In Death 22 - Memory in Death

head, squeezed. “This is crazy talk.
    I don’t know why you’d say things like that. Somebody broke in, came in through the window, and killed my mother. He left her lying on the floor in there. You think I could do that to my own blood? To my own mother?”
    She stayed where she was, kept her tone just as brisk, just as firm. “I don’t think anyone broke in, Bobby. I think they came in. I think she knew them. She had other injuries, injuries she sustained hours before her death.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “The facial wounds, bruising elsewhere on her person, all were inflicted sometime Friday night. Injuries you claim you knew nothing about.”
    “I didn’t. It can’t be.” The words hitched and jumped out of his mouth. “She’d have told me if she was hurt. She’d have told me if somebody hurt her. For God’s sake, this is just crazy.”
    “Someone did hurt her. Several hours after she left my husband’s office, where she attempted to shake him down for two million. She left empty-handed. That tells me she was working with someone, and
    that someone was seriously pissed off. She walked into Roarke’s office and wanted two million to go
    back to Texas and leave me alone. It’s on record, Bobby.”
    There was no color left in his face. “Maybe … maybe she asked for a loan. Maybe she wanted to help
    me out, with the business. Zana and I are talking about maybe starting a family. Maybe Mama … I
    don’t understand any of this. You’re making it sound like Mama was was
    “I’m giving you the facts, Bobby.” Cruelly, she thought, but the cruelty could take him off the suspect
    list. “I’m asking who she trusted enough, cared for enough to work with on this. The only ones you’re coming up with are you and your wife.”
    “Me and Zana? You think one of us could’ve killed her? Could’ve left her bleeding on the floor of some hotel room? Over money? Over money that wasn’t even there? Over anything?” he said and sank back onto the side of the bed.
    “Why are you doing this to me?”
    “Because someone left her bleeding on the floor of some hotel room, Bobby. And I think it was over money.”
    “Maybe your husband did it.” His head shot up, and his eyes were fierce now. “Maybe he killed my mother.”
    “Do you think I’d be telling you any of this if there was a chance of that? If I wasn’t absolutely sure,
    if the facts weren’t rock solid on his side, what do you think I’d do? Open window, escape platform. Unknown intruder, botched break-in. Sorry for your loss, and that’s that. Look at me.”
    She waited until he took a good long look at her face. “I could do that, Bobby. I’m a cop. I’ve got rank, I’ve got respect. I could close the door on this so nobody’d look back. But what I’m going to do is find
    out who killed your mother and left her lying on that floor. You can count on it.”
    “Why? Why do you care? You ran away from her. You tookoffwhen she was doing her best by you. You”
    “You know better, Bobby.” She kept her voice low, kept it even. “You know better. You were there.”
    He lowered his gaze. “She had a hard time, that’s all. It was hard raising a kid on her own, trying to
    make ends meet.”
    “Maybe. I’ll tell you why I’m doing this, Bobby. I’m doing it for me, and maybe I’m doing it for you.
    For the kid who snuck me food. But I’ll tell you, if I find out you’re the one who killed her, I’ll lock
    you in a cage.”
    He straightened; he cleared his throat. His face, his voice, were very set now. “I didn’t kill my mother.
    I never once in my life raised a hand to her. Never once in my life. If she came for money, it was
    wrong. It was wrong, but she was doing it for me. I wish she’d told me. Oror somebody made her
    do it. Somebody threatened her, or me, or”
    “Who?”
    “I don’t know.” His voice cracked and shattered. “I don’t know.”
    “Who knew you were coming to New York?”
    “D.K., Marita, the people who work for us, some of the clients. God, the neighbors. We didn’t keep
    it a secret, for God’s sake.”
    “Make a list of everyone you can think of. We’ll work from there.” She rose when the door opened.
    Peabody came in all but carrying a pale and shaking Zana.
    “Zana. Honey.” Bobby sprang off the bed, leaped to his wife’s side, caught her in his arms. “What happened?”
    “I don’t know. A man. I don’t know.” Sobbing now, she threw her arms around