“No one could ever say Pete wasn’t a hard worker. He was ambitious. He worked every Friday and Saturday night. It was one of the things that had driven us apart. I don’t know what he was doing the night he was killed, but he usually wandered home around two or three in the morning. The Newburgh police came by and told me what had happened somewhere around one.”

“Can you think of any reason someone would want to kill your husband?”

She just stared at me with those wide blue eyes and shook her head. “Pete was a great guy. No one wanted to hurt him.”

She stood up and took our glasses into the kitchen. A few moments later, she was back and sat on the arm of the chair that Natty was sitting in. She draped her hand across his shoulder and gave him a hug and a kiss on the top of his head. It was a show of affection for comfort. But it was obvious.

Natty avoided eye contact with me as I got a clear picture of what was going on. This was not a one-sided relationship.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

MY BROTHER AND I were quiet on the ride back through town to his office. I couldn’t help but notice the number of abandoned buildings downtown and the lack of effort to clean up any of the garbage along the street or in vacant lots. This place was an advertisement for the “broken window theory” of government.

When we were inside the State of Mind Tavern and seated at Natty’s personal table, he turned to me and said, “There’s probably some more you need to know about what’s going on.”

“No kidding.” I just stared at my brother, who remained silent until I said, “I’m listening.”

Natty looked around nervously. The bartender who doubled as his bodyguard was used to me by now and didn’t pay too much attention to our conversations. Finally, Natty said, “Katie told me she loved me, too. I mean, um, we’ve developed sort of a relationship. You know what I’m saying.”

“Since Pete was killed Friday night?”

“No, it’s been going on for a little while. She mentioned to you how they had drifted apart.”

“But you said you thought you loved her. Didn’t you also say she was faithful to Pete?”

“That’s true. It’s just how we feel about each other. It’s not like we’ve slept together. She’s not that kind of girl.”

I appreciated the fact that my brother could still surprise me. I considered his awkward confession and finally said, “You didn’t have anything to do with Pete’s murder, did you?”

Natty looked hurt. “Do you have to ask?”