“Right now?”
“I know this is a terrible time.Anything you can give us may help.”
“Itwillhelp,” Connor repeated.
A low sound came from Marlene.She was crying, but trying to hold it back.“If you say it will, Connor.”
“Thank you,” Selena said.“When did you leave town?”
“Two days ago.Me and the kids drove up to Lexington to visit my mother.”
“Did Victor plan to join you?”
“No.He was supposed to come later if he could get away.Maybe the weekend.He had too much work this week.”
“What kind of work?”
“The co-op.Contracts.Deliveries.I don’t know all the details.Victor tried not to bring it home when he could help it.”
Selena glanced toward the board.“Was anything out of the ordinary with him before you left?Anything he might have done that seemed strange?”
"No," Marlene answered too quickly."No, not really."
There it was.A door shutting before anyone had tried to open it.
Selena softened her tone.“Marlene, I’m not asking whether Victor did anything wrong.I’m asking whether something changed.Mood.Routine.Calls he didn’t want to take.Arguments.Anything that made you think he was carrying pressure.”
A pause.
“He was stressed,” she said.
Connor lifted his head.“About what?”
“The grain co-op.Carl Higgins.”
Arnold’s eyes moved to Connor.
Selena caught the name and wrote it in her notebook.“Who’s Carl Higgins?”
“Runs another grain outfit across the county line,” Marlene said.“He’s been trying to push into Harlan for years because he lives here.Victor beat him out on a distribution contract back in the spring.Big one.”
“Under disputed circumstances?”Selena asked.
Marlene sniffed.“That’s what Carl said.”
“What did Victor say?”
“That Carl couldn’t stand losing.Victor said everything was above board.The contract went to the better offer.”
Connor said, “How heated did it get, Marlene?”
For a moment, only her breathing answered.
“He came to the house,” Marlene said at last.“A few weeks ago.”
Connor straightened.“Carl did?”
“Yes.It got very heated.”
