JARED AND AMY Little were home by 9:45. There were quick introductions, then Amy scurried upstairs while Delia woke her husband. The next fifteen minutes were devoted to Jared ushering his grandparents out of the door and walking them to their car. When he came back, he said, “Just give me a few minutes to change.”

“Take your time.” Oliver checked his watch. Not too much time. It’s already a little after ten. When Jared was out of earshot, he turned to Marge. “What do you think?”

Marge said, “Delia’s story explains Ben Little’s toys.”

“I could also see how the situation would build up resentment in Melinda.”

“Man, ain’t that the truth. His spending her money.”

“In her mind, the agreement looked like collusion between Ben and her parents.”

“Lots of resentment,” Marge said. “But enough to murder?”

“I don’t know,” Oliver said. “I’m usually pretty good at reading women—for survival’s sake—but Melinda’s hard to decipher.”

Marge said, “I’m just wondering how much Ben actually kept Melinda’s gambling in check.”

“I was thinking the same thing. What if Melinda was overspending, figuring that Ben would cover it with her own trust fund money? Then what if Ben suddenly cut off the access to their bank accounts? Did the resentment build to a breaking point? Or maybe she got herself in such a fix that Ben’s life insurance policy was her only out.”

“A life insurance policy is always a good motive for murder.” Marge put her finger to her lips when she saw Jared bounding down the steps. The man had his mother’s coloring—sandy blond hair and dark eyes—but his father’s sharp features. He had changed into sweats and slippers. He plopped down on the couch and threw his head back. He closed his eyes and asked them how it went.

“Your grandmother was easy to talk to,” Marge told him.

Oliver added, “Very forthright about everything.”

He leaned forward, eyes open. “That means Mom, right? It’s hard on Grandma…their estrangement. Did you get what you were after?”

Marge said, “The only thing we’re after right now is information…what was going in your parents’ lives when your father was murdered.”

“Also anything unusual going on in the marriage,” Oliver said.

Marge said, “Sorry, but we needed to ask.”

Jared said. “I was only thirteen. I paid way more attention to the Lakers than I did to my parents.”

“If there’s trouble, kids are astute about those kinds of things.”

Oliver said, “And some parents make it obvious that things aren’t going too well.”

“Not mine,” Jared countered. “I’m sure they argued, but they did it quietly.”

“So as far as you know, things were peaceful?” Oliver asked. “It’s important to the investigation.”