“Poor Ben…what a gem he was. There wasn’t anything that boy couldn’t do. He was just so full of energy. We were all so…” A big sigh. “I was devastated. My husband was devastated. The kids were destroyed.”

“And Melinda?” Marge asked.

The old woman’s eyes were still far away. “Melinda?” They pulled back and focused in on Marge’s face. “She fell apart, although she didn’t need much of an excuse to do that. Melinda was always a delicate child. She was a beautiful little girl and because of that, she was indulged, mostly by her father. He just adored her. We’ve been estranged for a while. It’s killing him.”

“I’m sure it’s hard on you as well,” Marge said.

“I’m tougher than my husband.” Her pained expression belied her bravado. “I understand her point of view, but she refuses to see our point of view. And no matter what we try to do or say, we’re just mud in her eyes.” The old woman was shaking her head. “But we just couldn’t continue to fund her addiction.”

“Were you aware of her gambling problem before Ben was murdered?”

“As soon as she turned twenty-one, we were both highly aware of it. So was Ben.”

Marge said, “He married her even though he knew?”

“Melinda was very persistent. She chased him. Ben was very handsome and very charismatic. Why else would she go for a teacher? Melinda always wanted to marry money.” A forced sigh. “Well, she got her wish with her second husband. I hope they’re very happy.”

“Do you like your current son-in-law?”

“I hardly know him!” Delia exclaimed. “It’s all good and well. I adore Jared and Amy. We’ve very close.”

“What about Nick?”

“I have nothing against Nick, but he’s a little different. I’ve tried to get closer, but Nick has had his own problems. I send the children gifts at Christmas, and they write thank-you cards, but he doesn’t call and I have to respect his privacy.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “We wouldn’t have much in common, anyway, I don’t think.”

“I understand,” Marge said, returning her whisper. “So Ben married your daughter even though she had a gambling problem.”

“Yes.”

“How’d he keep it in check?”

“With the purse strings. He watched her very carefully, and she didn’t dare defy him. And he took her to Vegas every once in a while. It blew off a little bit of her steam.”

“It didn’t feed the addiction?”

“I suppose it did, but he was trying to be as kind as he could. As long as she couldn’t touch the money, they were okay.”

“What money? His?” Oliver asked.