember seeing a receptionist. 

Garrett: Of course not.  I noticed with your sleeves rolled up that you have a cobra snake tattoo signed by Maze on your right forearm.  It puzzles me that you have a tattoo from Maze and yet you say you don't know him. 

Nate: So? Big deal.

Garrett: It is a big deal. So, just to enlighten you about Maze. He is a good artist and a very good tattoo artist.  I've heard that for his very good friends he will give a free tattoo with his name under the tattoo.  Those free tattoos are the only tattoos he will sign. When I noticed you have rolled up your shirt sleeves and you have a cobra tattoo signed by Maze on your right forearm it suddenly made me realize you have to know Maze so I stopped my car and came back. Since you say you don't know Maze I now want to tell you about how special of tattoo you have since it is signed by Maze. (Nate crosses his arms in front of him looks very stern at Garrett but remains totally silent. Garrett continues.)  I just wanted you to know if you have no recollection of Maze you must have been unconscious when he gave you the tattoo.  Of course, that would also explain why you don't know Maze even though you have one of his special signed tattoos.  Can you think of any other reason why you would have a tattoo he gave you but yet you don't know him. You must have been unconscious while he was giving the cobra tattoo right here on your arm. (Garrett points to the word "Maze" under Nate's cobra tattoo.)

Nate:{Impatiently)  Is there anything else? (Garrett nods his head in the affirmative. Nate rolls his eyes sighs and asks) What is it?

Garrett: I can't help but think what a conversation piece your restored car must be.  I bet people approach you and ask questions about the car, or share memories and stories like I did.  I think it would even be easy to give someone a ride in a restored car. People would let down their guard and want to ride in a restored car.  They would consider it a special opportunity and not even think twice about accepting a ride in a restored nostalgic car from a past era even though they would be riding with a total stranger.

Nate:  I wouldn't know anything about that. What is this all about?  What is your problem with me?  I can assure you I don't even let people touch my car yet alone let them get into my car. As for Maze giving me a tattoo, sure, I can play along with your "unconscious theory". Because of my anxious condition some friends of mine got the idea to have my dream tattoo done while I was passed out from drinking too much. They had Maze give me a tattoo so when I woke up I would have the tattoo I had been wanting for a long time but too anxious to get.  They would have gotten the best tattoo artist for such a wonderful surprise gift to me. The fact that he took time to sign it makes it even more special to me. I really don't know him but he does have a great reputation for being one of the best. My friends would have hired him because they wanted me to have the best.  Now, that should answer your "unconscious" theory.

Garrett:  You are good at lying through your teeth, but, did your friends hire him to put his initial "M" on your painted sign on the wall by your desk...but that couldn't be. No, because you said a good friend had painted that sign for you.  The "M" is for Maze.  Even I can tell that is one of his paintings.  

Nate: I think you better go. You are way, way, way over staying your welcome.  Don't come back again. I mean it! (Nate slams the door in Garrett's face.  Garrett leaves and, once again, Nate watches from a window.  When Garrett is out of view Nate goes to the back bedroom and knocks three times on the closed door. The paneling on one wall of the bedroom slides to reveal a large hidden closet. The closet has an air mattress on the floor, a fan, bottled water and one folding chair. Out from the hidden closet walks Maze.


To be continued: Tomorrow



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