One Grave Too Many

than Diane thought she would have been. “And you will not take anything out of it. If you do, I’ll have you arrested.”
    “You always was a turd, even when you was a little kid. Star was nothing to George. Those young ’uns was Louise’s doing. Couldn’t have ’em herself, so she takes someone else’s leavings and passes them off as theirs. I’m George’s blood. Star ain’t blood.”
    “George loved Star. He left everything to her. I know, because I am the executor of his will, and I’m going to see that Star gets her inheritance.”
    “You listen here.” Gil stepped up to Frank. “My wife’s got her rights.”
    “Yes,” replied Frank. “I can’t disagree, but they don’t include taking Star’s possessions.”
    “You think you’re smart, don’t you?” said Crystal. “Always a smarty-pants. Well you ain’t smart enough to steal what’s mine. I’m going to get me a lawyer and have you arrested.” She turned to Diane as if she had just now noticed her standing there.
    “Who the hell are you?”
    If this wasn’t so dreadfully serious, Diane would have laughed at the comic pair these two made. It occurred to her what Frank told her about Detective Janice Warrick allowing Gil McFarland into the crime scene. If she had done that, then she also may not have adequately interviewed him. Looking at Crystal and Gil standing there with their faces twisted in anger, the pair looked to her like suspects.
    They’re off guard —the thought flashed through her mind and before she realized it, Diane made a decision to play a hunch. “I’m going to examine the crime scene for Star and her attorney. Since she’s innocent, we intend to find evidence of the guilty party. Considering the two of you don’t have alibis, I’d leave here and not cause trouble.” Frank glanced briefly at her and back at the McFarlands.
    “What do you mean we don’t have alibis?” screeched Crystal. “We were together—all day and all night.”
    “That’s what I mean,” said Diane, pushing. “You alibi each other. That’s not really an alibi, is it?”
    “Listen here. Just what are you saying?” asked Gil. “We didn’t have nothing to do with this. We . . . we was at a car show.”
    “Yeah,” agreed Crystal, “a car show.”
    “What car show? Why didn’t you tell the police?”
    “They didn’t ask, Miss Smarty-Pants.”
    “So you made that up just now.” Diane pressed her advantage. “Making something up on the spur of the moment won’t do any good. At an event like a car show, many people would have seen you. You won’t be able to find any because you weren’t there.”
    “Now just how the hell do you know?” said Gil. “You sure as hell wasn’t with us.”
    “She’s right.” The McFarlands whirled around at the sound of a new voice in the argument. The security guard Frank hired had come up and stood just a few feet away. He had a thin smile that threatened to break into a grin. “I’m what my wife calls a car nut. I go to and organize car shows, and I know there wasn’t any in the South-east then.”
    “There’s that ’un at Gatlinberg that’s year round,” said Gil. “That’s the one we went to.”
    “No, sorry. Closed for renovations.” The guard now grinned broadly.
    “Well, ain’t you the la-dee-da know-it-all,” said Crystal. She spun around to Frank and Diane. “We don’t have to tell you nothing. We didn’t do nothing, and you can’t prove no different.”
    “That’s what the lady is here for,” said Frank.
    “Now, just a minute. That’s my son’s house. I’ve been in there.”
    “And I was there with the detective looking to see if anything was stolen,” said Gil.
    “To carry stuff out,” said Frank. “How will that look to a jury? You should never have been allowed in the crime scene. It looks to me like you were trying to cover up the fact that your prints were in the bedroom already, and I don’t think either George or Louise would have ever invited you into their bedroom.”
    “You ain’t going to find nothing, ’cause there’s nothing to find,” said Crystal. “Come on, Gil, darlin’, we’ll go get ourselves a lawyer who’ll tell them a thing or two.” She and Gil headed for their car. Crystal suddenly turned to Frank. “Tell that Star she can’t inherit a thing if she’s convicted of George’s murder. And she will be. That brat did it. You mark my words—his property and everything will be mine.” She raised her chin