Free The April Fools' Day Murder by Lee Harris Page B

fair amount of money, not to mention the apartment that only his wife and I knew about.
    “He went back to school and became a civil engineer. He said he wanted to build bridges and highways. But those first years were pretty boring and mundane and he left the company and got a degree in business.”
    “It sounds as though he’s got himself a lot of education.”
    “He does, but he doesn’t use most of it. Or maybe he does in a way. He’s had a number of jobs with different companies, and I think he’s done better every time he moved. He works in White Plains now, which isn’t too long a drive, and he’s been with them long enough that I think it’s permanent.”
    “When did he meet Doris?”
    “In his kicking around stage. She worked after they got married and he went back to school. She’s a nice person and she’s been good to my parents. Roger is lucky to have her.”
    The conversation was making me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure anyone in Roger’s family was very lucky. “Is he coming to the funeral?” I asked.
    “He’ll be there.” I had the feeling she had said something like that to him in the same tone of voice.
    “Do you know if your father left a lot of money?” I asked.
    “Probably. I suppose you want to know who he’s left it to.”
    “I’m just looking for a motive.”
    “I’m sure my mother has control of most of it right now. Neither Roger nor I really need any money. My mother will be well taken care of, which is as it should be. Roger didn’t kill my father, Chris. There was no reason to. Whether Dad left him anything or not, it wasn’t enough to make a difference. And although Dad did his best to push Roger around when he was young, Roger learned how to live with that. He became his own man.”
    “I find it strange that Roger chose to live in a town so close to your parents.”
    “Roger grew up here. When he got the job in White Plains, this was a perfect place for him to live. Doris liked Oakwood from the first time she saw it.”
    I had no argument with that. I loved the town. It was small enough to get around, big enough to have the schools and libraries that were important to me. And most of all, it was on the Long Island Sound, where we could enjoy the beach and the water in summer. “And he was near his mother,” I added.
    “Yes.”
    “I know about the accident, Toni. Doris told me.”
    “It was so terrible.” Her voice had dropped to nothing.
    “What’s the name of the man you want me to talk to?” I asked, anxious to change the subject.
    “Harry Franks. He’s coming to the funeral tomorrow morning but he doesn’t want to go to the cemetery. He’s getting on in years and isn’t all that well. He said he’dstay in the house and wait for us to come back. That would be a good time, I think, to have a private talk with him.”
    I finished off my pancakes and poured a second cup of coffee. “I can pick him up at the church.”
    “Good. I’ll call you.”
    I let her leave first. I went back across the street to Prince’s and bought something. When I got back outside, Toni had driven away. I wanted to check some things out around where the Platts lived and I didn’t want her involved. I drove to the nursery, situated just below the Platt house and on the other side of the road. I parked my car in their lot, got out and walked over to the road.
    You could see the Platt property clearly from this vantage point. It wasn’t that far away but it wasn’t a place you would arrive at accidentally. I started up the road, keeping myself behind trees as much as possible. I figured that if I couldn’t see the house, no one in the house could see me. I darted from tree to tree, coming ever closer to being even with the house. Unless someone were looking out a front window—or the garage, I thought—I was sure I was close to invisible.
    Finally I stood where I was exactly opposite the front door of the big house. The garage doors were closed but they had likely been