by A.A.FairMystery- Donald Lam & Bertha Cool
Previously (6th) in the series is Owls Don't Blink
by A.A.Fair
September 1942. Donald is off serving the country in the U.S. Navy. But Bertha has taken off some weight and is continuing to run the Cool Detective Agency in his absense. However, she has forgotten that she doesn't have Donald's brains, and gets herself entangled in a crazy puzzle with a blind beggar, Rodney Kosling, who knows everyone on his street by their footsteps. He "witnessed" an accident where Josephine Dell, a special young friend, was hit by a car and then whisked away. He asks Bertha to find her. Turns out Josephine's boss has just been poisoned and the housekeeper's family has apparently changed the will, but Josephine insists the will is valid. Kosling also owns a pet bat who insists on landing on the neck and shoulders of anyone who enters Kosling's house. And too many people have been entering Kosling's house.
Two insurance companies are trying to settle the claim for the accident, the signatures on the will seem valid, and a chiseler who has information to sell about the accident visits Kosling's house once too often. Bertha can't solve it on her own, but she doesn't want to admit she needs Donald's help. When his ship puts in at San Francisco for a few days she writes to him, telling him about the case, "to give him something on which to turn his mind." She just can't ask for advice! Donald gets an unexpected 36-hour leave and trots around fixing Bertha's mistakes.
The explanation of the case is presented in a letter from Donald at the end, in sort of a variation of the "denoument in the parlor" style of mystery. 192 p.
Next (8th) in the series is Cats Prowl at Night
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