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"You don’t think he’s a virtuous man?"

"I think he is I don’t think he’s a crook, or a secret addict, or a cheater"

"So, your sole objection is that he doesn’t have to work for love?"

"I’ soout to earn it"

Tolliver shrugged "I’m still not sure I understand," he said

I couldn’t explain it any better I’s, especially es But I knehat I enstern

Chapter eleven

WHEN we got back to the hotel, Rick Gold in the same chair in the lobby he’d used before

"I should’ve figured he’d show up, considering the scene last night," I told Tolliver "I wonder if he’s told the cops yet"

I introduced Rick to Tolliver as politely as if Rick had co in the private detective’s jaw, and his whole body was tense

"Can we have this talk sorowled at me

Tolliver said, "That would be best, I think Come with us"

The ride up in the elevator was silent and ominous

The , I was glad to see There’s souests in your hotel room when the evidence of your stay is strewn all around you in disorderly heaps; room service cart, crumpled newspapers, discarded books, a shoe here and there I’d been enjoying having a sitting roo for it through the nose

"You didn’t have to kill Nunley," Rick Goldman said "I knoas an obnoxious drunk, but he didn’t hurt you" He switched his level gaze to Tolliver "Or were you so angry he manhandled your sister that you tracked hiht just as well suspect you," I retorted, not a little pissed off "You’re the one laid hands on hi to sit there and accuse us of stuff without having the slightest bit of evidence that we ever saw the ain"

I tookit inside Tolliver unbuttoned his more slowly "I take it you’ve been to the police already with your little story about what happened in the lobby," he said

"Of course," said Rick "Clyde Nunley was an asshole, but he was a professor at Bingham He had a family He deserves to have his murder solved"

"I saas h, co"

"Lots of men don’t," Rick said

"Not in y," Rick said

"You knew hiht"

"I read his personnel file," the private detective ad the weird content of Clyde Nunley’s classes wasn’t the only reason he was being investigated," Tolliver said "I’ he had soe decided they’d better check hiht?"

"There was a certain amount of talk on campus"

"His asn’t so aht," I said "She didn’t even call the police until the nextaround the roouest had thrown hi for us to ask him to be seated

"Rick, do you still have a lot of friends on the force?" Tolliver asked

"Sure"

"So you won’t ht?"

"Of course not"

"Even when they tell your foruy out of the lobby, while my sister was absolutely passive?"

Iand tearful I look frail anyway, no h I actually can be

"I wonder who they’ll re violent and forceful, you or Harper?"

"Da her out" Rick Goldman looked at us as if he could not believe people like us alking the earth unjudged "You people!"

"I did appreciate your helping ht up until the time you insulted er Now he’s dead, and I had nothing to do with it We were just over at the Morgensterns’, and they heard the nehile ere there Pretty upsetting"

"They asked you to their house?" This, again, got a big reaction

I said, "Some people don’t treat us as if ere frauds and murderers"

He threw up his hands, as if I’d stepped over a dearly held boundary "I give up," he said

A little drama on the part of the old Rickster

"You two are no better than scaure out how you do it You were right on the et the documents ahead of time? I really want to kno you did it!"

There’s no convincing so else, for thatto believe I’, anyti to you Besides, the police will be coet here" That wasn’t true I’d already showered I just wanted Rick Goldht away

Chapter twelve

MANFRED Bernardo called us fro if he could co of Manfred, with his h airport security detectors?" I said to Tolliver He’d been reading a Robert CraisElvis Cole, and he’d been s to himself from time to time

"I don’t think that’s a problem Manfred confronts often," Tolliver said, but not as if he cared one way or another

Manfred enjoyed touching people When I answered the door, I observed that he was perhaps only an inch or two taller than I, but even as I was registering that, he leaned over to give ive hi’s notas I showed him into the room