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Literary
July 10, 1962
Atlanta Daily World
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
What is this article about?
Inspector returns home to an angry wife upset he didn't arrest a suspect for a reward in a jewel theft case. They argue over household economies; he promises to search for the jewel himself. Next morning, he leaves for the village, suspecting guide Perez.
Clipping
OCR Quality
92%
Excellent
Full Text
Last night, as soon as he opened the front door, before he had time even to remove his shoes or loosen his tie, she had asked whether it was true that Lieutenant Jiminez had made an arrest.
"I heard it on the broadcast," she said, as though expecting him to deny it.
"Yes, a suspect was picked up. It was a routine matter," he explained. "I was too busy to make the arrest."
"But the lieutenant wasn't too busy, nor will he be too busy to collect the reward," she said angrily.
"I suppose not," he had answered laconically. "If the man really is the murderer and if the jewel is found."
"And you don't care?" Theresa's voice squeaked with indignation. "It doesn't matter to you that Maria and I have to do without things when you could have so easily arrested the man yourself?"
"You don't really do without much," the inspector answered dryly, waving his hand at the ornate furniture that crowded the living room.
It was the wrong thing to say. Theresa enumerated the age of every piece: the chair had been given them by her mother; the couch was ten years old: the coffee table was a wedding present; the rug was threadbare; the stove was a prehistoric relic.
The flood of complaints was followed by a flood of tears that stopped only when he assured her that, in the morning, he himself was going to search for the jewel, and that, if he found it, they too would share the reward.
Since it would be only part of the reward, Theresa had obviously decided to be only partly mollified.
She poured him warmed-over coffee to point out the economies she was forced to practice and burned his eggs to remind him of the age of the stove: but, fortunately, she said nothing.
He ate with stolid concentration, listening for the arrival of Sergeant Roberto with the police car. And, at the first honk of the horn, he was outside in the crisp, early air.
He imagined he could still hear Theresa banging the dishes behind him, but his mind had already leaped ahead to the village, anticipating the questions he would ask there.
The inspector's suspicions turn toward Perez, the guide. What can entrap him? Continue the story tomorrow.
"I heard it on the broadcast," she said, as though expecting him to deny it.
"Yes, a suspect was picked up. It was a routine matter," he explained. "I was too busy to make the arrest."
"But the lieutenant wasn't too busy, nor will he be too busy to collect the reward," she said angrily.
"I suppose not," he had answered laconically. "If the man really is the murderer and if the jewel is found."
"And you don't care?" Theresa's voice squeaked with indignation. "It doesn't matter to you that Maria and I have to do without things when you could have so easily arrested the man yourself?"
"You don't really do without much," the inspector answered dryly, waving his hand at the ornate furniture that crowded the living room.
It was the wrong thing to say. Theresa enumerated the age of every piece: the chair had been given them by her mother; the couch was ten years old: the coffee table was a wedding present; the rug was threadbare; the stove was a prehistoric relic.
The flood of complaints was followed by a flood of tears that stopped only when he assured her that, in the morning, he himself was going to search for the jewel, and that, if he found it, they too would share the reward.
Since it would be only part of the reward, Theresa had obviously decided to be only partly mollified.
She poured him warmed-over coffee to point out the economies she was forced to practice and burned his eggs to remind him of the age of the stove: but, fortunately, she said nothing.
He ate with stolid concentration, listening for the arrival of Sergeant Roberto with the police car. And, at the first honk of the horn, he was outside in the crisp, early air.
He imagined he could still hear Theresa banging the dishes behind him, but his mind had already leaped ahead to the village, anticipating the questions he would ask there.
The inspector's suspicions turn toward Perez, the guide. What can entrap him? Continue the story tomorrow.
What sub-type of article is it?
Prose Fiction
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
Commerce Trade
What keywords are associated?
Police Inspector
Family Argument
Jewel Theft
Reward Money
Suspect Arrest
Domestic Economy
Serial Story
Literary Details
Key Lines
"But The Lieutenant Wasn't Too Busy, Nor Will He Be Too Busy To Collect The Reward," She Said Angrily.
"You Don't Really Do Without Much," The Inspector Answered Dryly, Waving His Hand At The Ornate Furniture That Crowded The Living Room.
The Flood Of Complaints Was Followed By A Flood Of Tears That Stopped Only When He Assured Her That, In The Morning, He Himself Was Going To Search For The Jewel, And That, If He Found It, They Too Would Share The Reward.
The Inspector's Suspicions Turn Toward Perez, The Guide. What Can Entrap Him? Continue The Story Tomorrow.