Hour Game

"It's an ongoing investigation, Dorothea. We can't comment on that," replied King.

"I just thought that if we helped you, you might fill us in on things," she said bluntly.

"Sorry, it doesn't work that way. But since you're here, I have a question to ask you. You visited Bobby in the afternoon on the day he was killed?"

Dorothea stared at him blankly. "That's right. So what?"

"What was the purpose of your visit?"

"He was my father-in-law. I wanted to see how he was doing. It wasn't the first time, and I was there long before he was killed."

"And that night you went to Richmond. What time did you get there?"

"I don't remember. It was late. I went to bed."

"What hotel?"

"The Jefferson. I always stay there."

"I'm sure you do. And I'm sure they can give us the exact time you arrived."

"What the hell are you getting at? I came here this morning to try and help you, not to be interrogated."

"And I'm trying to help you. If you were at a hotel ninety miles away when your father-in-law was being killed, you have an ironclad alibi. I'm sure the FBI has already checked into this as well."

Dorothea stared at King for a few more moments, then rose and stalked out. Eddie thanked them both and quickly followed. King and Michelle watched through the window as they went to their cars.

Michelle said, "You don't think she was at that hotel at ten o'clock, do you?"

"I think she was somewhere she doesn't want her husband to know about. And I'm sure Bailey has already found that out but not bothered to tell us. Her answer about seeing Bobby before was total B.S. I checked at the hospital."

Michelle watched as Eddie climbed in his car. "I wonder how a nice guy like him ended up with a witch like her?"

King looked at her and smiled. "Going sweet on Eddie Battle?"

Michelle's face flushed. "Get serious, Sean."

"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow afternoon?"

"Maybe a run."

"It's canceled. We're going to a funeral."

"Why?"

"It's a little-known fact that killers very often go to their victims' funerals."

"Well, we didn't go to the other funerals."

"There haven't really been any others. Rhonda Tyler's parents apparently didn't want to be bothered, so she was buried in a potter's field near Lynchburg. I went to the burial. The only other people there were the gravediggers."

"I'm surprised no one from the Aphrodisiac went. Like Pam maybe."

"I think they just want to forget it even happened."

"Talk about hiding your head in the sand."

"And Steve Canney was cremated without a service."

"That's a little unusual for a big football star."

"His father didn't see it that way."

"How about Pembroke?" asked Michelle.

"Her parents were so embarrassed by what she was doing with Canney when she died, they buried her at an undisclosed location out of the area."

"Hinson?"

"Her parents took her remains back to New York where she was born."

"So what do you make of Eddie and Dorothea's coming by?" she asked.

"Eddie I understand. His mother probably put him up to it. Her dutifully loyal son is a perfect tool for her. Dorothea's presence was far more interesting. She claimed it was to tell us her theory on the killer. I'm surprised she'd given it that much thought actually. I think she came principally to fish for information."

"Maybe she's just bucking for a bigger piece of the estate. Not that she needs it."

"No, I think she might," replied King.

"What do you mean? She's the queen of local real estate."

"Dorothea's become involved in some questionable real estate ventures that went south very recently."

"You did some checking?"

"I was getting tired of letting Chip Bailey have all the fun."

"And you haven't told him this?"

"He's FBI, he can find out for himself."

"So Dorothea needs money, and she's trying to get in Remmy's good graces in order to get it."

"That could be." He checked his watch. "I've arranged interviews with Roger Canney and Pembroke's parents starting in about an hour. After we finish with them, you may want to go shopping."

"Shopping? For what?"

He ran his gaze over her. "Jeans and a Secret Service windbreaker just don't cut it for proper funeral attire."

CHAPTER 45

SYLVIA DIAZ WAS COUNTING PILLS. She counted them once and then did it again. She went through her prescriptions written for the last three weeks and compared that number with the inventory counts in the pharmacy for that time period. Lastly, she went on the computer and examined the inventory numbers there. The computer records matched the levels in the pharmacy, but they didn't reconcile with the written prescriptions. Sylvia trusted her written prescriptions. There were clearly drugs unaccounted for. She called her office manager in and spoke at length with her. They went through the records together. She next spoke with her nurse-pharmacist, who filled prescriptions for patients at the office. After finishing that discussion Sylvia was convinced she knew where the problem was.