“Joe Mickels was caught up in a business disagreement with her. He was doing everything he could think of to make her move out of that store. He wasn’t treating her any differently than he’d have treated anyone who was in his way like that. It wasn’t personal.”

“You mean he’d have murdered anyone he couldn’t evict legally?”

He stopped and took her by the upper arms. “Joe Mickels has been around for years. He is a very accomplished, very patient, very persistent businessman. He has never found it necessary to murder anyone before, and I doubt if his situation with Margot was any different.”

But Betsy was remembering the look on Joe’s face when she asked him where he was the night Margot was murdered, and the oddly long wait for his answer. There had been fear as well as fury in that face. She shrugged free of Hud’s hands and continued down the sidewalk. “Who else?” she asked.

“Who else what?”

“Was mad at Margot?”

“Nobody.”

“Not even Irene Potter?”

“Hey, her problem is envy, not anger. She thinks she could’ve run that store better than Margot.”

“Hud, if Margot hadn’t incorporated, what would have happened to Crewel World?”

“It would have gone out of business, I guess.”

“You don’t think Irene would have taken it over?”

“No. Well, she might have tried, but it wouldn’t have worked, not for long. She’s not a people person, which you need to be to run a successful store. And I think she might not even have tried, because on some level she must be aware that she has no people skills.”

“I have people skills.”

“Yes, you do. For which I am grateful. Are you going to stay in Excelsior?”

“At least for now. I kind of think I like it here.”

He took her hand. “It’s an even nicer place now that you’re in it.”

She freed her hand. “Who else?”

He sighed. “You seem to be the one with the list. Who else do you suspect?”

“Where were you the night Margot was murdered?”

“Me?” He put both hands on his chest, fingers splayed. His eyebrows were actually up under his forelock. “You’re kidding!”

She had been, but his astonishment was so overdone that she frowned up at him. When she spoke, there was a crisp edge to her voice. “I know you think I’m an incompetent fool for looking into this, but I am not kidding.”

He dropped his hands and sighed. “I don’t think you are a fool, but I do think you are asking for trouble.”

“So help me, get me into trouble. Where were you that night?”