Summer People Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Did your husband ever tell you that he was in any kind of trouble or was afraid of anyone or anything?”
    “Never. Everyone I met liked him. He had a real way with people. He was absolutely charming. He was good to me. He was considerate and generous. That’s more than you get out of most relationships, isn’t it, Sheriff?”
    Sue looked up from her notepad. She gave Ray a long look.
    “Do you know if your husband had a will?”
    “We had one drawn up soon after we were married.”
    “And you are the sole beneficiary?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you have seen the document?
    Tawny looked irritated, “Yes, it’s a joint will.”
    “Do you know the size of the estate?”
    “No, I don’t have any idea. He lived well, but I doubt if he was rich. You can tell.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I had the impression that he consumed what he made. I meet a lot of people. People with real wealth act differently. You can just tell. You’re probing about his money—are you trying to determine if his estate is large enough to temp….” She looked directly at Ray. “Am I a suspect?”
    “We have to explore all possibilities.”
    “Don’t waste your time on me. He made me feel good, and loved, and happy. You can’t buy that.”
    “What will you do now?” Ray asked.
    “I still have my job. And I have a little house just off the beach in Venice. There’s nothing here for me.” She looked out at the water, seemingly lost in her own thoughts and then looked over at Ray. “What about the body?”
    “The autopsy is being done today. It should be available tomorrow. Have you made burial plans?”
    “Dr. James called Randy’s lawyer in Detroit. The lawyer’s going to contact his sister and see what she wants to do. I thought that maybe the family has a special burial plot or something.”
    “Will you stay in the area much longer?”
    “I want to leave as soon as possible.”
    “Would you be willing to come back? I may need to talk to you again in the course of the investigation.”
    “Sheriff, I want you to get his killer.”

6

    When Ray returned to his office in the early evening, he found Sue Lawrence working at a computer.
    As he approached, she looked up and said, “I’m just finishing cleaning up my notes on your interview with Mrs. Holden. I’ll be able to print you a copy in a few minutes.”
    “What did you think of Tawny?” Ray asked.
    “An interesting woman. She’s only a few years older than me, but she’s decades ahead of me in experience. When I brought her over this morning, she didn’t have a lot to say, but on the way back to Suttons Bay she was more relaxed and talkative.”
    “Did you learn anything new?”
    “Nothing new. The things she said just reinforced her answers during the interview. She makes it clear that the past is past. She also told me this was the second violent death of someone close to her in the last year.”
    “Who was….”
    “Another flight attendant, a women she shared a house with. The accident took place on the ground, one plane was taxiing, the other taking off. I sort of remember seeing it on the news. As I was editing this report, I was wondering how much events like this shape the way you look at the world.”
    “Hard to say,” responded Ray. “As you reread the interview, does she sound credible?”
    “I think so, but it’s hard for me to say. Her life is so different than mine. It’s hard for me to put myself in her head.”
    “Do you think that she had any reason to want her husband dead?”
    “If she had, it wasn’t suggested by anything she said during the interview. But,” she hesitated for several seconds, “I worry about being too naive, too accepting. She might be a skilled actress, and I don’t see through the act.”
    “But your gut level response?”
    “I think she’s real.”
    “Let’s say she was involved. What might her motive be to have him killed?” asked Ray.
    Sue smiled at him. “You like to hear other people try to