A Midsummer Night's Scream

hard-pressed to work out the details of how to repeatedly receive the cash from someone.
    Out of idle curiosity, Mel pulled out a loafer, its sole facing out. The shoe didn’t look as if it had ever been worn. Something fell out of it that astonished him. He put the shoe and the object back. Next, he went to the upright chest that presumably held sweaters, socks, and underwear. He found more of what he’d seen in the loafers.
    He was aware that although he’d been given permission to look at the room by the janitor’s next of kin, he’d need a warrant to do more searching. He closed the dresser drawers and the closet door and went back to the living room. “I see that your brother really likes hard jigsaw puzzles, Miss Turner.“
    “He always has. He’s always trying to get me interested in them, but they’re all too hard for me to enjoy.“
    Mel said, “You gave me permission to look in your brother’s room. Would you jot down a note saying so and sign it? Just as a formality?“ He went on chummily, “So much paperwork is required these days, even by the police department.“
    He handed her his notebook, opened to the back page, and gave her his pen. He dictated, “To whom it may concern, I, Hilda Turner, gave Detective Mel VanDyne permission to search my brother’s room.“
    The doorbell rang and Officer Jones went to open it. It was a neighbor woman with a brisket that smelled fabulous.
    “Hilda, I heard about Sven. You poor dear. Nice to see you, Officer Jones. Hilda, I’ll slice this up for you and bring back a salad and bread. Do you need anything from the grocery store?“
    “Nothing yet, thanks, Susan. These nice men are going to see that I get Meals on Wheels. Oh, this is Detective VanDyne. He’s going to keep me posted on Sven’s condition.“ She handed the notebook back to Mel.
    Mel noticed that Officer Don Jones was easing his way toward the front door, waggling his eyebrows in a peculiar manner and nodding subtly toward the door.
    Mel knew what this meant. “Miss Turner, Officer Jones and I need to go start arranging help for you and checking again with the doctors. We’ll both be back.“
    As they left, Mel heard the neighbor Susan say, “That detective is a good-looking man and a snappy dresser. I could go for him.“
    Once outside, Jones said, “Come sit in my car and we’ll drive around the corner. I have things to tell you.“
    “So do I,“ Mel said.
    “Miss Turner started telling me about their finances,“ Officer Jones said. “She had a good job for years, and when she became ill, she was given an excellent severance package. She’s also getting money from her social security for disability. But get this—she says Sven is a professional gambler. Almost every weekend, he leaves her prepared meals and goes to Indian reservation casinos in Minnesota or the casino boats in Iowa or St. Louis.“
    He went on, “She says he’s good at blackjack and bingo. And he always stays under the limit of winnings that have to be reported to the IRS.“
    Mel was nodding.
    “You’re not surprised?“ Officer Jones asked.
    “Let me tell you what I found in his room,“ Mel said. “He had a huge number of shoes in one of those hanging things on the back of his closet door. I picked out a loafer that looked as if it’d never been worn, and out fell a tidy roll of hundred-dollar bills. Same thing under his socks and T-shirts. That’s why I had Miss Turner sign that statement that she’d given me permission to look over his bedroom.“
    “You couldn’t have surprised me more if you’d kicked me in the head,“ Jones exclaimed. “They seem to live so frugally and modestly in that old house. It’s the original wallpaper and carpeting, it looks like to me. Do you think all the shoes were full of cash?“
    “I didn’t think I should look further without a warrant. Miss Turner isn’t going to like that.“
    “I think Miss Turner is telling us what Sven tells her,“ Officer Jones said. “And it’s not the truth.“
    “I agree. If I hadn’t heard from his boss and Miss Turner how shy and antisocial he is, I’d be thinking about blackmail.“
    “That was my first thought, too, when you told me about the shoe.“
    Jane had left a message on Mel’s cell phone. “Give me a ring and tell me what you’ve learned about the janitor if you have a moment free.“
    He called her back as soon as he’d applied for the warrant and asked for a police officer rotation to guard the