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    "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
    "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
    "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
    Ebook284 pages5 hours

    "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery

    By Sue Grafton

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    READ THE SENSATIONAL BLOCKBUSTER THAT STARTED IT ALL!

    Take it from the top in #1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton's knockout thriller that introduced detective Kinsey Millhone—and a hot new attitude—to crime fiction…

    A IS FOR AVENGER
    A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments, she's got a soft spot for underdogs and lost causes.

    A IS FOR ACCUSED
    That's why she draws desperate clients like Nikki Fife. Eight years ago, she was convicted of killing her philandering husband. Now she's out on parole and needs Kinsey's help to find the real killer. But after all this time, clearing Nikki's bad name won't be easy.

    A IS FOR ALIBI
    If there's one thing that makes Kinsey Millhone feel alive, it's playing on the edge. When her investigation turns up a second corpse, more suspects, and a new reason to kill, Kinsey discovers that the edge is closer—and sharper—than she imagined.

    "A" Is for Alibi
    "B" Is for Burglar
    "C" Is for Corpse
    "D" Is for Deadbeat
    "E" Is for Evidence
    "F" Is for Fugitive
    "G" Is for Gumshoe
    "H" Is for Homicide
    "I" Is for Innocent
    "J" Is for Judgment
    "K" Is for Killer
    "L" is for Lawless
    "M" Is for Malice
    "N" Is for Noose
    "O" Is for Outlaw
    "P" Is for Peril
    "Q" Is for Quarry
    "R" Is for Ricochet
    "S" Is for Silence
    "T" Is for Trespass
    "U" Is for Undertow
    "V" Is for Vengeance
    "W" Is for Wasted
    "X"

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781429901345
    "A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery
    Author

    Sue Grafton

    Sue Grafton was one of the most popular female writers, both in the UK and in the US. Born in Kentucky in 1940, she began her career as a TV scriptwriter before Kinsey Millhone and the 'alphabet' series took off. Two of the novels B is for Burglar and C is for Corpse won the first Anthony Awards for Best Novel. Sue lived and wrote in Montecito, California and Louisville, Kentucky.

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    Reviews for "A" is for Alibi

    3.5/5

    159 ratings97 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The characters in this book are great from the main character Kinsey to the bar owner Rosie. The author quickly develops a world of folks around Kinsey that you know will be ever present in other books. Also, the characters specific to the case Kinsey is working are very well developed. You want to root for Nikki Fife, Kinsey’s client.

      Sue Grafton does an excellent job of grounding this story into reality and by that I mean the case, the events are very normal and fit with the timeline of the series. The characters have assets, flaws, and trauma but don’t seem to be exaggerations or stereotypes. Also, the physical descriptions of people and locations give the reader an image in their mind and gives the story a good direction and flow.

      Even though the author tells you the ending at the beginning of the book, the excitement and tension of the finale is not lost and I think that due to the narration of Judy Kaye who brought Kinsey to life. Her Kinsey is phenomenal and brings all her emotions and characteristics into reality.
    • 4/5
      This was well written but I wish it had hooked me faster. The build-up was slow but once the story hit its stride, it became hard to put down. Not what I'd call a thriller, but a good mystery with a few heart-racing moments.
    • 4/5
      BOTTOM-LINE:Like meeting an old friend.PLOT OR PREMISE:Nikki Fife served 8 years for a murder she claims she didn't commit. Now she wants Kinsey to clear her name..WHAT I LIKED:The character of Kinsey Millhone, and her introduction on page 1 ("My name is Kinsey Millhone") is the same general format that appears in all the books. Just the facts. But she talks about having killed someone and that it weighs on her mind. Cue the flashback. And the book has all the classic elements that show up in almost all the books...her apartment near Henry, Rosie's, multiple cases at once, index cards to keep track of details, Deitz, Dolan, etc. This is a classic whodunnit with lots of twists and turns and misinformation from suspects, sometimes intentional, sometimes not..WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:There is a bit too much relationship-angst in this outing, albeit briefly..DISCLOSURE:I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.
    • 4/5
      So 3.5 stars really. I figured out who really did it early on there was some twists though. Pretty good story
    • 4/5
      Synopsis/blurb........‘My name is Kinsey Millhone. I’m a private investigator, licensed by the state of California. I’m thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids. The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind . . .’ When Laurence Fife was murdered, few cared. A slick divorce attorney with a reputation for ruthlessness, Fife was also rumoured to be a slippery ladies’ man. Plenty of people in the picturesque Southern California town of Santa Teresa had reason to want him dead. Including, thought the cops, his young and beautiful wife, Nikki. With motive, access and opportunity, Nikki was their number one suspect. The Jury thought so too. Eight years later and out on parole, Nikki Fife hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed her husband. But the trail has gone cold and there is a chilling twist even Kinsey didn’t expect . . . ‘Skilful and ingenious’ Irish Times ‘I love Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone novels . . . you are never disappointed’ Guardian ‘Will keep you awake until the last page has been turned’ Daily MailWell having admonished myself for ignoring the female crime writing fraternity for not months, in truth years, I have decided to address that deficiency in my reading. As an aside, I was once browsing a second hand book store and picked up a book - Bleedout - authored by I thought John Brady, on closer examination it was actually written by Joan Brady............so I put it back, why? I can’t really explain. Any way glossing over that example of blatant sexism, we return to Sue Grafton and the first in her Alphabet series starring Kinsey Millhone.Kinsey is hired by Nikki Fife to uncover who killed her adulterous husband, Laurence. Nikki having just been released from prison after serving eight years for the murder professes her innocence and wants Millhone to dig into the past.Having had a passing acquaintance with the dead Laurence and a vague recollection of his murder, Kinsey starts looking over the original investigation, discovering there was a second fatality exactly like Fife’s death a short period afterwards. Libby Glass, an accountant who crossed paths with Laurence Fife was poisoned in exactly the same way as the lawyer, though her client was never charged. Kinsey backtracks into Fife’s personal and business relationships as well as looking at Libby Glass’ surviving family believing that there is an obvious link between the two crimes. Gwen, who was Fife’s first wife and Charlie Scorsoni, Fife’s friend and former business partner are obvious avenues for information as well as Fife’s children with Gwen and one of his rumoured sexual partners who may have held something over him judging by her attitude towards him in the workplace; Sharon Napier. Fast forward to page 345, a longish book for a first novel and Grafton brings Millhone’s first highlighted investigation to a satisfying conclusion. And the verdict was........ interesting and enjoyable, albeit a little bit different from the male PIs I have been reading a lot of lately. Whilst Matthew Scudder and Elvis Cole can on occasion be drawn into physical violence and their authors can engage the readers with a bout of fisticuffs, this approach is never really going to work for Kinsey, particularly as Grafton has not gifted her a skill-set involving the martial arts. Instead Millhone uses intelligence, tenacity and a logical approach to her sleuthing. When the inevitable confrontations arise, she doesn’t lack for bravery. I didn’t really feel a great warmth or affection for our heroine, as yet. I was probably more of an interested bystander watching Millhone’s enquiry progress. Kinsey has a past, with two failed marriages behind her. She lives economically in a small apartment, with apparently no close friends or family. She enjoys sex and alcohol when it’s available, but has no addiction or issues with either. She appears to be alone without being lonely. Definitely someone I would like to read more about, particularly in the hope of discovering more about her past. I’ll be back at some point with B, then probably C and maybe D, but not straight away.4 stars from 5I picked up my copy by swapping on the Readitswapit website in exchange for something else.I do anticipate reading further female written fiction this month. Go me!
    • 5/5
      A is for Alibi A is for Alibi is the first book in Sue Grafton's alphabet mystery series, Kinsey Millhone a 32-year-old Private Investigator living in California. I have just started this series, but I really enjoyed this book. The mystery keeps pages turning as it fascinating, suspenseful and a real fast read. The character Kinsey is very independent, you feel as you now know her, and she is portrayed as somebody you do know. Nikki Fife has just been released from prison after doing 8 years for the murdering her husband, Laurence. Nikki wants Kinsey to find the person who really killed Laurence Kinsey begins to investigate and finds out about another murder committed only days after Laurence's that is extremely similar. The victim was the accountant for Laurence's law firm, Libby Glass, and she was killed using an identical method of poisoning. This trail is 8-years-old, and Kinsey knows it won't be easy to find the truth. Kinsey begins to put together a picture of the people involved and the circumstances that led up to Laurence's murder. But somebody is not too pleased with Kinsey investigating and unveiling facts that could lead to the true murderer. Kinsey gets herself into danger, and as she struggles to put the pieces together, someone is trying to stop her
    • 3/5
      Nikki Fife has spent 8 years in prison for the murder of her husband, divorce lawyer and ladies man Lawrence. She approaches Kinsey and asks her to find out who did kill her husband because it was not her. The trail is 8 years old and as days go by Kinsey does not seem to be getting close to the answer. She dose learn that another woman was killed days after Lawrence's murder using the same method, poison in antihistamine tablets.When she seems to be getting no where, a woman she had tracked down to question is suddenly murdered, there are now three corpses so she knows she is making someone nervous.As other reviews have pointed out, Kinsey's having a relationship with one of the suspects in the case makes her judgement questionable. Kinsey introduces herself in this the first in the series of novels about her cases. She says she is "a private investigator, licensed in California, thirty-two yeas old, twice divorced, no kids, no pets, no plants."I found the story moved along swiftly even as she drove around California and Nevada tracking down suspects.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best mystery series i have ever read. I finished reading A and am getting ready to start B . It just gets better and better with each letter
    • 3/5
      Nice quick read: this novel was amusing as a historical piece - without Internet and digitized information, sleuthing was definitely tedious: long drives, person-to-person meetings, archives, it all gives the book a quaint attractiveness which is a nice change from the cyber-heavy novels of today.I can't say that the structure or plot are particularly unique, but the novel is entertaining - perfect for a weekend break.
    • 1/5
      This book is quite unreadable. I did not care about any of the characters or the "Murder". The descriptions of places in the LA area did not have an LA feeling and in some cases verifiably wrong. If I had to describe the book in one word I would use 'juvenile'.
    • 1/5
      I had always heard good things about Sue Grafton's alphabet books, so I picked up A is for Alibi the other day. I assume (hope) that like most writers she has matured somewhat since her early work, but I won't be bothering to find out. I found Kinsey Millhone annoying and was rooting for the killer. The ending was abrupt and lacking in resolution. Add to the the fact that Ms. Grafton seems to be a raging fatophobe (all the jelly donuts? Really? Why not throw in an entire cake and dozen burgers while you're at it?) and this book was not much of a pleasure. I only bothered finishing because I hate leaving a book in the middle and kept hoping the denouement wouldn't be as boring as I thought it would be. Wrong again. I can't believe I wasted money on this and I'd rather re-read the hellish DaVinci Code than this.
    • 2/5
      An older, avuncular man I know named Pat talks books with me a lot. I mentioned that I was looking to break out of old habits, so he leant me several of the books from his mystery series. This book was enjoyable for what it was. The writing could have been better. It wasn't the most suspenseful mystery, but it was a quick read and I can see why people could get interested in the series.
    • 4/5
      first of Sue Grafton books i have read so figured i start from the beginning. i enjoyed the book with the different twist and turns along the way. i did have an idea who did it 3/4 away trough the book but took almost to the end to confirm. i will be looking forward to continuing my way trough the alphabet with her.
    • 5/5
      I've been reading Sue Grafton for years and decided to go back to the beginning for a reread. I must say I'm enjoying it just as much on the reread as I did the first time around.Kinsey Millhone is in the tradition of a the hard-boiled private eye. She has the police background and the tough-chick persona. She's a loner with quirky friends and a tragedy in her past. But likeable, very likeable. There are things you notice that would be different if she were writing this book for a current setting but she wasn't. She was writing it for a 1980's setting. It works very well for that and actually reminds me how much things have changed in such a short time. I find Kinsey to be realistic and engaging. The mystery wasn't the hardest to figure out but it didn't jump out at me from the first page either. We get a lot of background on Kinsey and she seems very 3 dimensional by the end of the book. This is one of the few mystery series that my husband enjoys also. I know I'm going to enjoy my reread of the entire series.
    • 4/5
      At first, I wasn't all that impressed with A is for Alibi. I didn't see the humor, it seemed to drag on and on without any point, all in all it just seemed blah. Then I got to the last, oh, one-quarter of the book. Oh my goodness! What a thrill ride! Everything that I felt had been pointless or boring before just "clicked," and it all made sense. Plus the author's style of writing seems perfectly suited for the way she wrapped this book up. I was originally thinking of only giving this book 2 stars before I finished it. I've given it 4 because the last part of the book completely redeems and makes it worthwhile to go through the first parts of the book. It also made me want to find out what happens in the next book, B is for Burglar.
    • 1/5
      This was one of those books I had to force myself to keep reading. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Bland writing, bland story. Perhaps her later books are better; she did write a whole series of these so some people seem to like them.
    • 2/5
      I wasn't greatly impressed with this one. In terms of my course, it's nice to have female writers on it, and nice to have a book with a female main character, too -- no march of the dead white men here -- but this didn't blow me away like Raymond Chandler, and nor did I have the compulsion to keep reading that I had with Agatha Christie and Ian Rankin. Obviously, the quality doesn't matter in terms of my course, but damned if I know what points are to be made, at this stage!

      I never really believed in any of the characters, not even Kinsey. It was nice that she was given some background detail -- the running, etc -- but at the same time, I didn't feel her to be that much of a character, and didn't really buy the relationship between her and Charlie, that a professional would get involved in that without being able to strike him off as a suspect. Honestly, that a professional would get involved with him at all while on a case that involves him. I thought the characters of Nikki and her son were interesting, and kinda wished there'd been more of her.

      Didn't find the plot that shocking or difficult to guess, and if it wasn't for my course, and for the fact that I needed something mindless and easy today, I might've skim-read the rest and not really bothered, once I got about a third of the way through without any real interest.
    • 4/5
      Previously read - listened to Books on Tape cassette edition. This book made such an impression on me the first time I read it, that I've never forgotten who the main murderer is, however I certainly didn't remember all the details. Tension filled and twisty but still including all the details of an investigation, both boring and exciting, this is one of the best mysteries I've ever read.
    • 4/5
      Sue Grafton is my go to author for vacation reads. The dry humor and the 1980's setting with big macs and walkmans just makes me grin. Not to mention phone books and answering machines. well thought out, IGrafton gives you clues along the way but doesn't shout out "here's the bad guy". a+reading
    • 3/5
      I've gone through the alphabet with Sue Grafton. I like her strong, independent female detective, Kinsey, her geriatric neighbor and his siblings, and the romps around California. There are only a few letters in the alphabet left and at this point, they are getting repetitive, but I'll finish the series.
    • 3/5
      This was the first of the alphabet series by Sue Grafton that I've read, and it was okay. Kate does not come across to me as a particularly sympathetic character and I'm not aching to read another book about her, but I'm glad to had sampled this popular series.
    • 3/5
      Picked this up looking for a light read and found exactly that. Pretty uncomplicated characters, moderately interesting plot. I had picked out the primary "bad guy" a third of the way into the book, but there were a couple of interesting twists and lessons about making assumptions. No outstanding characteristics but an enjoyable light read.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the style of this book and have now gone on and read all her other alphabet books
    • 3/5
      Although I had guessed who the killer was at barely the beginning of the third chapter, I had been wrong about my guess of motive. The ending surprised me and was not as wrapped up as I would like from a mystery. It was a quick read, though, and worth the time.Also, I really like the Kinsey Millhone character. She is very straightforward and blunt. I like that the author is willing to let her make mistakes (big ones).
    • 4/5
      I've read this book before, as part of a Bookcrossing ring and enjoyed it - which is why I bought this and other books in the series. There is an enormous twist in this story and Kinsey is an interesting character.
    • 3/5
      Kinsey Millhone, a private investigator, accepts the challenge of reviewing the unusual homicide of Lawrence Fife, an intelligent successful divorce attorney, yet also an unfaithful misogynist who used women for his own pleasure and discarded them at whim. Certainly quite a number of people might have had a motive for murdering him, and Kinsey sets out to unravel the details of this eight-year-old killing. The murder was unusual in that its method involved ground up oleander, a poisonous plant. Exactly when Lawrence Fife ingested the oleander allows many to have an alibi because the time of the placement of the murder "weapon" and use of it are unclear. The strength of the story is its well-drawn plot and the details of the main character, Kinsey. The weakness is the cursory details of many other characters making recalling their identities and relevance to the homicide difficult. The story would allow for teaching of dysfunctional family life, unfaithfulness and its problems, as well as a critique of an imperfect justice system.
    • 4/5
      I finished this book last night. I really enjoyed it. I def will try another in the series. I really thought that i knew who the murderer was but boy was I wrong. A great start to a new series for me.
    • 2/5
      Before I say anything, I need to clarify that the low score isn't representative of my chances of reading further installments. It was an okay book, nothing breathtaking, but at least it wasn't maudlin or prurient. Novels like these, low on intrigue and high on soap opera, usually are impossible to muster enthusiasm for. But the things I'm averse to were kept to a minimum. When I reached the last 10 % of the book, I relished beforehand about the finale but also about the task of completing the book. There's something rewarding about chiseling away a book, unit by unit, percent by percent, until its completion. The last 10 % are the sweetest. Keeping that in mind, I think I'll sign up for the letter B.
    • 5/5
      Some books/ authors you click with straight away. Also characters. I did with Sue, and Kinnsey. There's beenendless reviews, so I'll say Sue is now on my favourite list...and a keeper, and am itching for B is for Burglar.The r.oll call of characters did get difficult to follow at times, particularly the female ones, but that was linked to the storyline. Would love to have Kinnsey as a mate. Not sure I could be her though...I don't gave the energy:)
    • 3/5
      Being my first mystery novel since probably Nancy Drew, I found this book a nice change of pace. Beyond that, I don’t think it had too much value. The plot was pretty predictable: PI falls in love with the killer. The heroine, Kinsey Milhone, also didn’t do much for me. She was strong and feisty, which are normally big winners for me, but she just seemed too tough. She didn’t have any vulnerabilities or feminine qualities to speak of. The ending of the book was also very unsettling for me. The suspense and the abrupt ending just left me feeling sick. The only thing redeeming about this book was the romance she had with the killer, and of course that didn’t last too long. I don’t think I’ll be picking up too many more mystery books anytime soon.

    Book preview

    "A" is for Alibi - Sue Grafton

    1

    My name is Kinsey Millhone. I’m a private investigator, licensed by the state of California. I’m thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids. The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind. I’m a nice person and I have a lot of friends. My apartment is small but I like living in a cramped space. I’ve lived in trailers most of my life, but lately they’ve been getting too elaborate for my taste, so now I live in one room, a bachelorette. I don’t have pets. I don’t have houseplants. I spend a lot of time on the road and I don’t like leaving things behind. Aside from the hazards of my profession, my life has always been ordinary, uneventful, and good. Killing someone feels odd to me and I haven’t quite sorted it through. I’ve already given a statement to the police, which I initialed page by page and then signed. I filled out a similar report for the office files. The language in both documents is neutral, the terminology oblique, and neither says quite enough.

    ______

    Nikki Fife first came to my office three weeks ago. I occupy one small corner of a large suite of offices that house the California Fidelity Insurance Company, for whom I once worked. Our connection now is rather loose. I do a certain number of investigations for them in exchange for two rooms with a separate entrance and a small balcony overlooking the main street of Santa Teresa. I have an answering service to pick up calls when I’m out and I keep my own books. I don’t earn a lot of money but I make ends meet.

    I’d been out for most of the morning, only stopping by the office to pick up my camera. Nikki Fife was standing in the corridor outside my office door. I’d never really met her but I’d been present at her trial eight years before when she was convicted of murdering her husband, Laurence, a prominent divorce attorney here in town. Nikki was in her late twenties then, with striking white-blonde hair, dark eyes, and flawless skin. Her lean face had filled out some, probably the result of prison food with its high starch content, but she still had the ethereal look that had made the accusation of murder seem so incongruous at the time. Her hair had grown out now to its natural shade, a brown so pale that it appeared nearly colorless. She was maybe thirty-five, thirty-six, and the years at the California Institute for Women had left no visible lines.

    I didn’t say anything at first; just opened the door and let her in.

    You know who I am, she said.

    I worked for your husband a couple of times.

    She studied me carefully. Was that the extent of it?

    I knew what she meant. I was also there in court when you were being tried, I said. But if you’re asking if I was involved with him personally, the answer is no. He wasn’t my type. No offense. Would you like coffee?

    She nodded, relaxing almost imperceptibly. I pulled the coffeepot from the bottom of the file cabinet and filled it from the Sparkletts water bottle behind the door. I liked it that she didn’t protest the trouble I was going to. I put in a filter paper and ground coffee and plugged in the pot. The gurgling sound was comforting, like the pump in an aquarium.

    Nikki sat very still, almost as though her emotional gears had been disengaged. She had no nervous mannerisms, didn’t smoke or twist her hair. I sat down in my swivel chair.

    When were you released?

    A week ago.

    What’s freedom feel like?

    She shrugged. It feels good, I guess, but I can survive the other way too. Better than you’d think.

    I took a small carton of half-and-half out of the little refrigerator to my right. I keep clean mugs on top and I turned one over for each of us, filling them when the coffee was done. Nikki took hers with a murmured thanks.

    Maybe you’ve heard this one before, she went on, but I didn’t kill Laurence and I want you to find out who did.

    Why wait this long? You could have initiated an investigation from prison and maybe saved yourself some time.

    She smiled faintly. I’ve been claiming I was innocent for years. Who’d believe me? The minute I was indicted, I lost my credibility. I want that back. And I want to know who did me in.

    I had thought her eyes were dark but I could see now that they were a metallic gray. Her look was level, flattened-out, as though some interior light were growing dim. She seemed to be a lady without much hope. I had never believed she was guilty myself but I couldn’t remember what had made me so sure. She seemed passionless and I couldn’t imagine her caring enough about anything to kill.

    You want to fill me in?

    She took a sip of coffee and then set the mug on the edge of my desk.

    I was married to Laurence for four years, a little more than that. He was unfaithful after the first six months. I don’t know why it came as such a shock. Actually, that’s how I got involved with him . . . when he was with his first wife, being unfaithful to her with me. There’s a sort of egotism attached to being a mistress, I suppose. Anyway, I never expected to be in her shoes and I didn’t like it much.

    According to the prosecutor, that’s why you killed him.

    Look, they needed a conviction. I was it, she said with the first sign of energy. I’ve just spent the last eight years with killers of one kind or another and believe me, the motive isn’t apathy. You kill people you hate or you kill in rage or you kill to get even, but you don’t kill someone you’re indifferent to. By the time Laurence died, I didn’t give a damn about him. I fell out of love with him the first time I found out about the other women. It took me a while to get it all out of my system . . .

    And that’s what the diary was all about? I asked.

    Sure I kept track at first. I detailed every infidelity. I listened in on phone calls. I followed him around town. Then he started being more cautious about the whole thing and I started losing interest. I just didn’t give a shit.

    A flush had crept up to her cheeks and I gave her a moment to compose herself. I know it looked like I killed him out of jealousy or rage, but I didn’t care about that stuff. By the time he died, I just wanted to get on with my own life. I was going back to school, minding my own business. He went his way and I went mine . . . Her voice trailed off.

    Who do you think killed him?

    I think a lot of people wanted to. Whether they did or not is another matter. I mean, I could make a couple of educated guesses but I don’t have proof of anything. Which is why I’m here.

    Why come to me?

    She flushed again slightly. I tried the two big agencies in town and they turned me down. I came across your name in Laurence’s old Rolodex. I thought there was a certain kind of irony hiring someone he had once hired himself. I did check you out. With Con Dolan down at Homicide.

    I frowned. It was his case, wasn’t it?

    Nikki nodded. Yes it was. He said you had a good memory. I don’t like having to explain everything from scratch.

    What about Dolan? Does he think you’re innocent?

    I doubt it, but then again, I did my time so what’s it to him?

    I studied her for a moment. She was forthright and what she said made sense. Laurence Fife had been a difficult man. I hadn’t been all that fond of him myself. If she was guilty, I couldn’t see why she would stir it all up again. Her ordeal was over now and her so-called debt to society had been taken off the books except for whatever remaining parole she had to serve.

    Let me think about it some, I said. I can get in touch with you later today and let you know.

    I’d appreciate that. I do have money. Whatever it takes.

    I don’t want to be paid to rehash old business, Mrs. Fife. Even if we find out who did it, we have to make it stick and that could be tough after all this time. I’d like to check back through the files and see how it looks.

    She took a manila folder out of her big leather bag. I have some newspaper clippings. I can leave those with you if you like. That’s the number where I can be reached.

    We shook hands. Hers was cool and slight but her grip was strong. Call me Nikki. Please.

    I’ll be in touch, I said.

    ______

    I had to go take some photographs of a crack in a sidewalk for an insurance claim and I left the office shortly after she did, taking my VW out the freeway. I like my cars cramped and this one was filled with files and law books, a briefcase where I keep my little automatic, cardboard boxes, and a case of motor oil given to me by a client. He’d been cheated by two con artists who had allowed him to invest two grand in their oil company. The motor oil was real enough but it wasn’t theirs; just some Sears thirty-weight with new labels pasted on. It had taken me a day and a half to track them down. In addition to the junk, I keep a packed overnight case back there, too, for God knows what emergency. I wouldn’t work for anyone who wanted me that fast. It just makes me feel secure to have a nightgown, toothbrush, and fresh underwear at hand. I have my little quirks I guess. The VW’s a ’68, one of those vague beige models with assorted dents. It needs a tune-up but I never have time.

    I thought about Nikki as I drove. I had tossed the manila folder full of clippings on the passenger seat but I really didn’t need to look at them. Laurence Fife had done a lot of divorce work and he had a reputation as a killer in court. He was cold, methodical, and unscrupulous, taking any advantage he could. In California, as in many states, the only grounds for divorce are irreconcilable differences or incurable insanity, which eliminates the trumped-up adultery charges that were the mainstay of divorce attorneys and private eyes in the old days. There is still the question of property settlements and custody—money and children—and Laurence Fife could get his clients anything. Most of them were women. Out of court, he had a reputation as a killer of another kind and the rumor was that he had mended many a broken heart in that difficult period between interlocutory and final decrees.

    I had found him shrewd, nearly humorless, but exact; an easy man to work for because his instructions were clear and he paid in advance. A lot of people apparently hated him: men for the price he extracted, women for the betrayal of their trust. He was thirty-nine years old when he died. That Nikki was accused, tried, and convicted was just a piece of bad luck. Except for cases that clearly involve a homicidal maniac, the police like to believe murders are committed by those we know and love, and most of the time they’re right—a chilling thought when you sit down to dinner with a family of five. All those potential killers passing their plates.

    As nearly as I could remember, Laurence Fife had been having drinks with his law partner, Charlie Scorsoni, the night of his murder. Nikki was at a meeting of the Junior League. She got home before Laurence, who arrived about midnight. He was taking medication for numerous allergies and before he went to bed, he downed his usual capsule. Within two hours, he was awake—nauseated, vomiting, doubled over with violent stomach cramps. By morning, he was dead. An autopsy and lab tests showed that he’d died as a result of ingesting oleander, ground to a fine powder and substituted for the medication in the capsule he took: not a masterly plot, but one employed to good effect. Oleander is a common California shrub. There was one in the Fife’s backyard as a matter of fact. Nikki’s fingerprints were found on the vial along with his. A diary was discovered among her possessions, certain entries detailing the fact that she’d found out about his adulteries and was bitterly angry and hurt, contemplating divorce. The District Attorney established quite nicely that no one divorced Laurence Fife without penalty. He’d been married and divorced once before and though another attorney had handled his case, his impact was evident. He obtained custody of his children and he managed to come out ahead financially. The state of California is scrupulous in its division of assets, but Laurence Fife had a way of maneuvering monies so that even a fifty-fifty split gave him the lion’s share. It looked as if Nikki Fife knew better than to try disentangling herself from him legally and had sought other means.

    She had motive. She had access. The grand jury heard the evidence and returned an indictment. Once she got into court, it was simply a question of who could persuade twelve citizens of what. Apparently the D.A. had done his homework. Nikki hired Wilfred Brentnell from Los Angeles: a legal whiz with a reputation as the patron saint of lost causes. In some sense, it was almost like admitting her guilt. The whole trial had a sensational air. Nikki was young. She was pretty. She was born with money. The public was curious and the town was small. It was all too good to miss.

    2

    Santa Teresa is a Southern California town of eighty thousand, artfully arranged between the Sierra Madres and the Pacific Ocean—a haven for the abject rich. The public buildings look like old Spanish missions, the private homes look like magazine illustrations, the palm trees are trimmed of unsightly brown fronds, and the marina is as perfect as a picture postcard with the blue-gray hills forming a backdrop and white boats bobbing in the sunlight. Most of the downtown area consists of two- and three-story structures of white stucco and red tile, with wide soft curves and trellises wound with gaudy maroon bougainvillea. Even the frame bungalows of the poor could hardly be called squalid.

    The police department is located near the heart of town on a side street lined with cottages painted mint green with low stone walls and jacaranda trees dripping lavender blossoms. Winter in Southern California consists of an overcast and is heralded not by autumn but by fire. After the fire season come the mud slides. And then the status quo is restored and everything goes on as before. This was May.

    After I dropped the roll of film off to be developed, I went into the Homicide Department to see Lieutenant Dolan. Con is in his late fifties with the aura of the unkempt: bags under his eyes, gray stubble or its illusion, a pouchy face, and hair that’s been coated with some kind of men’s product and combed across a shiny place on top. He looks like he would smell of Thunderbird and hang out under bridges throwing up on his own shoes. Which is not to say he isn’t very sharp. Con Dolan is a lot smarter than the average thief. He and killers run about neck and neck. He catches them most of the time and only occasionally guesses wrong. Few people can out think him and I’m not sure why this is true, except that his powers of concentration are profound and his memory clear and pitiless. He knew why I was there and he motioned me back to his office without a word.

    What Con Dolan calls an office would do for a secretary anywhere else. He doesn’t like being shut away and he doesn’t much care for privacy. He likes to conduct his business tipped back in his chair with his attention half-turned to what’s going on around him. He picks up a lot of information like that and it saves him needless talk with his men. He knows when his detectives come and go and he knows who’s been brought in for questioning and he knows when reports aren’t being done on time and why.

    What can I do for you? he said, but his tone didn’t indicate any particular desire to help.

    I’d like to look at the files on Laurence Fife.

    He arched an eyebrow at me ever so slightly. It’s against department policy. We’re not running a public library here.

    I didn’t ask to take them out. I just want to look. You’ve let me do that before.

    Once.

    I’ve given you information more times than that and you know it, I said. Why hesitate on this?

    That case is closed.

    Then you shouldn’t have any objections. It’s hardly an invasion of anyone’s privacy.

    His smile then was slow and humorless and he tapped a pencil idly, loving, I imagined, the power to turn me down cold. She killed him, Kinsey. That’s all there is to it.

    You told her to get in touch with me. Why bother with it if you don’t have a doubt yourself?

    My doubts have nothing to do with Laurence Fife, he said.

    What then?

    There’s more to this one than meets the eye, he said evasively. Maybe we’d like to protect what we’ve got.

    Are ‘we’ keeping secrets?

    Oh I got more secrets than you ever dreamed about, he said.

    Me too, I said. Now why are we playing games?

    He gave me a look that might have been annoyance and might have been something else. He’s a hard man to read. You know how I feel about people like you.

    Look, as far as I’m concerned, we’re in the same business, I said. I’m straight with you. I don’t know what kind of gripes you have with the other private investigators in town, but I stay out of your way and I’ve got nothing but respect for the job you do. I don’t understand why we can’t cooperate with one another.

    He stared at me for a moment, his mouth turning down with resignation. You’d get more out of me if you’d learn to flirt, he said grudgingly.

    No I wouldn’t. You think women are a pain in the ass. If I flirted, you’d pat me on the head and make me go away.

    He wouldn’t take the bait on that one but he did reach over and pick up the phone, dialing Identification and Records.

    This is Dolan. Have Emerald bring me the files on Laurence Fife. He hung up and leaned back again, looking at me with a mixture of speculation and

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