I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton

of her, but she
was
talented.”
    â€œYes, she was,” Yolanda said, coloring. “And I suppose—to be fair about it—her problems were not all her fault. Sometimes I almost felt sorry for her. She was neurotic and high-strung. The woman had everything but happiness. David latched onto her like a parasite and he sucked her dry.”
    I waited for more, but she seemed to have run down. I looked at Peter. “Is that your analysis?”
    â€œIt’s not my place to judge.”
    â€œI’m not asking you to judge her. I’d like your point of view. It might help me understand the situation.”
    He thought about that one briefly and apparently decided it made sense. “She was unfortunate. I don’t know what else to say.”
    â€œHow long did she work for you?”
    â€œA little over four years. An informal apprenticeship.”
    â€œSimone told me she didn’t actually have an architectural degree,” I said.
    â€œThat’s correct. Isabelle had no formal design training. She had wonderful ideas. She bubbled over with enthusiasm. It was almost as if the same reservoir fed both her creativity and her destruction.”
    â€œWas she a manic-depressive?”
    â€œShe seemed to live with very high levels of anxiety, which is why she drank,” he said.
    â€œShe drank because she was an alcoholic,” Yolanda put in.
    â€œWe don’t know that,” he said.
    She had to laugh at that, patting herself on the chest to curb her merriment. “You’ll never get a man to admit a beautiful woman is flawed.”
    I could feel the tension collecting again at the back of my neck. “What sort of man is David Barney? I gather he’s an architect. Is he talented?”
    Yolanda said, “He’s a carpenter with pretensions.”
    Peter brushed her response aside. “He’s a very good technician,” Peter said.
    â€œTechnician?”
    â€œThat’s not meant as criticism.”
    â€œHe’s the defendant. You can criticize all you like.”
    â€œI’m reluctant to do that. After all, we’re in the same profession even though I’m retired. It’s a small town. I don’t feel it’s my place to comment on his qualifications.”
    â€œWhat about the man himself?”
    â€œI never cared for him personally.”
    â€œOh, for God’s sake, Peter. Why don’t you tell her the truth? You can’t stand the man. Nobody can abide him. He’s sly and dishonest. He manipulates left and right—”
    â€œYolanda—”
    â€œDon’t you ‘Yolanda’ me! She’s asked for an opinion and I’m giving her mine. You’re so busy being nice you forget how to tell the truth. David Barney is a spider. Peter thought we should all socialize, and we did, over my protest. I felt it was going too far. When the two of them were in Peter’s firm, I tried to be pleasant. I didn’t care for David, but I did what was expected. Isabelle had brought in a great deal of business and we were appreciative of that. Once she got involved with David . . . he was not a good influence.”
    I refocused my attention. She’d be great on the witness stand if she could keep from losing it. “How’d she manage to bring in so much business?”
    â€œShe had a lot of money and she traveled in the right circles. People looked up to her because it was clear she had exquisite taste. She was very stylish. Whatever she took up, everyone else followed suit.”
    â€œWhen she and David left, they took a lot of clients with them?”
    â€œThat’s not unusual,” Peter said hastily. “It’s unfortunate, of course, but it happens in every business.”
    â€œIt was a disaster,” Yolanda said. “Peter retired shortly afterwards. The last time we saw them was the dinner party they gave Labor Day weekend.”
    â€œWhen the gun