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“Does he suspect anybody yet?”
“Well, he thought Susan Richards might be good for the Hawkins murder, but now I don’t know.”
“He doesn’t confide in you?”
“Not everything. You know Holmes kept stuff back from Watson too,” he added with a grin.
She didn’t return the look. “It was awful losing my husband like that.”
Mars touched her arm and his features grew solemn. “Hey, sure it was. Nobody should have to go through that. Nobody.”
She squeezed his arm. “Thanks.”
Mars looked around. “So you got this place and you got the American Grill. Decker told me about the place. Now that’s some broad bandwidth.” He chuckled.
She smiled. “It was David’s first project. I’ve kept the place to, I don’t know, honor his memory, I guess. It’s not like the restaurant makes a lot of money. In fact, based on tonight, I’ll probably make more in one month here than that place does in six months.”
Mars held up his cocktail. “Just start selling some of these fifteen-dollar highballs at the American Grill and you’ll see your profit margins soar.”
“I’m not sure how big that would go over with the Grill’s clientele. They’re more into pitchers of beer for five bucks.”
“Not to change the subject, but did your husband have any business associates?”
She crossed her arms and her cheery disposition faded. “Why?”
“I’m back to playing Watson, see?”
“I guess I see. To answer your question, no, he was a solo operation. He got his financing from traditional sources.”
“Like the local bank? Don Richards?”
“That’s right.”
“Anybody else in his past who might have had something against him?”
“Why are you asking these questions? Meryl Hawkins killed him.”
“But if he didn’t?”
“Why, because he said he was innocent?” she said skeptically. “His prints and DNA were found at the crime scene.”
“You can fabricate that stuff.”
Katz looked taken aback by this. “I didn’t know that. Is that what Decker thinks?”
“Maybe. So, did your husband have enemies?”
“No, nobody I could think of. He was a nice guy,” she added quietly. “He treated people well. He treated me well. He wasn’t the type to screw people over and make them hate him or hold a grudge.”
“So maybe they were targeting Don Richards.”
“They?”
“In the event Hawkins is not the guy, there’s a murderer out there.”
“Do you have evidence that the fingerprints and suchwerefabricated?”
“This is where I pull out my official handbook and tell you that it’s an ongoing police investigation.”
