Steve felt oddly awkward as they got into the Galaxy. He knew Mike had been glaring at him and actually he would unwantedly become a topic of conversation not with just the women at the Goldman house, but with anyone he met in town. Perhaps he should have recused himself from the investigation, but he felt so sorry for what happened to Mr. Goldman that he wanted to do what he could to bring the murderer to justice.
"What?" Steve finally said as he looked at Mike.
"What do you mean, what?" the older detective responded innocently.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?" Steve asked with a tone of slight annoyance.
"No, no..." Mike responded innocently. "I was just curious."
"About what?" Steve asked hesitantly.
"About Beverly Issacs."
"You do know that I was eleven when my family left this town?"
"Still...the reaction you had each time you made eye contact."
"MIKE!" Steve shouted.
"And then whoo-boy was she coming on to you," Mike finished with a satisfied grin.
Grateful that Pete wasn't there with them, Steve quickly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"He doesn't know what I'm talking about," Mike echoed. "Okay, Buddy boy, if you want to play it that way."
"Play what? She's probably twenty years older than me. I don't know what her deal is, if she even has one. Maybe she is a flirt with any man who is old enough to vote and not with a foot in the grave," Steve answered defensively.
"All right, Buddy boy, just stay calm. Let's get focused with what we're going to do over at the school. Take a deep breath. Here comes Pete anyway. I guess he wanted to say a last word to Mrs. Goldman."
Steve rolled his eyes and felt a sigh of relief when the local officer slid into the back seat.
"Ready? I'll show you a short cut to the school. The Assistant Superintendent and Principal will be there to meet us," Pete advised.
"That sounds good," Mike said. "Pete, what did you think back there? Do you think Mrs. Goldman is hiding anything?"
"Honestly Mike, she said more about Jacob's brother David than I expected. In my mind, he or someone he knows could be involved."
"What would be the motive?" Steve asked as he glanced at the rear view mirror at the officer.
"Now that's a good question. I mean, Jacob is a teacher and has nothing to do with the business. As the older brother, you could presume that perhaps he takes the lead on whether David comes back or not."
"What happened to the father?" Mike asked.
"He and his wife both passed away a couple of years ago." Pete volunteered. "Kind of sad. I heard he died of lung cancer and she died of a broken heart two weeks later."
"That's too bad," Steve said quietly.
"Did David come back to the funeral?" Mike asked.
"I really don't know," Pete answered. "But could that be a motive? Perhaps the aftermath of a will reading?"
