The Scent of Murder by Barbara Block Page A

better of me. But Amy knows she can come to me.”
    I wondered if that were true. “How much did she want to borrow?”
    â€œTwo hundred dollars.”
    â€œDid she say why she wanted it?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDid you give it to her?”
    â€œI told her I didn’t think it was wise, considering her past history.”
    â€œWhat did she do?”
    â€œShe called me an asshole and stalked out of my house.”
    â€œDid you tell her father about it?”
    He gave a bark of a laugh. “No. I didn’t feel it was any of his business.”
    â€œAmy is his daughter.”
    Brad Richmond grimaced. “My brother and I weren’t in the habit of talking very much.”
    â€œIt must be difficult to run a business that way.”
    Brad Richmond looked around. His expression was self-satisfied. “We manage.”
    â€œI understand there’s been a lot of tension in Dennis’s household as well.”
    â€œSo I hear. Word gets around,” he explained, even though I hadn’t asked him how he knew.
    I sat back. “Is there anything you can tell me about Amy that might help me find her?”
    â€œNot really.” Brad Richmond studied the green and blue prints for a moment before going on. “Amy’s always been a difficult child, right from the day she was born. She wouldn’t sleep through the night for two years. When she was three, she would only eat potatoes and milk. If you served her anything else, she’d have a tantrum. My brother spent an enormous amount of money on therapists, a private school. Take this rehab facility he sent her to—our health insurance doesn’t cover this sort of thing you know. That was big bucks. Maybe forty, fifty thousand dollars.” He picked up a pen and dropped it. “You know who I blame her problems on?”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œGerri. The moment I saw her, I knew she was trouble. I advised Dennis not to marry her. But he insisted. She was the first woman he ever went out with. My brother was not what you call socially adept where women are concerned.” He smiled wanly. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but it’s hard not to when you see someone you care about doing something you think is going to make them unhappy.”
    â€œAnd did it?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œMake him unhappy?”
    Brad Richmond picked up a paper clip and began straightening it out. “Gerri has managed to make all of us unhappy. In one way or another.” He tossed the paper clip down. “From the day she married Dennis, things between my brother and I have never been the same.” He shook his head. “Such a shame. Family. It’s wonderful when everyone gets along.... But when they don’t...” His voice trailed off. I was beginning to wonder if I’d wandered onto the stage of an afternoon talk show, when I heard yelling.

Chapter 11
    T he yelling grew louder.
    Richmond gripped the edge of the desk. Ragged splotches of red spread across his cheeks. “Stay here,” he barked. “I’ll be right back.” He jumped up from his desk and hurried across his office. The door banged against the wall as he threw it open on the way out.
    I couldn’t resist. I waited all of three seconds before I went after him. His gait was stiff-legged with rage as he half-walked half-ran down the corridor. As I followed him, I became aware of how quiet it was. Besides the yelling, the only noise I heard was the whirring of machinery from the plant. I remember thinking it was odd no one was in the hallway and that all the office doors were closed. What was this? Showdown time at the O.K. Corral? Was everyone hunkering down behind their desks waiting for whatever was going to happen to blow over? I was less than a foot away when Richmond halted at the entrance to the second conference room. I couldn’t see in, though. Richmond was blocking my view. I took a