<B>An Early Morning Murder at 13 Humberview</B><P>Police Constable Michael Caledon picked his way gingerly around the piles of gravel and dirt and dust-covered debris strewn about by the road repair crew.<P>Buffing his black shoes to the proper wattage each morning was his least favorite activiity and he had no intention of wasting the effort in his first call of the day.<P>He'd parked the patrol car farther away than necessary for the dame reason:to keep it clean.When the crew started up at.......he looked at his watch......seven o'clock,only 9 minutes away,there would be plenty of dirt and noise.He'd seen this bunch move in yesturday to rip up the street.<P>So complete was his concentration that he found himself on the little flagstone walk at 13 Humberview before he realized it.That surprise,coupled w/his sudden awareness that the old lady was sitting on the porch waiting for him,must have showed on his face,for Mrs.Van Nough explained very sweetly:<BR>"I always have my coffe on the porch in this nice weather.Sometimes I even get out before the sun is over those trees.We'll have to go inside today,though;there's no much point in being out here when they start."<P>She waved at the silent machinery on the street."What do you take in your coffee,young man?"<P>Michael used the three short strides up the walk to gather himself."Good morning." He held out his hands."I'm here to get......."<P>"What do you take in your coffee?I have some muffins too,that my neighbor made."<BR>Michael didn't drink coffee,but how did he say no to such a nice old lady?<P>"Uh......just half a cup,please and milk,lots of milk." That was how.<P>"Excuse me,then.I'll be right back." Mrs.Van Nough got up,shuffled over to the screen door and went inside.Michael was having real trouble controlling his surprise.<P>The lady was not behaving at all like a bereaved widow.Four days earlier,in fact at just this time......his watch now said 6:54...her Husband had been shot in their bed.He was also surprised by how well she spoke.Mrs Van Nough was deaf,at least according to Sergeant Cosman.Michael had been sent bc he was the best on the force at signing.So far,that skill had been entirely superflous.<P>His surprise was not diminished in the least when Mrs.Van Nough came back out the door saying:<BR>"No doubt you're wondering how we're able to communicate so easily? Well,I wasn't always deaf.Not until my accident two years ago.Here's your coffee,Constable.I can sign.Are you the one they said would come bc you can sign? There's not much need.I'm pretty good at lips.You get good.You have to.Besides,everybody always says the same things to old ladies anyway!"<P>Her smile grew even sweeter.Michael was so charmed he was almost able to ignore the tast of coffee.<P>"My other little trick," she lowered her voice conspiratorially,"now don't you tell anybody,Constable,"Her smile grew wider and even more irresistible."My other little trick is,I do all the talking! People don't mind if old ladies prattle on,now do they?<P>"Now you want to know all about poor Alvin,don't you? I don't know why.I told those other nice policemen everything.Poor Alvin.We were only married three years,you see.He was my third Husband."<P>Without realizing it,Michael bit into a second muffin.He didn't say a word,as Mrs.Van Nough continued.<P>"It happened when I was having my coffee here,just like this.It was a beautiful day,one of those extra-special summer days.You know,clear,quiet warm.Of course I couldn't hear the shot,so poor Alvin......."<P>With a raucous cough,the first of the diesel engines started out on the street,followed by another,then a third,filling the air with a blend of aggressive clatter.The operators held the throttles open,not just to warm up their machines,but also to ensure that everyone in hearing distance would be awake to appreciate their efforts.<P>Mrs.Van Nough winced.The early morning breeze had brought the exhaust fumes onto the porch."Come," she shouted over the din."We'll go inside.Would you carry the muffins?"<P>Michael picked up the plate and followed her.How,he thought to himself,how on earth am I going to tell Sergeant Cosman that such a sweet old lady is a liar?<P><B>What has tipped Michael Caledon to the realization that Mrs.Van Nough may not be all she pretends?</B>

You're awesome. It's making my day. <P>Thank you, thank you, thank you!<P>Okay Sweetpea, lets roll up our sleeves, dig in and get started!<P>Jo<P>------------------<BR><BR>Josie_Res@Hotmail.com<P>"Remain flexible like a reed, as opposed to an oak that will snap in the wind"

This seems to easy.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"Come," she shouted over the din."We'll go inside.Would you carry the muffins?"<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Why would she shout to be heard over the equipment if she could no hear the equipment in the first place?<P>Is there somehting else that I am missing?<P><BR>

Being hearing-impaired, this is easy. Yes, the shouting is one give-away, although it <B>is</B> possible that when the exhaust fumes whiffed onto the porch, she realized that the machinery had cranked up. Since she hadn't always been hearing impaired, she would know to shout.<P>What the give-away for me, though, is this statement,<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"It happened when I was having my coffee here,just like this.It was a beautiful day,one of those extra-special summer days.You know,clear,<B>quiet</B> warm.Of course I couldn't hear the shot,so poor Alvin......."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>How would she know it was a quiet day? That's the give-away for me.

OK Gina,<P>Another good one. Finally something to get our minds off things.<P>First, I don't believe there is enough information in the story line.<P>What make is the old lady?<P>What color is she? [Plays an important role for me]<P>6 or 8 cylinder?<P>2 or 4 door?<P>hardtop or convertible?<P>A/c, cruise, AM/FM CD? WE NEED TO KNOW THIS!<P>OK, my conclusion. You say the old lady was backed into a small garage, huh?<P>Obviously there was someone else involved with this. [male] You can't tell me that a woman could back an old lady into a small garage. I don't buy it. <P>Just kidding Val hit our garage so many times pulling in nose first and it's a two old lady garage. Only playing. <P>Don't kill me girls, just having fun.<P>I'm really not sure of the answer, there are so many misleading verbages in the story. <P>Is it an electric lady?<P><P>------------------<BR>"It's not over till we say it's over! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? H*ll no!" Blutto...Animal House 1984<P>Wishing us all the Best.<P>Medic

The other thing I want to know about is how can she read lips when people are drinking coffee or chewing on muffins?? And if she was so deaf the noise they were about to make shouldn't have bothered her and how does she know it's going to be loud?<P>------------------<BR>Chick's <BR>Bren<P>You won't see things until your ready to not be blind!

So......what's the answer??????<P><BR>Medic,<P><I>What make is the old lady?</I> Ford<P><I>What color is she? [Plays an important role for me] </I> White w/blue hair.<P><I>6 or 8 cylinder?</I> Definitely 8; she's got a lot of getupandgo<P><I>2 or 4 door?</I> 4 door, of course! One for each of her 3 late husbands, plus one for herself! <P><I>hardtop or convertible?</I> oh, I'd say a hard top!<P><I>A/c, cruise, AM/FM CD? WE NEED TO KNOW THIS!</I> No A/C, or she'd be sitting inside; cruise? yeah, 'cause she let her mouth run at full speed; AM/FM CD? Yeah, 'cause she kept fiddlin' with the volume! <P><I>OK, my conclusion. You say the old lady was backed into a small garage, huh?</I> No, she was backed onto a porch.<P>That answer your questions? <BR> <BR>Bren,<P>It looks as though she didn't have to read the constable's lips 'cause she didn't give him enough time to talk! LOL!<P>The noise wouldn't have bothered her if she actually was deaf, but she supposedly had been deaf for only a couple of years, so she would know that the equipment would be loud.<P>If she was really deaf, the exhaust fumes coming onto the porch could have alerted her that the equipment had started up. She could then have suggested moving into the house either to get away from the fumes or out of consideration for the constable, who might have trouble hearing over the noise.<P><B>So, that is why I think her statement about the day Alvin died being quiet is the dead giveaway.</B><P>Another thing I might mention is that most hearing-impaired people tend to talk rather loudly unless they're consciously trying to avoid it...because they can't hear themselves. But, I don't think that's really much of a clue, as the story doesn't mention anything about the volume of her voice, other than to say that she "lowered her voice conspiratorially" and that she "shouted over the din". And, the shouting could have been out of consideration for the constable.<P>