Lucinda said. Her voice was weighted with sadness. “He worried about him businesswise, but he really cared about him.”
“That’s why your father invested in the restaurant?”
“Yes, he was really hoping that would work out.” A hint of optimism slipped into her tone, as if the failing of Winter was still something that could be forestalled, but it disappeared just as quickly as she continued. “We all were, of course.”
“But it didn’t?”
“No, it didn’t.”
“How did your dad feel about that? Did he take it personally?”
“He was disappointed, but I don’t think so. I even went to him and asked if he could help a little more. I knew he’d already given Joe a lot, but I thought maybe if he could just see him through a couple more months until the business picked up, that might be all we needed.”
Jen waited before asking the next question, to give Lucinda a chance to continue. She did.
“There was another investor who pulled out at the last minute,” Lucinda said. “After the last minute, really. Right when the opening was happening. Joe thought it was too late to postpone again, that it would cost more than going through with the plan.”
“This other investor,” Jen said, sounding as if the question were an afterthought, “is he someone your dad knew?”
“No. Goran was someone Joe worked with before. At one of the restaurants where he was assistant manager down in Laguna. I think Goran was the co-owner or something.”
Jen hadn’t written anything on the notepad. While Lucinda hadn’t seemed to notice the gradual transition into the formal part of the interview, she was surely aware of it now. Unless Jen wrote constantly, Lucinda might take notice of the specifics she was discussing when the notes were taken and be able to discern what information Jen seemed to find most interesting.
“Did you know him? Goran?” Jen asked.
“I met him once, years ago, when Joe worked for him, but I hadn’t seen him since then.”
“How did your dad take it when the business failed?”
“He was okay. He felt bad, of course, but he was actually really supportive. I never told Joe, but he helped us with mortgage payments a few times afterwards.”
“It didn’t seem to hurt him financially, your dad?”
“No, I don’t think so. He wasn’t rich or anything, but he always told me to never invest anything you can’t afford to lose. So I don’t think he ever did.”
“Are you going to be okay with the house payments now?”
“I hope so. We’re supposed to meet with Dad’s lawyer about his will. I keep putting it off. But I think we’ll be all right.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Jen said warmly. “It sounds like your dad gave you guys a lot of support.”
“He did. But not just money. It wasn’t like that. That wasn’t even the most important part. He was always there for us, you know?” Her voice cracked on the last few words of her sentence. She’d been fine with the financial stuff. This was more abstract. Now, she was dealing more palpably with the loss.
“Do you need a minute?” Jen asked.
“No, I’m okay.”
“I talked to a lot of the tenants in your dad’s building. They liked him. A few of them said he was the best landlord they ever had.”
“Yeah,” Lucinda said. “He was like that.”
“Do you know any of them?”
“Not well. I’ve met Harold a few times. He lives in one of the studios? A few others, but just to nod or say hi to.”
“Did you know Kobe?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She thought about it. “Kobe, like the basketball player?”
“Yes,” Jen said. “He was renting the other studio.”
“Oh, he was the young Asian guy, right?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“I’ve seen him once or twice. Why? Do you think he had something to do with my dad’s death?”
“We don’t know. But we do need to talk to him. He hasn’t been home lately.”
Jen kept talking to Lucinda, but she’d gotten most of what she wanted. Her goal with the close was to fade out the same way she’d faded in. A few minutes later, she said, “Thank you very much for coming in, Lucinda. It’s really been a big help.”
“I wanted to. I want to help,” she said, sounding almost sad about the interview coming to an end. The dynamic wasn’t unusual. When someone felt like they could contribute to the murder investigation of a loved one, an interview often gave them a way to feel useful, as if they were making a difference, and