“Uh, no, Mr. Walker, we weren’t. Why would you think we’d be watching the house?”

“Uh, well …” Something was wrong here.

“Mr. Walker, is this your daughter, Angela Walker?”

“Yes. Yes, she’s my daughter.” Come on, I thought, let’s get past introductions so I can tell you about this guy in the study who I just killed, but it was totally self-defense. I understand that, in addition to investigating the murder of Samuel Spender, you may already be investigating another murder this evening, and this is the guy, you can wrap the whole thing up, no thanks necessary. Just want to do my part as a good citizen.

“Maybe we could sit down,” the officer said. I motioned her into the living room, as far away as possible from my study, and gestured toward the couch. We all sat down. I said, “I’m a bit confused.”

“It’s the money you gave me!” Angie said.

“What are you talking about?”

The officer leaned forward, her leather belt creaking as she moved. “Mr. Walker, your daughter used three fifty-dollar bills this evening to make a purchase at the Groverdale Mall.”

“It was for pants,” Angie said.

“What was the problem?” I asked.

“Sir, the saleslady ran the fifties under their scanning machine and determined the bills were counterfeit.”

“Counterfeit?”

“So you still owe me $150,” Angie said.

“They called security, who in turn called us, sir. Had it just been the one counterfeit bill, they might not have held your daughter and called us, but having three did raise some suspicions. A closer examination showed that the bills all carried the same serial numbers.”

“Counterfeit?” I said again.

The officer ignored me. She continued: “Your daughter says that she obtained these bills from you. Is that correct, sir?”

“Uh, yes, that’s true. I gave them to her tonight, before she left for the mall.”

“I can’t believe you did this to me,” Angie said. “Like, about a hundred of my friends were in the mall and they all saw me being led out and put in a police car. I’m gonna have to change schools.”

“Mr. Walker, where did you get these fifties?”

Oh, let’s see. From a purse I stole, which belonged to a murdered woman. Probably murdered by this guy in the study, who I just hit in the head, and who could probably use an ambulance, if it isn’t already too late?

I said, “I guess from a bank machine.”

“A bank machine.”

“I suppose. I go to them all the time. Some of them, you know, if you’re taking out as much as two hundred dollars, they dispense fifties. Instead of twenties.”

“Yes, sir. Which bank machine would that have been?”

Think think think think think. “I’m all over town. It could be any one of a dozen, I suppose. I, I really have no idea.”

“Could I see your bank card please, sir?”