Hour Game

King replied, "I don't disagree with you, but I'm having a hard time finding her motive. She said Bobby had promised to change his will to benefit her, but he didn't. So there goes her motive to kill him."

"Unless she found out he hadn't and was so furious she murdered him," said Michelle.

Harry rose and stood next to Michelle in front of the fire. "At over seventy, one's whole body becomes drafty regardless of the amount of clothing or the relative heat of the room," he explained.

Returning to the discussion, he said, "There might be a third possibility. We've been focused on what was taken from Remmy's closet, but what was stolen from Bobby's closet?"

They both stared at him but said nothing.

Harry continued. "The will that left everything to Remmy is the one that's being used by the lawyers. It was drawn up many years ago."

"How do you know that?" asked Michelle.

"The lawyer who drafted it was a former clerk of mine, currently a partner at a firm in Charlottesville. They had the original, and that's the will that's being probated."

"Did anyone look for another, more recent will?" asked King.

"That's the point. I don't think so. But what if a later will was the thing stolen from Bobby's closet during the burglary?"

King said, "But if it was in Bobby's secret compartment, which Remmy told us she was unaware of, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to destroy it."

"I'm not saying it was Remmy. Bobby had a stroke, he was delirious, talking gibberish at the hospital, so I heard," said Harry.

"And maybe he mentioned another will," said King, snapping his fingers.

"So anyone who heard him could have committed the burglary," said Harry.

"If Dorothea had it, though, she would have made it public, wouldn't she?"

"But there'd be the little matter of where it came from," said Harry. "I don't think she would want to confess to burglary."

King looked puzzled. "But, Harry, we're overlooking something. Bobby's death was well publicized. Whoever drew up the new will would have come forward."

"Maybe he didn't use a law firm to draft it."

"If he did it himself, he'd still need witnesses."

"Not if it were a holographic will, entirely in his handwriting."

"So if there is such a will, who has it, and why aren't they making it public?"

"A question to which I would dearly love the answer," remarked Harry as he finished off his snifter of cognac.

CHAPTER 76

KING AND MICHELLE SAID GOOD night to Harry and drove off. The weather was still nice enough to keep the top down. However, Michelle tugged her wrap more tightly around her shoulders.

"I can put up the top if you want," said King, noting her movement.

"No, the breeze feels wonderful and the air smells so good."

"Spring in rural Virginia, can't beat it."

"I feel like we made some progress tonight."

"At least we took the time to talk out different angles. That's always helpful."

She glanced at him with a suspicious look. "As usual you're saying less than you know."

He pretended to be offended by her remark; however, his smile betrayed this effort. "I'm not conceding Iknow anything. But I do suspect some things that I might not have mentioned."

"Such as, partner?"

"Such as I've spent a wonderful evening over two fabulous bottles of wine with an attractive young woman, and all I've talked about is murder and mayhem."

"You're stalling. And mentioning the wine before mentioning me says a lot."

"Well, I've known those bottles of wine longer than I've known you."

"Thanks a lot, but you're still stalling."

The SUV hit them from behind so hard that if they hadn't been wearing their seat belts, they both would have gone headfirst through the windshield.

"What the hell!" yelled out King as he looked in his rearview mirror. "Where did they come from?" The words were barely out of his mouth before they were rammed again. King fought the wheel, trying to keep the two-door Lexus coupe on the windy road.

Michelle kicked off her heels and pushed her bare feet against the floorboard to steady herself. Reaching into her bag, she slid out her gun, chambered a round and punched off the safety pretty much all in one smooth motion.

"Can you see the driver?" asked King.

"Not with the damn headlights shining in my face. But it has to be the killer."

King pulled out his cell phone. "This time we're going to nail the bastard."

"Look out, here he comes again," yelled Michelle.

The next impact by the far heavier vehicle almost lifted the rear of the Lexus off the road. King's cell phone was knocked out of his hand, banged against the windshield and then went rocketing backward. It clanged off the hood of the SUV, hit the street and broke apart.