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“No, I’m just . . . a friend of a friend.” She cast a loaded glance at Duke. “We were just checking to make sure Craig was okay after the way his show ended so abruptly. I’m assuming you listened to his broadcast? Or did he already tell you who he suspected the killer was?”
Duke’s gaze remained on Andi another moment. She was certainly direct. He still couldn’t help but think that there was more to her story. He hoped to uncover it sometime.
“If he’d told me who killed my mother, I wouldn’t be just sitting here right now talking to you guys.” Obadiah let out a long breath. “Listen, I don’t really like talking about what happened to my mom. But I would like to see her killer brought to justice.”
“I think that’s what everyone wants,” Duke said. “What can you tell us about what happened to her?”
“I was eighteen at the time, and I’d gone to visit my girlfriend who lived in a village about thirty minutes away. Mom had asked me to drop my two sisters off at their friend’s house on the way, so I did.” His gaze darkened. “That afternoon, one of my parents’ friends came and got me at my girlfriend’s place. Told me to come home. Said there’d been an accident.”
“Only it wasn’t an accident,” Andi murmured.
Obadiah shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. I found out my mother had been murdered while my youngest siblings were napping.”
“That’s convenient,” Andi muttered. “Do you think the killer knew what their nap time was?”
Obadiah shrugged. “It’s a possibility. I’ve thought about that before. I mean, if he’d shown up at any other time, they would have been awake and seen something. Or they could have been . . .” His voice trailed as if he didn’t want to finish the statement.
“He could have been watching from outside and waiting for the right time,” Duke suggested.
“He could have. I guess we’ll never know.”
Andi shifted on the couch. “Did Craig find you and speak with you about this?”
“He did. In fact, he came over here, and we sat right here in this room drinking coffee as we talked. I liked him. He seemed like a good guy with good intentions, so I told him what I’m telling you.”
“I’m sure you’ve been asked this question one million times,” Duke said. “But do you have any idea who may have murdered your mother?”
Based on the hesitation on Obadiah’s face, he did.
chapterthirty-five
Andi wantedto dwell on the fact Duke was former CID.
But that revelation was overshadowed by the question hanging in the air.
Do you have any idea who may have murdered your mother?
Obadiah stared at them as if formulating how to respond before finally saying, “I’d look into Joe Grunfeld if I were you. I’ve always thought he was guilty, and I obsessed over it almost to the point where I felt as if I might go mad. I eventually had to let it go, for the sake of my own well-being.”
“Joe Grunfeld?” Duke narrowed his eyes. “The prospector?”
Andi remembered hearing Craig say something about him on the podcast. In fact, Craig referred to him as Joe Prospector.
“That’s right.” Obadiah’s lips quivered with disgust. “He was pushy, and he really wanted our land. Thought he’d get rich off it.”
“And if he killed your mom . . .” Andi’s voice trailed as she waited for him to finish.
“Then maybe my dad would move, and he could buy the property,” Obadiah finished. “I’m telling you, that guy always gave me bad vibes.”
Duke shifted, his hands on his hips and an intense look in his eyes. “Where is he now?”
“In Coldfoot,” Obadiah said. “I run into him on occasion.”
Andi mentally stored that information away before asking, “What do your brothers and sisters think?”
“We all have our theories. My brothers are the three youngest. They hardly remember mom, and I think they just try to forget about what happened. Can’t blame them for that. My two sisters . . .” He shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken with them in a while.”
“Why not?” Duke asked. “Did you get into a fight?”
