Ebony was amused. I could see the corners of her mouth turning up.
I stopped what I was saying. "Have you got some kind of problem with that?"
She laughed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to condescend, but you were always like this. All that energy. So fiery and defensive."
I stared at her, stumped for a response.
"You're a professional," she went on pleasantly. "I un-derstand that. I'm not asking you to divulge any confi-dences. This is my family and I'm concerned about what goes on. That's my only point. If I can be of any help, just tell me how. If something you discover has a bearing on me, I'd like to hear about it. Is that so unreasonable?"
"Of course not. Sorry," I said. I circled back through our conversation, returning to something she'd said ear-lier. "You mentioned that the trouble might originate from someone outside the company. Were you talking in gen-eral or specific terms?"
She shrugged languidly. "General, really, though I do know of someone who hates us bitterly." She paused, as though trying to decide how to frame her explanation. "There was an engineer who worked for us for many years. A fellow named Hugh Case. Two years ago, a couple of months before my father died, as a matter of fact, he-um, killed himself."
"Was there a connection?"
She seemed faintly startled. "With Daddy's death? Oh, no, I'm sure not, but from what I'm told, Hugh's wife was convinced Lance was responsible."
"How so?"
"You'd have to ask someone else for the details. I was in Europe at the time, so I don't know much except that Hugh shut himself up in his garage and ran his car until he died of carbon monoxide poisoning." She paused to light another cigarette and then sat for a moment, using the spent match to rake the ash into a neat pile in the ashtray.
"His wife felt Lance drove him to it?"
"Not quite. She thought Lance murdered him."
"Oh, come on!"
"Well, he was the one who stood to benefit. There was a rumor floating around at the time that Hugh Case in-tended to leave Wood/Warren and start a company of his own in competition with us. He was in charge of research and development, and apparently he was on the track of a revolutionary new process. The desertion could have caused us serious harm. There are only fifteen or so compa-nies nationwide in our line of work so the defection would have set us back."
"But that's ridiculous. A man doesn't get murdered because he wants to change jobs!"
Ebony arched an eyebrow delicately. "Unless it repre-sents a crippling financial loss to the company he leaves."
"Ebony, I don't believe this. You'd sit there and say such a thing about your own brother?"
"Kinsey, I'm reporting what I heard. I never said / believed it, just that she did."
"The police must have investigated. What did they find?"
"I have no idea. You'd have to ask them."
"Believe me, I will. It may not connect, but it's worth checking out. What about Mrs. Case? Where is she at this point?"
"I heard she left town, but that might not be true. She was a bartender, of all things, in that cocktail lounge at the airport. Maybe they know where she went. Her name is Lyda Case. If she's remarried or gone back to her maiden name, I don't know how you'd track her down."
"Anybody else you can think of who might want to get to Lance?"
"Not really."
"What about you? I heard you were interested in the company. Isn't that why you came back?"
"In part. Lance has done some very foolish things since he took over. I decided it was time to come home and do what I could to protect my interests."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning just what it sounds like. He's a menace. I'd like to get him out of there."
"So if he's charged with fraud, it won't break your heart."
"Not if he's guilty. It would serve him right. I'm after his job. I make no bones about it, but I certainly wouldn't need to go about it in an underhanded way, if that's what you're getting at," she said, almost playfully.
"I appreciate your candor," I said, though her attitude irritated me. I'd expected her to be defensive. Instead, she was amused. Part of what offended me in Ebony was the hint of superiority that underscored everything she did. Ash had told me Ebony was always considered "fast." In high school, she'd been daring, a dazzler and wild, one of those girls who'd try anything once. At an age when every-one else was busy trying to conform, Ebony had done whatever suited her. "Smoked, sassed adults, and screwed around," was the way Ash put it. At seventeen she'd learned not to give a shit, and now she seemed indelibly imprinted with an air of disdain. Her power lay in the fact that she had no desire to please and she didn't care what your opinion of her was. Being with her was exhausting and I was suddenly too tired to press her about the little smile that played across her mouth.