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“Yes, I did. We all did. We organized a meet, but she never showed up. Instead, she sent her lawyer, who said we didn’t have a leg to stand on and that her client was adamant to go through with her plans regardless our protestations.”

“What did the council say?”

“Apparently they were all big fans of Donna’s cause they told us she had every right to put in place measures that would increase her sense of safety and security. There had been several threats made against the lady’s life and she was forced to tighten security measures.” He held up his hand. “Which I totally understand. But not at the expense of the entire neighborhood. I’m sure that if we could have sat down with Donna and talked things through, we could have made her see reason. Instead she chose to bulldoze her plans through and shove them down our throats!”

“And you weren’t having it.”

“Damn straight we weren’t having it!”

“So you killed her,” said Chase.

The man’s face morphed into an expression of shock. “Killed her?!”

“At seven o’clock this morning you attacked Donna Bruce and murdered her.”

“Murdered her! Donna was… murdered?!”

“Oh, come off it, Mr. Carr?. You know very well what happened. You were there.”

“No, I wasn’t! I—I didn’t even know she was dead.”

“Why did you think the police were at the scene?”

The man’s jaw had dropped and he hitched it up with some effort. “I just figured you were there to protect her from… us.”

“Where were you this morning at seven, Mr. Carr??”

“I was home, preparing for the demonstration. Just ask my neighbors. We were putting together…” He cut a quick look to Chase. “… placards.”

Chase rubbed his head where the placard had struck and gave the other man a dirty look.“Are you sure you didn’t sneak out at some point to lock Mrs. Bruce up inside her sauna cabin and unleash a bunch of bees on her?”

“Bees? Of course not. Where would I get a bunch of bees?”

“At the bee farm.”

“Look,” he said, licking his lips nervously. “Talk to my neighbors. Or my wife, for that matter. I was right there—up at the crack of dawn, on the phone with the other guys, and we all met at six to start preparations for the demonstration. We weren’t going to let Donna pull a fast one onus. We were going to take this thing to court if we had to. I still hoped she would listen to reason once she realized she was antagonizing the entire neighborhood. But I swear to God, I would never kill her!”

“Do you have any idea who would have?” asked Odelia.

He thought for a moment.“Well, like I said, death threats had been made against her.”

“Any idea who made them?”

“There was this producer whose career she ruined. Um, what’s his name…” He snapped his fingers, then his face cleared. “Ransom Montll?. I remember because his name came up when we were in talks to turnThe Shed into a motion picture. The guy’s a washout, though. Nobody will work with him. And he’s got Donna Bruce to thank for that.”

“So it’s true thatThe Shed is going to be a movie?”

The man smiled for the first time.“I’m afraid I can’t discuss the particulars but so far it’s looking pretty good.”

“And George Clooney is attached to play God?”

His smile widened.“I cannot confirm or deny anything.”

Chase made a sound of disgust and got up.“Please don’t leave town, Mr. Carr?. We’re not through with you yet.”

“Look, I’m sorry, all right?” the publisher said, holding up a hand in a gesture of appeasement. “I’m not normally a violent man, but Donna had us with our backs against the wall—no pun intended. We were just trying to protect the neighborhood. I’m sorry about your head, dude.”

“That’s all right,” Odelia said. “Chase has a thick skull. I’m sure you didn’t even make a dent.”

Chase made a growling sound at the back of his throat, and Odelia decided that perhaps it would be best not to poke the bear. So she also got up and thanked Alpin Carr? for his time. The man frowned. “So… am I under arrest here or what?”

“Yes,” said Chase.

“No,” said Odelia.

The publisher looked from one to the other.“Um, so what is it?”

Chase threw up his hands and walked out. Odelia gave Alpin her best smile.“You’re free to go, Mr. Carr?. But if I could make a suggestion, maybe next time try not to hit a cop. They don’t like it.”

He returned her smile.“You are by far the nicest cop I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, but I’m not a cop. I’m just a consultant.”

“That explains everything,” he said, and shook her hand warmly. “Seriously, though. Look into Ransom Montll?. The guy had a serious grudge against Donna.”

“Even more than you?”

“I might hold a grudge but I would never kill a person.”

“And Ransom Montll? would?”

“Well, the guy was a green beret. He’s got the skills.”

“How come you know so much about him?”

“He used to live two doors down from me. But that was before Donna came into his life.”

Chapter 8