“Anybody who might have wanted her dead for any reason. If you hear something that’s not about…uh…”

“Sex, dear. Say sex. It’s the word you want. Let’s not equivocate here.”

“Okay, Mother. If you hear something that’s not about sex, that might be important, too.”

“What’s not about sex?”

“Mother!”

“I’m sorry, dear, but you’re beating around the bush. Say what you mean. And before we go any further, I have to tell you something I heard from a very good source.”

“What’s that, Mother?”

“Mike. I heard that he was involved with Ronni. He’s a bounder, dear. He’s always going to have a roving eye. I know he’s handsome, and I know he’s appealing, but he’s never going to be true to you. Norman will. He’s a much better bet for a husband.”

Hannah just blinked. Delores had never been so frank with her before, and she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“I realize that I’m overstepping my bounds here,” her mother went on. “I do it all the time, and I can’t seem to stop, especially with you. I used to be able to control it much better when I had a love life of my own, but now that Winthrop’s gone, there’s no one to diffuse my concern. And…I think I may have a control issue.”

Hannah’s mind went on red alert. A control issue? Overstepping her bounds? That wasn’t her mother’s usual terminology. Either she was seeking professional psychiatric help, or…“Are you listening to Doctor Love on KCOW talk radio?”

“Yes, dear. But how did you know…”

“Did you ever call in?”

“No, of course not. I’m not the type to do something like that.”

Hannah relaxed slightly. Delores would never take the chance that someone might recognize her voice on the air. “Did you read, Love Is Right Around the Corner?”

“Pop psychology,” Delores dismissed Doctor Love’s newest book, the one she plugged on every show.

“But you read it.”

“Well, yes. But how did you…?”

“Control issue,” Hannah said, before her mother could finish the question. “That’s Doctor Love’s favorite diagnosis. She also likes to talk about overstepping bounds and diffusing concern.”

“But Doctor Love is right. I do have a control issue, especially when I try to run your life. If I’m not careful, you’re going to hate me for it.”

Hannah shook her head and said what was in her heart. “I couldn’t hate you, Mother. I love you too much.”

“Oh!”

Delores looked as if she was about to break into tears, and Hannah knew that would embarrass them both. As a family, they’d always kept their emotions under control and private. “Okay, let’s get back to business, here,” Hannah changed the subject quickly. “You’re going to help me catch Ronni’s killer…right?”