I could feel a new wave of rage building, and this one was a tsunami. I stuffed it down to save for later, when I could really let it rip. “You had better be sure,” I said.
Fred switched from indignant to menacing. “Very sure.”
The mustache was not impressed. “We are. May I ask you some questions, Mr. Boyer?”
“Not yet.” Fred leaned back in his chair. “Is Mr. Boyer under any suspicion?”
“We do not have any specific suspects.”
“That is not a specific answer.”
Wilcox frowned. “Everyone associated with Melvin Boyer has to be regarded with suspicion at this stage of the investigation.”
Fred turned to me. “Do you understand, Jason? Be very careful in what you say.”
I was not in any careful state of mind. “Why did you wait a week to tell me?”
“We were verifying the evidence.”
Verifying the evidence. The first word that came to my mind was fabricating. Fred had said that the governor’s response would be unmistakable, and I was not mistaking it. I was so angry at Melvin for leaving this mess.
“Right,” I said. “I’ll make a statement. I have no idea who might have killed Melvin, if anyone really did. He was a wealthy and powerful man, and there would be lots of people who were enemies or benefited from his death. You know all that. I don’t know anything else.”
“Could you list these enemies?” Wilcox’s mustache quivered. I was supposed to start fingering people?
“You find them. I’m not going to do your job.”
“Who benefited from his death?”
“Mr. Spellman will provide you with a copy of his will. Other than that, if you want to go fishing, you’ll have to find a different pond.”
Wilcox could see his fishing license was about to expire. “Mr. Boyer, don’t you want us to find your father’s murderer?” Was he surprised, or was this an attempt at intimidation? I was just too mad to put up with it.
“He’s dead, and the rest doesn’t matter. And if anyone is trying to use this, or has manufactured this, to cause me trouble, then he isn’t very bright.”
Wilcox blinked. “Let me assure you we will use discretion. We’re only investigating a crime. We have no other purposes.”
Fred snorted. “I understand your purpose.”
Wilcox had left. I was in a hurry, but the situation required discussion. “Is this the governor asserting his independence?”
“Certainly.” Fred scowled. “He wants to show us we are not above the law, and he can yank our chain whenever he wants. The police will question your family and associates, and embarrassing information will be leaked.”
I was thinking about our special legal framework. “That could hurt Bright as badly as us.”
“He controls the police. They’ll uncover whatever he wants and nothing else. But the investigation could spread anywhere. The Boyer name will be demeaned.”
There was a lot of static in my brain. “Do you think Melvin was murdered?”
“It was my first assumption when I heard about the accident, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to discuss. There were other things more important. And for the governor’s purposes it would certainly be convenient… but not necessary.” Then he paused. “I’m sorry, Jason. I didn’t mean to trivialize your father’s death. We should take some time to think this through before we plan our next step.”
“It does matter whether he was killed. That would mean there was a murderer somewhere.”
“Yes… Are you suggesting we actually cooperate with the police?”
“I don’t know.” There were thoughts under the static. “They’re going to need a suspect. What if there isn’t one, or there is one but they can’t find him?”
“Or if he, or she, isn’t appropriate for their purposes. Exactly. And you would be an obvious choice. This is a substantial attack, and I have no doubt it will be used for political purposes.”
I was sorting out my anger. There was the anger at Melvin for leaving me his money, without telling me first. Then there was the anger at him for leaving me his Special Framework. Now I had a third layer of anger at him for getting murdered, or at least appearing to, which was ammunition in the hands of a belligerent governor.
But there was anger beyond that, and it was pointed at that governor, and I did not feel like giving in to his attack. Maybe I was still planning to get rid of Melvin’s money, but at the moment I started having other plans.
“What should we do?” I asked.
Fred was grim, but he’d calmed down. “For the moment, wait. He is just setting out a negotiating position. Next, he’ll let us know what he wants.”
“This doesn’t look like negotiations.”
“Oh, it is. That’s all it is. This is how the world operates, Jason.”
“But Bright, or Grainger, or whoever this is, could get anyone they want convicted. Would they do that?”
“If the stakes are high enough.” And Fred smiled. Maybe he liked high stakes. “Eric. Angela. Katie. And, of course, especially you.”
I don’t like high stakes, and I was using a lot of energy keeping my lid on. “You’re the last person who saw him alive, Fred.”
7
Traffic was thin, and twenty minutes was just enough time to be home by eight. I thought for a moment about indulging my fury, but there were too many other things to think through.
Had he really been murdered? Sure. Why not? It was way more likely than an accident. So who did it?
Maybe somebody he’d crushed, or was currently crushing, or about to crush. I had a better idea after the last few days of all the crushees, but that was for the police. There were other names rattling about.
Brake tampering meant someone who worked on cars. Benefiting from his death meant someone who needed money. Two plus two equals…
I got out my cell phone and dialed.
“Pamela, I have another job for you.”
“Yes, dear?”
“Get a credit report on Eric. He has no idea how much he’s been spending for the last few years, and I’d like to make sure he’s not in too much trouble on his credit cards.”
“I’ll e-mail it to you tonight.”
“Thank you.”
Or maybe Fred had been thinking I would be easier to control than Melvin had been. Maybe he and Clinton Grainger got together for lunch every week and commiserated about puppets who didn’t do as they were told.
Or was Angela the kitten really a tiger? Who knew what went on in that relationship.
This was not going to be pretty. I’d already convicted three people who I should have been trusting.
Katie was a lot better off with Melvin dead than with him alive. I missed my exit over that one.
But neither Katie nor Eric knew the will had been changed.
Maybe it was the governor going for a double dip, getting rid of Melvin with the option of pinning it on the old man’s heir. That was better, if not very real.
What else? The most obvious motive of all. He died the night he changed his will. Were the brakes meant to fail on the way to Fred’s house? If it had been two hours earlier, Bishop Kern would have been pope.
“Katie.”
“Where are you, Jason?”
“I’m on the way. Is Nathan there?”
“I think he’s just pulling up.”
“I’ll be about ten minutes.”
Money gave lots of people a reason to kill Melvin. Now the money was mine. What am I doing here? Why am
