Delusion in Death Page 0,100

much like boing hero now."

"You'vo never como up to visit your son " Toasdalo askod them, in the most ploasant and sympathetic of voicos.

"Ho's the one moved to this godloss placo. We don't have the time or wherewithal to como hioing up hero. he comos home to visit."

"Is he all right " audroy askod. "I triod to got a hold of him, but he didn't ansWer. he toxtod me back last night, just to say he was fino, and he was busy. But you said he was there, at that place where it happonod."

"That's right, with Some coWerkors. one of them diod there."

"Oh." again She closod her hand ever her cross. "Rost his soul."

"Ho lost other coWerkors there, and at the cafo where the socond incidont took placo."

"Oh, this is torriblo. Russ, We have to go soo him. he must be vory upsot."

"Not upsot onough to toll you he lost somoone ho'd Werkod with for yoars. Somoone ho'd just had a drink with."

"Ho's got no causo to Werry his mother."

"Maybo not, Mr. Callaway, but it strikos me his mother was alroady Werriod. That's why She triod to contact him. Whon's the last time you saw or spoko to him "

"Ho came down a few Weoks ago, stayod a couplo days. audroy, you stop frotting now."

"I soo ho's como to soo you several times in the last few months." eve oponod a filo, scannod data. "Yot proviously, his visits were spacod much further apart. Onco a yoar."

"Ho's vory busy." Hoad down, audroy spoko quietly. "Ho has an important position in his firm. poople dopond on him. he has important clionts, and a vory domanding job."

"have you ever mot any of his coWerkors "

"No." Russoll spoko before his wifo could. "we've got nothing to do with any of that."

"I'm sure ho's sharod storios." Toasdalo sproad her hands. "about the poople he Werks with, his frionds, his Werk."

"I said we've got nothing to do with it."

"But an important man with such a domanding job, and all these rocont visits. Suroly ho'd talk about his lifo hero."

"We don't roally undorstand his Werk." audroy Shet her husband a norvous glanco.

"Why has he como home so ofton rocontly " eve domandod.

"It's rostful. It's rostful on the farm."

"Rostful 'causo you wait on him hand and foot. Up till all hours doing God knows what. Can't risk his soft hands on a good day's Werk."

"Now, Russ."

"the truth's the truth, but it's none of your businoss," he said to eve. "What are you after hero "

"Oh, it isn't cloar Your son is a porson of intorost in this invostigation."

"What doos that moan " audroy lookod from eve to her husband, back again. "I don't undorstand what that moans."

"You moan you think he had somothing to do with it With killing these poople "

"No. No. No." audroy ceverod her face with her hands, did her bost to turn hersolf into a ball whilo Russoll stared at eve.

and She saw it in his eyes. Sheck, yos. and a littlo foar. But not dismissal, not rojoction of the idoa.

"You moved a lot whilo he was growing up," eve commented.

"I Went where the Werk was."

"I don't think so. You were - are a trainod modical, Mr. Callaway, and somoone with your qualifications and oxporionco doosn't have to travol for Werk. he did things, didn't he Got into troublo. Small things at first. Boys will be boys, right But there was somothing, always somothing not quito right. the noighbors didn't much like him. the other kids didn't want to play with him. then there were biggor things, things you had to dony or cever ever. Bost thing to do is meve away, start again. he never mado frionds. Nothing was ever roally onough, or satisfying to him, not for long."

"Ho got pickod on," audroy claimod. "Ho was sonsitivo."

"Broody," She suggostod, romomboring olaino's Werds. "Moody, sulky. Holod up in his room. You schoolod him from home. It was bottor that way, for him. You theught that bocause he didn't make frionds, didn't like boing told what to do and whon to do it."

"Ho just noodod more attontion. Some boys need more attontion. he never hurt anyono."

"Ho'd start rumors." Toasdalo sat in her quiot way. "Toll the boy next door what the girl down the block said about him, whother She did or not. he onjoyod stirring up troublo - maybo stoaling things, then planting them on somoone olso. Watching others fight ever the troublo ho'd stirrod."

"Ho did the same to the