“I’ve heard the tape,” I say, watching the blonde flash her best Karen Mcguiness smile, and return the program to the black newscaster.

“I know you have. What do you think?” “He threatened my father,” Tommy says, his voice not at all confident, “but I don’t know if there is enough to tie him to the murder.”

“I don’t know how well you knew Paul,” I say, “but that entire family has spent a lifetime cheating people out of their land and property.” I

briefly tell Tommy about my family’s financial dealings with the Taylors.

“You may not be aware of this, but in the last several years they lost a lot of their land. He needed your father’s business to maintain his lifestyle. I understand it was quite profitable.”

Tommy responds, “What’s your point?”

In the background I can hear a child’s voice. I lost contact with him years ago and don’t know if he is married, single, or working in an orphanage.

“That Paul is slick as pig shit and if you let him, he will skate out of this just like he’s done his whole life,” I say crudely.

“My guess is that he’s guilty as hell and hired someone else to kill your father and set up Class Bledsoe. So far his only mistake is that he didn’t realize he was being taped. I know Paul. He plans to be laughing at all of us when this is over.”

His voice sounding as if it is coming over string and a tin can instead of telephone wire, he asks, “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing, really,” I say quickly.

“I could get an order from the judge to let me go through the plant and inspect the murder scene, but what I’d like to do is to have as much cooperation from your workers as possible. I suspect they won’t give me the time of day unless your family tells them that it is all right to be

as candid as possible with me. If I don’t get anything, then fine. But I’d hate to overlook some leads if it can be avoided.