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“He has an alibi for the night of your daughter’s death,” Eve pointed out “I can’t charge him without more”

“An alibi?”

“The record shows that Rockton office until nearly two on the night of your daughter’s death”

“Rockman would say whatever my father told him to say”

“Including covering up murder?”

“It’s simply a matter of the easiest way out Why should anyone believe my father is connected?” He shuddered once, as if blasted with a sudden chill “Rockman’s statement merely detaches his employer from any suspicion”

“Hoould your father travel back and forth to New York froton if he wanted no record of the trip?”

“I don’t know If his shuttle went out, there would be a log”

“Logs can be altered,” Roarke said

“Yes” Richard looked up as if re all at once that his friend was there “You’d know more about that than I”

“A reference tobehind me It can be done, but it would require some payoffs The pilot, perhaps the ineer”

“So I knohere to put the pressure on” And if Eve could prove his shuttle had taken the trip on that night, she’d have probable cause Enough to break him “How much do you know about your father’s weapon collection?”

“More than I care to” Richard rose on unsteady legs He went to a cabinet, splashed liquor into a glass He drank it fast, like uns, often shows theer, he tried to interest me in them Roarke can tell you, it didn’t work”

“Richard believes guns are a dangerous symbol of power abuse And I can tell you that yes, DeBlass occasionally used the black market”

“Why didn’t you mention that before?”