He cocked his head at her. “I took my secretary out to dinner at the Green Mill, then went up the street and rented a movie, then went home and watched it. I put it in the car the next morning so I’d remember to take it back, and on my way to work I heard on the radio about Margot. The only part I can prove is the dinner—well, I suppose the video place will have a record of my renting Men in Black.”

“I loved that movie.”

“Me, too, but I’ll never watch it again without remembering. Who else is on your list?”

She had nobody else, but didn’t want him to know that. “Who is the person who knew Margot best?” she asked instead.

He drew twin lines from the comers of his mouth to his chin with thumb and forefinger. “Probably Jill Cross. Those two have been thick as thieves from the day they met.”

“I’m going to repeat Mike’s warning, Betsy. Stay out of this. You could get arrested. Mike’s very territorial about his cases.” Jill looked tired. They were at the coffee shop on Water Street; Jill was on another coffee break; Betsy had found Jill’s beeper number on the kitchen phone list and arranged this meeting.

“You were Margot’s best friend,” Betsy persisted. “Who was mad at her? Who was jealous? Who hated her?”

“Nobody hated her. She was an extraordinary lady with a kind heart and more energy than a dozen of the rest of us put together. You’d think, with all her activities, that someone would at least envy her, but no one did. Her loss is the whole town’s loss.”

“Irene envied her.”

“Yes, she did. But she’s crazy.”

“That can be enough to set off the mob. So why aren’t people out with torches demanding Irene’s head? Or Joe’s?”

“Because Minnesotans don’t march with torches. They prefer to let the police do their job. That means Mike. He’ll do it right, come up with the proof that will stand up in court. You should just get on with your life and be patient.”

Betsy said, “I don’t have a life. And if I did, I couldn’t get on with it knowing Margot’s murderer is free.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic!” There was a definite snap in Jill’s voice.

“Then help me.”

“I am helping you; I’m keeping you out of really serious trouble. I told you she had no enemies.”

“Okay, then tell me what she did on the last day of her life.”

“I don’t know, the usual I guess—ran errands, went shopping. It was her day off. I know she went to Minneapolis, to the art museum. Check her calendar.”

“Where is it?”