War and Peas

through the small, dusty window that overlooked the back parking lot, as if she couldn’t bear the sight of Caspar. Babs was shaking her head in disgust, and Jumper was regarding Caspar with interest, as though taking mental notes. Derek Delano seemed immune from the emotions of the others and was frankly ogling Sharlene, who was wringing her hands in despair and looking unintentionally vulnerable and sexy.
    “What are you doing here, Snellen?“ Jumper asked.
    Caspar whirled on him. “Jeez, Cable! What are you today?“ He glanced contemptuously at Jumper’s black leather jacket and pants.
    Jumper grinned. “A lot of things. An attorney. A witness. A member of the board. And a man with a few questions. I might point out to you that all of the rest of us have a good reason for being in the building. But you don’t.“
    “I’ve got the right to be here. I paid my stupid fee,“ Caspar said childishly.
    “Your fee doesn’t entitle you to be in the staff area,“ Babs said.
    “I’m entitled to be anywhere I damned well please,“ Caspar snapped. “This is my great-grandfather’s building and his money you’re all spending like it’s water. Money that should be, and will be, mine. Just because that Palmer woman sucked up to my batty old aunt—“
    “Caspar!“ Georgia all but slapped her hand over his mouth. “That’s enough!”
    Surprisingly, he clammed up and looked at her with something that might have been fear.
    “Georgia,“ Babs said, “take him out into the hall and wait with him there.”
    Georgia bridled at being given an order, but apparently decided it was a good idea just the same. Gripping his flabby arm, she shoved her brother out of the room.
    “Disgusting man,“ Babs muttered.
    “Why is he still free to roam around?“ Whitney asked Jumper in a voice harsh with self-control. “What’s the matter with the police that they haven’t got him behind bars? And speaking of the police, when are they going to allow us to have the funeral? This is intolerable.“
    “They say they can’t release the body until all their tests have been completed,“ Jumper replied. “Maybe by Thursday.”
    Lisa suddenly put her face in her hands and gave a strangled sob. This so disconcerted all of them that they froze for a moment. Then Babs went over to her and led her out of the room.
    Sharlene swayed a bit and sat down at the board table. Derek sat down beside her and put his arm around her. She tried to pull away from his touch and as she did so, Jumper rose and said menacingly, “Take your hands off her, Delano.“
    “Jesus!“ Derek said, making an elaborate show of moving away from Sharlene. “What’s the matter with everyone? Can’t a person even comfort somebody in distress?“
    “Save your comfort for Georgia,“ Jumper said. “Sharlene, come with me and I’ll get you a warm Coke out of that foul machine.”
    They departed, leaving only Jane, Shelley, Whitney, and Derek. “So much for keeping all the suspects together,“ Derek said with a laugh. He rose and shot his cuffs. “Well, I’ve got work to do. I’ll be in my office if the police ever show up.”
    Whitney, apparently in an effort to ignore them all, had booted up the computer and was looking over the information Jane had spent the morning entering. He was nodding approval. When Derek had gone, he closed the file and sat back in his chair wearily.
    “Do you need any help planning the funeral?“ Shelley asked.
    For the first time, he smiled. “Thank you. No, I don’t think so. Lisa’s taking charge. She’s an organizer and has known Regina much longer than I have. Knew her favorite music and flowers and so forth.“
    “What about Regina’s family?“ Jane asked.
    “She hasn’t much family left. Her parents are gone and she was an only child. Just a few cousins and an aunt and uncle in D.C.,“ he said. “Her uncle is a senator. Her late father was a congressman.“
    “I had no idea she was from such a prominent family,“ Jane said.
    He merely nodded, as if it were a given that any woman he’d considering marrying would have to be. Or perhaps, Jane thought, she was misjudging him just because he looked so overly well bred.
    “Doesn’t always hold true, does it?“ she mused. “Good background, I mean,“ she added, glancing at the doorway through which Caspar and Georgia Snellen had passed moments earlier.
    “Bad apples,“ Whitney said curtly. “Happens in the best families.“
    “When were you and