Death of a Bankster by David Bishop

coffee and Paige’s. “But, as you’ve explained, even that will not be sufficient to keep this a homicide case.”
    Maddie said, “I’m afraid that’s so. The core question remains. Who could be interested enough in your son-in-law to put his home under surveillance, to commit murder, to steal his body after they had killed him, and then gain access to his home to take his computer, smart phone, and search his desk and other possessions. Concurrent with that question is who would have the resources to do these things?”
    “Can you hazard any guesses at this point?”
    “No, Ms. Davis. It’s too early for guesses.”
    “I’m sorry,” Paige said, “but it’s not too early for guesses. We have only until tomorrow night. Then you label us as kooks and hand us off to missing persons.”
    “I would have said it more gently,” Mrs. Crawford, “but that’s the bottom line.”
    “Well, Sergeant Richards,” Ms. Davis retorted while picking up a cracker and a piece of cheese. “I can make an educated guess.”
    “Go ahead.”
    “These were not street thugs and this was neither a random murder nor a violent burglary. This was a sophisticated effort by people capable of and prepared to present themselves as FBI agents. Fake FBI cards were printed. A van was in waiting with someone prepped to play the role of a medical examiner. Then they had the poise to take control of my daughter’s home, easing her out so they could search. This was all done using guile. These people were pros. Mafia? Ours or a foreign government? Those would be my guesses.”
    “We’ll take a look at both those possibilities, ma’am,” Sue Martin answered while Maddie nodded.
    * * *
    Outside, Maddie said to Sue, “Did you notice how Ms. Davis took control of a large part of the conversation.”
    “I had the same read,” Sue said. “So, what comes next?”
    “This is the one-week anniversary of my son’s first report card with all A’s. How ‘bout we celebrate. Lunch is on me.”
    After ordering a late lunch at In N’ Out Burger they settled into a booth. “Man, the birds were going crazy outside my window just before dawn.”
    “Looking for mates,” Sue said.
    “Or a morning quickie before their day got started. Curtis and I, back in the days before we split, used to start a morning like that at least once a week. Well, we did until he started carrying on with an old high school girlfriend.”
    “You still miss ‘im?”
    “Not so much anymore. But, yeah, in bed, you know. Not just the sex, the company, the not being alone. I’ve considered starting to sleep with Prince Valium, but he’d undoubtedly end up being as bad for me as Curtis. That’s about the only place and time I think about that man any longer.”
    “You think the boys have any idea how much us girls talk about doing it?”
    Maddie laughed. “As for me, in this my second round of single years, I want every man who looks at me to get a stiffy. But keep his distance until I pick the ones I want to have take the job.”
    “Apply within,” Sue said. They both laughed.
    After a few minutes of serious chewing, Sue said, “Why don’t I look into Barbara Davis like we did Sam and Paige Crawford? There is something about that Davis woman, her composure and matter-of-fact style. You recall Paige saying that her life didn’t prepare her for this kind of thing. Well, call it intuition, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that her mother’s life had prepared her.”
    “I agree. Her mother didn’t seem shaken at all. Somber, but calm nonetheless. She’s a widow herself, and perhaps she just wasn’t all that fond of her son-in-law. God knows, she wouldn’t be the first mother-in-law with those feelings. My mother thought Curtis was just above nothing. Truth is she was right. Another truth is I didn’t listen to her. Yeah, do it. Throw in Mr. Davis too, Paige’s father. He may be dead, but as long as we’re grasping at straws, why not? Include their