Hour Game

Harry said, "Well, Savannah was somewhat of a surprise. Remmy was over forty when that little bundle of joy arrived. Ironically, Remmy and Bobby were separated for some time before Savannah was born, and looked headed toward divorce."

"What was the problem?" asked King.

"Remmy caught him with another woman, a prostitute. It wasn't the first time; Bobby had an appalling affinity for those types. That was all hushed up back then. I really thought that was going to be the last straw, but then they patched things up."

"A baby will do that for you," said King.

"Do they all live together?" asked Michelle.

Harry shook his head. "Bobby, Remmy and Savannah live in the big house. Eddie and Dorothea live next door in what was the estate's carriage house, but which is now a separate piece of property. I've heard rumors that Savannah may move away."

"I imagine some of her trust fund is due upon her college graduation," said King.

"And probably none too soon for her," said Harry.

"I take it she doesn't get along with her parents?" said Michelle.

"Let's put it this way: Bobby was very much an absent father, and she and Remmy are both strong, independent women, meaning they don't agree on much."

"What do Eddie and Dorothea do?" asked Michelle.

Harry answered. "Eddie's a professional artist and avid Civil War reenactor. Dorothea has her own real estate firm and does quite well." Harry gave Michelle a mischievous grin. "Folks in the Battles' social circle change domestic partners at an alarming rate and thus are often in the market for new and ever more luxurious housing. While good to Dorothea's pocketbook, it must give the woman fits remembering who's with whom on a day-to-day basis."

"Sounds a little like Peyton Place," said Michelle.

"Oh, we left Peyton Place in the dust years ago," said Harry.

"And now we come to Junior," added King.

Harry put down his teacup and reached for a file on his desk. "Junior was doing some construction work for the Battles. Specifically, work in Remmy's bedroom closet. He's good; he's even done some work for me here, and for lots of people in the area."

"And the crime he's accused of?" asked King.

"Burglary. There was a hidden cupboard in Remmy's closet where she kept jewelry, cash and other valuables. It was burglarized and the contents emptied. And there was also a secret cache in Bobby's closet that was broken into. About two hundred thousand dollars' worth, I understand, including, unfortunately, Remmy's wedding ring," said Harry. As he gazed through the file, he added, "And hell hath no fury like a woman shorn of her wedding ring."

"And they suspect Junior because he was doing work there?" asked Michelle.

"Well, a certain amount of evidence seems to pin him to the crime."

"Like what?" asked King.

Harry ticked the points off on his fingers. "The burglar accessed the house through a third-story window. The window was forced and a tool mark was left as well as a bit of metal from the tool that was matched to a crowbar owned by Junior. He also owns a ladder that would reach that window. In addition they found shards of glass in the cuffs of a pair of his pants. They can't definitively match the glass found to the window at the Battles', but it's similar. Both are tinted."

"You said he forced the window," said King. "Where'd the glass come from?"

"Part of the window broke when it was forced. I suppose the theory is, he got the shards when climbing through the opening. Next we have shoe prints found on the hardwood floor in Remmy's bedroom. They match a pair of boots found at Junior's. There was some building material found on the floor of Remmy's closet: drywall powder, cement, wood dust, the sort of thing Junior would have had on his shoes, considering the line of work he's in. There was also some soil found there that has been matched to the ground outside of Junior's home. Similar evidence was also found in Bobby's bedroom and closet."

"So they maintained separate sleeping quarters?" asked Michelle.

Harry raised a single thick eyebrow. "Knowledge that I'm sure Remmy would have preferred to keep private."

"Okay, that's all incriminating but still circumstantial," said King.

"Well, there's yet another piece of evidence. Or I suppose I should say two pieces. A glove print and a fingerprint that match Junior's."

"A glove print?" said Michelle.

"It was a leather glove," answered Harry, "and those have definitive lines and such just like a fingerprint, or so they tell me."

"But if he was wearing gloves, how did one of his prints show up?" asked King.

"Presumably, it had a hole in one of the fingers. And Junior owns such a glove."

King stared at Harry. "What's Junior's story?"

"Junior declares his innocence vigorously. He was working by himself until the early morning hours at a new house he's building for him and his family over in Albemarle County. He saw no one and no one saw him. So there goes any alibi. "

"When was the burglary discovered?" asked King.