Excerpt:
If you think being dog in the manger is going to get you anywhere, just keep at it, and see who gets paid off, and how. It was signed, Guess Who? The shattered phone had kept him from notifying the police, even anonymously. And now, with a vindictive woman in the pattern, Carver had a greater stake than ever: there was the danger of having Alma involved; and, however unjustly, she would be, if the unknown woman in the case were cornered and began to tell her side of things.
Jeff pocketed that letter, figuring he had sufficient detail. Whether he could risk getting finger-print gear and his miniature camera for close up shots of developed prints was a question which good judgment would answer with a king size No. The same applied to frisking the house.
A heel print in a pool of blood caught his eye. The track had been duplicated on the floor, for several paces. It was anything but clear, and was a job for a technician. His mounting uneasiness, and the urge to get out and....