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Savich nodded "I’ was only there to case out the place, and saw a pri-time," Sherlock said "Orthat’s now covered up will co Let’s say it was Alexander, or maybe even Guthrie, since they ate with her on all three occasions How could they, or any other Ras?"

"I don’t doubt Alexander could find a hitknown Alexander over the years, I’ll agree with that Don’t forget he’s sly, ot a lot of contacts, not only in Washington, but in New York As for the rest of the Ras, you knoell as I do that the Ras"

Sherlock said, "Also, one of Venus’s staff could have ed it And there’s Veronica Understandable that Venus didn’t want her around today when she met with us, but she and Veronica are close; she spends most of her time with Venus, doesn’t she?"

"Yes, for fifteen years now They’re so close Venus et to mention her as a person of interest here We need to check Venus’s will and trusts she’s made to her staff as well as to the family, look into each of their finances We need to see who desperately needs ht this randson I don’t believe she suspects hi at him No wonder Venus wants to protect him"

"What about that accountant, Zapp, ith her that first time at the Ambassador Club?"

"Ruth ran a check on hi She told me he had a solid alibi for the second and third times Venus was poisoned"

"You knohat I think? It’s all too neat, too tidy Everything points to either Guthrie or Alexander" Sherlock sighed "It’s like so us the answer on a silver platter

"Dillon, whoever is behind this had to know Venus would figure it out and call the cops, or us, so he was ready with Willig Iain It was Alexander Ras theto protect his grand like that could have happened and in the oading Alexander, not yet He, his father, Guthrie, his aunt, Hildi; and her daughter, Glynis, were all at the house, gathered around theher a bit ether, good for her and good for the investigation He wondered if they’d yet gotten to the stage of accusing one another Savichandprivate security since the FBI couldn’t see lord of theLet’s stop at Willig’s aparthborhood; it’s near the warehouse district" When he turned the Porsche onto West Elhborhood that hadn’t seen any federal aid in decades, if ever It was slowly collapsing in on itself, overgroeeds surrounding low-rent buildings, some of the yards littered with abandoned cars Savich stopped the Porsche in front of a building that should have been boarded up years ago "He’s on the third floor"

They saw three teenagers gaping at the Porsche and a half dozen olderthem no attention at all Savich stopped on the steps and yelled out, "Anyone touches ets five years in lockup We’re cops" He shifted his jacket to the side and let everyone get a look at the Glock, clipped to his belt "I really like rateful there was enough light to see where to put their feet On the third floor, they turned down a dark corridor, past an oldat the and silent Sherlock hoped that in his ’s door was locked, but Sherlock had her pick set with her They were inside Willig’s nest in under a le filthycovered with thumbtacked newspaper, an ancient bathrooe and a hot plate on the floor with eleelse They found two thousand dollars stuffed into the mattress, about the only place to look When they left, the old ainst the wall, hu bits of paper froave him her sunny smile "Have you seen the man who lives in that apart for hih her, his eyes vacant He continued hu under his breath until Sherlock stood up and followed Savich out of the building

They were glad to see the Porsche hadn’t been touched The teenagers were gone, and everyone else sat exactly where they’d been It was eerily quiet

"Two thousand dollars--that isn’t verysomeone, even as a down payment," Sherlock said as Savich drove back to the Hoover Building "He either stashed the rest of it,really is an idiot"

Savich flipped fro to what the news had to say about the attempted murder of Venus Rasmussen, the CEO and chairhty-six--see someone would try to lad to hear there was no comment from any of the family, and no formal statement yet froh and the tabloids would flock to the story with screaain, he wondered hoas it done? Evil always finds a way, he re