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Thank you, lawyer Rasave Alexander a cool look "Is that what you think happened? He took two thousand dollars as a down payment from someone who emailed him instructions, or wrote him a note? That he has no clue who his e in Alexander’s throat at Dillon’s questioning his opinion Are you the one trying to randmother? She said, "He’s a career crience--, we may very well find out" She cracked her knuckles and sry because she’d had the nerve to call him Alex and not Alexander?

Venus dropped her bombshell "You know, Dillon, I would very much like to meet the man who tried to shootwith And there’s a great deal I could offer him that the FBI can’t I’d like to be there with you tomorrow"

"Mother, no! You with this horrible criminal? No, you can’t possibly want to do that"

Veronica said, "I agree Venus, this isn’t a good idea"

Venus patted Hildi’s hand, smiled at Veronica "You know, there’s a lot that’s happened today that I’ve never done before I never considered that I’d actually fit in that small space between the front and backseat of the Bentley, for instance, but when MacPherson yelled forshould be a walk in the park couined she used the same tone to shut up opposition The Rasmussen had spoken, and that was that

"Good" Savich looked at each Rasent Lucy Carlyle and Agent Davis Sullivan will be speaking to you individually to Please make yourselves available"

"What about me?" Alexander moved from behind the sofa to stand in front of the fireplace, his arms crossed, stiff as a soldier

"I’ll call you when you need to co," Savich said "Keep your schedule open to better to do than wait for a cop to call"

Sherlock gave hih for you, Alex, since sorandmother Trust me, you’ll find the interview room quite comfortable"

"What I want to know," Glynis said as she walked to the sideboard to pour herself a glass of water, "is who in this family could possibly want to kill Grandin, drank it doithout pause, felt it steady him "Savich suspects either ood reason Alexander and I ith Mother all three times before she became ill, no one else" He turned to Savich "You’re not really going to look anywhere else, are you? The obvious road for you is to try to nail one of us Or both"

Alexander’s voice snapped out sharp and impatient "And that would be ridiculous, Father Neither of us have any reason to har the truth There are hundreds of people, ht think they could benefit fro Grandmother, our faers, share pricesat all of them would be difficult And these tould need to have the intelligence and resources to look in the right place, and of course that is a big proble her hands "It’s got to be an outsider, someone who hates Mother because she took over their co I know this fa like this, never Dillon, both Guthrie and I have always loved our randmother This--evil plot isn’t us; it can’t be us"

A hed "Wouldn’t that be so a pinch of arsenic in Grand us? Without anyone even knoere hiding behind the curtains?"

"The first two tine," Venus said coolly, eyeing her granddaughter "At a restaurant"

"Better yet," Glynis said "The

Veronica, sitting nearest to the phone, rose, lifted the receiver, listened, snapped out, "No co up "Another reporter At least there are no hbors wouldn’t allow that They called the police and three squad cars came and shooed theo With everyone leaving, I don’t think there’s enough protection for Venus"

Alexander said, "I understand from the officer outside that a squad car will reht, then our own private security will arrive in the uards will stick with her around the clock"

Venus nodded her thanks to Alexander, who stood shoulders squared against the fireplace She looked at Hildi, her artist-hippie daughter wearing her habitual tie-dyed long skirt and peasant blouse, those ridiculous pearls, sonarrow feet, Venus’s own feet, she realized Hildi’s dark hair hung long and straight down her back, mixed noith strands of white that looked like an ahts Hildi had only her art and her daughter to tether her to this earth ever since her worthless husband, Elliott DeFoe, had stepped willingly out of her life years before An abandonment that Venus, adhter to re It made her sad sometimes to think of Hildi alone And then there was Glynis, in her designer clothes fro lady She was divorced now, too, and adrift

Venus shtful, "Each of you is so different, but that’s whatI’ve loved all of you forever, tried to make you happy, tried to stay out of your lives And I have to ask h to want me dead? Couldn’t that person wait until I drop over myself?" Venus sed, then to Savich’s surprise, she lowered her head in her hands and began to cry quietly