tell the truth , she 'd pretty much resigned herself to giving it to hinzelmann as this year 's klunker and just taking the tax write-off , not that the car was a klunker , far from it , no , it was her son 's car before he went to school in green bay , and , well , he 'd painted it purple one day and , ha-ha , she certainly hoped that mike ainsel liked purple , that was all she had to say , and if he did n't she would n't blame him ... chief of police mulligan excused himself near the middle of this litany .