Marge made a face. “I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“Well, you didn’t see her positioning. Consistent with suicide.”

Webster said, “Tarpin associated with bad news, Bert. Y’all should’ve seen the literature on Garvey McKenna and his militia—the Methods of Mad White Boys.”

“They’re crackpots,” Martinez said.

“That don’t mean they aren’t evil,” Webster retorted.

“So maybe that’s why Tarpin broke away from them,” Martinez suggested.

“Why are you defending a jerk like Tarpin?” Oliver asked Bert.

“I’m not defending him,” Martinez said, bristling. “I think it’s odd that Tarpin and Holt—even with their racist views—would twiddle their thumbs for years before murdering the Baldwins. Especially since he and Holt may have known each other for years.”

“Maybe a money motive was introduced,” Wanda said.

“There’s a thought,” Oliver said. “Someone in PEI paid Tarpin to murder the Baldwins because the Baldwins were liberals, asshole shrinks, and PEI knew that Tarpin could get them easier than anyone else.”

Decker made a face. “I don’t remember hearing that the Baldwins were crusading against PEI or any hate group. They seem like an odd target.”

“Isn’t Ernesto’s father very liberal in his politics?” Wanda asked.

“Aha!” Oliver said triumphantly. “Tarpin got three in one day.”

“Ernesto was murdered, not his dad,” Marge said.

“You want to cripple someone, you attack their children,” Oliver said.

“That’s true.” Decker formulated his thoughts. “But if Tarpin did it, he certainly cast himself in the limelight. There are safer ways to murder someone.”

Martinez said, “Exactly. Why would Tarpin set himself up?”

“Cause he’s a dumb-shit racist,” Oliver said.

“Give me a motive, Scott,” Martinez said, “other than ‘he’s a dumb-shit racist.’”

“That isn’t enough?”

“No, being a dumb racist doesn’t mean you’re a triple murderer,” Martinez said.

“Doesn’t mean you’re not.”

“This is beginning to sound infantile,” Marge said.

Wanda interjected, “Is it possible that one of the camp boys glommed on to Tarpin and took one of his racist ideas to the extreme?”

“Anything’s possible,” Decker said. “I suggest we start with what we know. Plot A—a triple murder. Plot B—double murder, suicide—”

“The killer used a silencer,” Marge said. “If it were an impulsive thing for Dee, she wouldn’t have brought a gun and a silencer.”

Martinez said, “Maybe she suspected her husband years ago and was just building up the courage. The thing is, we don’t know.”

“Bert’s right,” Decker said. “What we do know is that Hank Tarpin is still alive and was up there at the time of the shooting. We know that Hank Tarpin found the bodies. We know that Tarpin—along with Holt—is a member of PEI. We know that Tarpin is a Marine, like Garvey McKenna. We need to talk to Tarpin again.”