Free Keegan 00 Soft Case by John Misak Page B

money at stake, Rick said.”
    “Ron told him not to worry about that, that if Harold wanted, he would consider staying on for a while as a consultant or something. Just enough to keep the public comforted, until someone with his technical expertise could be found to replace him.”
    “Do you know for sure what led your husband to such a decision, leaving the company his father started?” I asked,
    “Politics, mainly. That was what he originally wanted to go to college for. Even though he made a ton of money with Techdata, he always considered it his father’s company. He wanted to do something on his own.” Sondra flicked the cigarette into the ashtray with her thumb ever so carefully.
    I could understand what she said. Mullins had a label on him, probably put there himself, that he was successful only because of his father. It must have been difficult, although I have to admit my jealousy trumped my understanding.
    “That was a major decision to make. When did this come about?”
    “About three months ago. He told Harold at a convention in California.”
    “Were you there?”
    “Yes,” Sondra said, finishing her cigarette, “I was. I always go to the conventions in the United States. I don’t bother with the ones out of the country. Not much I can do there. If I want to go to a foreign country, I go for vacation, not to hang around with a bunch of boring computer people.”
    Computer people certainly weren’t her type. She was a glamour person. I could see that. She oozed it out of her.
    “Any idea where your husband was going yesterday, before the accident?” Rick asked, taking a break from his notes.
    “You mean the day he killed himself. I’m not sure. He didn’t tell me anything, if that’s what you are asking.”
    “So, you’re certain it was a suicide?” I asked.
    “Isn’t that what you think?”
    “We’re not sure. Do you think your husband was suicidal?” I asked.
    “Ron was an extremely emotional person. He had been acting strange lately, depressed. Lord knows he shouldn’t have been. The money he would get from the buyout would have been more than enough to live comfortably on. He would have been able to fund his own campaign, if he wanted to, and the Governor was about to announce that he supported Ron for the Senate position. Everything he wanted was coming together, but he wasn’t happy with it. I think he felt he was betraying his father by getting out of the business.”
    That would explain Mullins’ comment on the answer machine tape about his father. At least, it could explain that. I thought about mentioning the tape to Sondra, but that would have to wait for when we officially took her down to the station and questioned her. I didn’t want her lawyer finding out about that. I needed to cover my bases.
    “Do you know what his mother thought about the whole thing?”
    “Jackie? She could have cared less about Techdata. She hated the company from its inception. From what I know, she never wanted Ron to get involved. She liked the idea that he wanted to get into politics when he was in high school, and I think his father’s urging to get him into computers led to their divorce.”
    So, that’s why the mother kept her maiden name.
    “Speaking of divorce,” I said, knowing I was treading dangerous ground, “there have been rumors about marital trouble with you and your husband. Were they true?”
    “I don’t see how that is pertinent.”
    “Everything is pertinent.”
    “Are you considering me a suspect?”
    “With a rock solid alibi? Don’t think so.”
    She looked around the room again, then met my eyes in a way women do at a bar when they want to talk to you. Sort of seductive, and very inquisitive. I knew the look, even if I didn’t get it all that often.
    “We had our troubles. All married couples do, I suppose. Especially when you are in the public eye the way we were. It just goes along with the territory.”
    “I guess it does. How would you describe your