Tish scurried up the stairs. A few moments later, Darnell came out of the kitchen, holding a plate while wolfing down a sandwich. He was tall and broad but stoop shouldered with a round face and long limbs. He wore a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks—probably the required dress for his school. He repeated his apologies for being late.

“Hey, enjoy your dinner.”

“Are you hungry?”

“I’m fine.”

Arlington sat down on the chair and liberated the footrest. “Excuse my casualness. It’s been a long day. For you, too, I bet. When did you get in?”

“About a half hour ago, but I’m fine.”

“If you want anything…”

“No, I’m fine.”

“So…” Arlington polished off the sandwich and took a long gulp of a Bud. “You’re reopening Dr. Ben’s murder?”

“Yes.”

“So…anything new?”

“We always find out new things. Whether it’s relevant or not…” She took out her notebook. “What can you tell me about Dr. Ben?”

Arlington’s eyes went down to the empty plate. “He was a great man. I was very sorry when I heard the news.”

“I understand that on the night of the murder, you were playing basketball in front of a hundred people.”

The eyes lifted and fell back on his lap. “I didn’t hear about it until later. A friend from North Valley called and told me.” His eyes met Marge’s. “I was crushed.”

“Why’s that? From what I understand, he was instrumental in getting you kicked out of North Valley.”

Arlington shook his head. “No, that isn’t right. I was instrumental in getting me kicked out. I screwed up. That wasn’t Dr. Ben’s fault.”

“Still, you must have been pretty angry.”

“Leaving L.A. was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Did you feel that way at the time?”

“No,” Arlington admitted. “When I got expelled, I was furious.” He looked straight into Marge’s eyes. “I was an angry young man with a ginormous chip on my shoulder. No daddy, and I lived with a drug-addicted mother. My brother and I were left to fend for ourselves. I started smoking weed and graduated to booze and X by the time I was eleven. Dr. Ben tried, but he couldn’t babysit me twenty-four/seven. Every time he turned his back, I messed up. If it hadn’t been for my nana, I’d be doing hard time.”

“How’d you come to be in your grandmother’s care?”

“After I got expelled, she sued for custody. My mother was overjoyed to get rid of me and my brother. Nana straightened us both out.”

Marge said, “So even though you were angry at Dr. Ben, you felt crushed when he died?”