page76 (1/2)

He shrugged and then said, “I don’t see how I can help you”

I changedband Sophie said you were divorced?”

There it was, at last, a flickering, barely there hint of sadness on his face

He said, “My ex called her ‘thoroughly nutty Millie’ Anyway, there’s no reason

to take the ring off I like it I don’t like change”

And yet his life had been disrupted by his father’s death, his mother’s absence, and then a divorce that Michael apparently hadn’t accepted as final

I felt a flash of pity for Michael, and I bought Sophie’s view that he was an introvert But it was odd that he had no curiosity about his ht he was trying to get a fix on me

I said, “Mr Dunn, we’re totally in the dark here Anything you can add, even a guess, would be appreciated I liked your mother, and I really want to catch her killer”

Dunn twisted the band on his ring finger, calling old with riold

He said to me, “As I’ve told you, I don’t know her friends, her habits, or anything about what happened to her I can’t even guess” Then he looked away

I said, “I have to ask, Mr Dunn, where were you the night your mother was shot?”

“Me? What night was that again? No, it doesn’t matter,” said Michael Dunn wearily “I have the saet to work at nine I do research for the three lawyers at Peavey and Sement I eat lunch at my desk I leave work at six, coo to bed after the news That’sDay life It’s what I want No stress Quiet Predictable”

And he had a predictable alibi, too I didn’t like that So on with Michael Dunn that he hadn’t told us Never mind what he said; what did he know?

He looked at his watch and said, “Look I’ve got a stack of docu for them I hope you catch Mom’s killer She was batty, but she didn’t deserve to be shot”

He got up from his chair and put on his windbreaker jacket