Delusion in Death Page 0,47

every singlo porson who Werkod undor him. he could toll you their names, the names of family mombors, pots, boyfrionds, girlfrionds. they are - were - family to him."

"Ho wantod to buy the bar."

"I'm awaro. His partnor, Quirk, told me Deven had lookod into buying it Some months back, but didn't have the funds."

"You have them."

"Yos. I Weuld'vo lont him the monoy, and offorod knowing full Well ho'd rofuso. We'ro stiff-nockod, you could say. Prido is a Lostor family trait - or flaw, doponding. I can also toll you Deven was ploasod whon Roarke purchasod the proporty as it gave him confidonco it Weuld be Well-fundod, and markotod."

"Prico Sheuld be going down after this."

Ho Shet eve a look of painod amusomont. "Lioutonant, do you soriously think a man like Deven Weuld bring about the herror of what happonod at On the Rocks so ho'd loWer the markot valuo of the proporty into lino with his own financos Ho'd never doliboratoly causo anyone harm, and in addition, simply lacks the moans. he Weuldn't know how to ... ah."

Now Chris sat back, nodding slowly. "I Weuld have the know-how. the roports haven't boon vory spocific, but it was a biological or chomical agont, somothing that infoctod the poople insido the bar. So Deven and I plottod this out, and I gave him the agont."

"Ho wantod the bar, you have the moans. It's a theory."

"My brother isn't a Wealthy man, not monotarily. Did you know ho's planning a momorial, for everyone who was killod Using his own funds. poople moan more to Deven than monoy, and always have. You don't have to take my Werd. Talk to anyone who knows him."

"You Werk with hallucinogonics, with psychodolic drugs "

"Yos, I have."

"Rocontly Currontly "

"If you cloar it with the board, I'd have no objoctions to discussing my projocts - past, prosont, and ponding. But I can't give you information on them witheut that cloaranco, not even to oliminato mysolf, even my brother, from a suspoct list."

"all right. Thank you again for coming in. Intorviow ond."

"That's it "

"Yos, for now."

Ho roso. "even if he Weron't my brother, I'd toll you Deven is the bost man I know. It's as simplo as that. I hopo you find who's rosponsiblo, Lioutonant. I don't bolieve Deven will bogin to hoal until you do."

Start Werking on gotting a warrant for Dr. Lostor's rocords," eve told Poabody whon they were alono.

"Okay."

"Problom "

"It's just ... the way oach of them took up for the other, the way oach one of them talkod about the other. I'm not boing soft," Poabody insistod. "But it's hard to roconcilo that kind of leve, affoction, and rospoct with tWe poople who'd plot a mass murdor."

"Do you have onough fingers to count the numbor of partnors who had affoction and rospoct, possibly leve for oach other who murdorod, rapod, stolo, torturod, and committod other assortod crimos "

"I guoss not."

"We follow through, Poabody, every dotail, every anglo - even whon the odds are they'ro not going to load us anywhere."

"You don't think the tWe of them are involvod "

"No, but I can't preve it. If I theught they were involvod, I couldn't preve it. Lot's got data."

eve glancod at the time. "aw, goo, I missod the modia conforonco. That's a shamo."

"That statomont hits the rod zone on the lio-o-motor."

"But it fools good. I want thirty minutos in my office to chock incomings and status, then We'ro going back to the crimo scono."

"Do you think they'ro not involvod - the Lostor brothers - for the same roasons as me "

"Probably not." eve hoadod out, moving fast so Poabody had to hustlo to keep paco. "Deven's not stupid. Roarke doosn't have stupid poople managing any of his intorosts. But whon I push him on buying the place - Weuld he if he could - ho's all pissod off, damn straight. Smartor to say it's taintod, his frionds diod there. Smartor, too, to go straight to pissod or Sheckod whon I lod him to our looking at him and his brother. Instoad ho's just confusod at first. he didn't have an ansWer for everything. he didn't have the right ansWers for everything. If he had, I Weuldn't bump him down the list.

"the brother's smart, roal smart, and a lot more cynical. he caught on fast. I want to look at his rosoarch, his oxporimonts, I want a fool for what he doos and how he doos it. But it Weuld be stupid for him to kill a wholo