“That’s so sad.” He made a clucking sound. “I’m sorry things have gone so poorly for you.”
I was fairly certain I hadn’t mentioned anything going poorly. He was just being a condescending jerk. I bit back a series of uncomfortable words to tell him exactly what I thought about his false sympathy and remained on task — though it took monumental effort. He definitely wouldn’t answer my questions if I started with a verbal attack.
“I’m a work in progress,” I said blandly. “I’m actually here about Roy Axe. Did you know I was the one who found his body?”
“I knew one of Charlie’s grandchildren found him. I didn’t know it was you. That’s a terrible business. You must be traumatized.”
He looked as if he wanted to console me. “I’ve managed to muddle through,” I said dryly. “I’m more interested in who would want to kill him ... and why he was dumped behind the restaurant.”
“I don’t know the who, but the why is relatively easy. He parked in that back lot a good hour before your grandfather opened every day.”
That was news to me. “Why did he do that?”
“Because he wanted to hang out with your grandfather.”
“But ... why?”
“Even though it defies reason, people love Charlie. He has a way about him. He’s rude and he likes messing with people, but he does it in a charming manner. Roy desperately wanted to be liked by everyone, yet very few people could tolerate him. He wasn’t the most observant sort, but he picked up on things like that.”
In a weird way, that made sense. Everything I knew about Roy indicated that he was desperate for affection. It was obvious that Vera didn’t much care for him — not that she had reason to — and he was hungry for approval. I’d seen people like that in the book world. Validation, no matter what form, was more important than anything else to some authors. I’d been one of them at the start. Now I knew better. There were more important things than being thought of as a big shot.
“So, you’re saying that his regular routine included parking in the lot behind the restaurant every morning. Did everyone know that, or was it something only a few people were aware of?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “It’s a small town. Almost all the information you could possibly want is readily available if you care enough to look.”
“Did Vera know?”
“I would have to think she did. They were married a really long time. She knew him better than most.”
“Did she know everything about him?” I was fishing. This was a delicate topic, but I’d already come this far.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Like ... did she know that Roy basically hit on anyone with boobs?”
Barry snorted, amusement evident on his round face. “Vera isn’t blind. She was well aware of Roy’s rather unsavory appetites.”
“And yet she stayed married to him.”
“Women of a certain generation aren’t as willing to risk losing everything, even if it means gaining peace of mind.”
“Was Vera planning to divorce Roy before he died? Is that why you were spending time together?”
“I can’t discuss private client details with you.”
It was a well-rehearsed answer. It was also true. That didn’t mean I was going to simply abandon my search for information.
“What about Roy’s will?” I asked. “Is Vera better off with him dead than she was with him alive?”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
“What about in a general sense?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you can’t talk about the specifics of the work you do for Vera. What if I ask you generic questions? Can you answer those?”
“I ... suppose.” His eyes narrowed, as if he expected a trap. He was wise to be wary. I was too tired to play an extended game, though. This would have to be quick.
“So, say I’m married to a man for more than thirty years and I find out that all the money he said would be waiting for our retirement was suddenly gone,” I started. “Would I be better off with that man continuing to bring in money, or dying and leaving me his Social Security and a potential life insurance policy?”
“That’s a very specific question.”
“I’m a curious soul.”
“You’re definitely that.” He let out an exaggerated grunt and leaned back in his chair, extending his legs in front of him. He didn’t look annoyed by my persistence as much as intrigued. “Without having specifics, in general, I would say someone would be better off with a dead spouse in those circumstances. That doesn’t mean I condone murder.”
“Of course not.” I waved off the statement. “Did Roy have a life insurance policy?”
“I have no idea.”
“Has Vera expressed sadness at his death?”
“You’ll have to talk to her about that.”
“What would happen to an estate if it was proven there were children sired outside of the marriage?”
He sat up straight. “What are you suggesting?”
Now it was my turn to play coy. “I’m not suggesting anything. I’m merely asking a hypothetical question.”
Barry didn’t look convinced, but now he was fully engaged in the conversation. “It depends on multiple things.”
“What are those multiple things?”
“There are ... variables. For instance, if the child’s mother struck an agreement with the father then the child might be in line to inherit nothing.”
I thought about Tina. She would be the type to sit back and do nothing even though she was owed money for her son’s future. “What other variables?”
“An unborn child would be a completely different scenario. In that instance, the child would have to go through DNA testing after birth and any money that might go to the child’s mother, or in a trust, would be delayed.”
“Is that it?”
“In a nutshell.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of the information. “What do you think happened to Roy?” I asked. “Who do you think hated him enough to kill him?”
“If you’re asking me if I think Vera is capable of killing her husband, I don’t. She put up with a lot from the man, but she wouldn’t have killed him. Part of her loved him, despite everything that he did to her over the years.
“I think Roy loved Vera, too,” he continued. “It was in a careless way, but he still loved her. The things he did weren’t designed to hurt her. He just craved the attention.”
“Yeah, but how many people did Roy hurt in other ways over the years?” I persisted. “Nobody had anything nice to say about him. There’s a reason for that.”
“There is, but if you’re focused on Vera — and I don’t understand why you’re even here asking these questions since you’re not a police officer — you’re barking up the wrong tree. Vera wouldn’t kill Roy. As for everybody else in town, I’m not an expert.
“The thing about a place like Shadow Hills is that everybody knows everybody, but that doesn’t mean secrets are always out in the open,” he said. “People work overtime in an environment like this to hide their true motivations, especially if those motivations are anything other than altruistic. In my opinion, whoever killed Roy is good at hiding who they are. That could be anyone, because no matter how well you think you know someone, it’s never as well as you might think.”