“He didn’t say nothing about Arizona. Just that he wanted his father’s things. Not that he took all of them, but I figured since you’d paid for the room through the end of the week I might just as well leave them lay.”

“I guess I could pick up the rest of his stuff. Take it off your hands.”

She finished the brown murk and pulled a pitcher from the left side of the chair. “I’d offer you some, but I’ve only got the one glass. You look kinda thirsty.”

I made a hasty gesture of refusal. I wasn’t that hot.

“I was kinda thinking of his clothes for the Goodwill,” she added.

Meaning she thought she could sell them, perhaps to her other lodgers. “If you think they want his clothes, be my guest. Let me just make sure this—son—didn’t overlook something valuable.”

Of course, anything valuable would be long gone, but Mitch Kruger hadn’t had stocks or bearer bonds to worry about. There was no reason to be gratuitously offensive to the lady by suggesting as much. Mrs. Polter gave gracious consent to my searching Mitch’s room once again.

After the glare of the street I couldn’t see in the unlit stairwell. I felt my way cautiously up the stairs, not wanting to stumble on any loose pieces of linoleum. None of the other inhabitants was roaming the halls, but a fresh smell of bacon overlay the stale grease and cabbage in the air. Someone was having a late lunch, or a very late breakfast. My stomach rumbled sympathetically. I wondered if I could get a cheese sandwich at Tessie’s when I finished here.

By the time I reached the top my eyes had adjusted enough to the dim light to find Mitch’s room. Between Mrs. Polter and the son not much remained. Certainly not Kruger’s union card or his pension papers—not even the newspaper clippings. I hadn’t paid much attention to his clothes, so I couldn’t tell if the landlady had already skimmed off anything, but the portable black-and-white set was gone. If I poked around until I found Mrs. Polter’s room I’d probably discover it there. The temptation was strong, but I didn’t have any real desire to confront her over it.