Page 46 of Deathmarch

Harper had half a case built in his head against Brody Cash by the time he pulled up to the man’s house, but then he almost didn’t get out of the cruiser. The Oldsmobile Alero was stuck in about two feet of snow in the driveway, a shovel leaning against it where whoever had cleaned the walkway had given up. Didn’t look like the car had gone anywhere in the past two days.

Then again, the victim’s car was missing…

He rang the bell and waited. A couple of minutes passed before the door opened and Brody Cash appeared, wearing a back brace over his Mr. Rogers cardigan.

Of course, he could have put it on after he’d looked out the window and seen the cruiser in front of his house. Just as the smile the man had for Harper could be fake.

“Detective Finnegan?” Cash’sthick salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed, his face shaved, everything about him orderly. “Sean’s son, are you? Frank called to tell me you might be stopping by. Is it true that the money’s gone?”

“Some of it. I’m sorry. I can’t divulge details of the case.”

“Understandable.” He waved Harper in. “I’ll put on coffee.”

“Thanks. But one more hit and I’ll be seeing double.”

“I know what you mean.” Cash showed him to the living room with a slow, shuffling gait.

The place was like a museum, the walls and shelves covered with books and artifacts. A portrait of George Washington took pride of place above the mantel. Still above that, a pair of old dueling pistols were displayed in what Harper’s mother called a shadow frame. Old inkwells, antique books, a sword that could be from the Civil War…Allie would love all this,Harper thought, but then put her from his mind. He needed to focus on the case.

“Since you already know I’m investigating Chuck Lamm’s murder, mind if I skip the preliminaries and cut straight to my questions?” Harper sat. “Could you tell me where you were on Monday between six and eight p.m.?”

“Right here. Probably cooking and eating dinner.”

“Can anyone confirm that?”

“Nobody was here but me.”

“When was the last time you had contact with Allie Bianchi?”

Cash frowned. “Never.”

“Tony Bianchi’s daughter. Are you sure? You didn’t tutor her or mentor her back in the day? Some of the retired teachers run a tutoring program at the library.”

“I took early retirement due to problems with my spine from a car accident. I needed half a dozen surgeries to fix it, could barely leave the house for a while, let alone volunteer.”

“That’s tough.” Harper nodded. “Physical therapy didn’t work?”

“Not enough. And I gave it the old college try. Twice a week, an hour at the health center, for years.”

“That had to cost a pretty penny.”

Anger tightened Cash’s features. “Between six surgeries and the rehab, the cursed hospitals bankrupted me. They overcharge you first, then when you can’t pay, they charge you interest. Then they sic the debt collectors on you. I had to change my phone number.”

“Ever ask Chuck to give you back your share of the emergency funds? To pay some of those bills?”

Cash squinted. “No. Couldn’t care less about the hospital being out some money. Haven’t you listened to what I just said?” He switched to what once might have been his tough teacher tone. “They charge you sixty bucks for a six-dollar disposable gown. Twenty for a ten-cent pill of acetaminophen. They never fixed me all the way either, but certainly took everything I had. I don’t care if they go out of business.”

Maybe he meant that and maybe he didn’t. Bottom line was, Cash had a decent motive and no alibi. On the other hand, there were plenty of other people on Harper’s list.

“Who do you think liked Lamm the least among the other preppers?”

Cash shrugged. “Probably Dave.”

“Dave Grambus?”

“Chuck was his boss when they both worked at the paper mill. Chuck fired Dave Grambus for never showing up on time for his shift. Dave’s nephew ended up marrying Chuck’s neighbor’s daughter a few years later, and they were both invited to the wedding. They had a brawl. Chuck didn’t want to invite Dave to prep with us, but among all of us, Dave is the best hunter, and he’s Frank Carmello’s best friend. Frank wouldn’t join without him. We voted, and the majority voted Dave in.”

“How did Chuck feel about that?”