Nice Place for a Murder Read Online Free

there’s talk about Julian Communications going public.”
    “Is it true?”
    “There’s always that chance.” Julian shrugged his brawny shoulders. I watched his oversize biceps move beneath his blue T-shirt. “Many rumors of that kind end up being true. Yes?”
    “Are you telling me the death of Newalis comes at a particularly bad time?”
    “Why would you think that’s what I meant?” Julian said, shaking his head.
    “Reading between the lines. It’s a talent investigators are supposed to cultivate. If there’s a public offering, the loss of a key executive could be embarrassing. Or at least, it could muddy the waters for you.”
    “Accidents happen. People understand that.”
    “Sometimes.” I stood. The sliding glass doors that defined an entire wall of the great-room were open, and the vista drew me through them onto the cantilevered deck that extended high above the beach and the dock. It was like floating over the bay.
    “The man drowned,” Julian said.
    “By accident?”
    Ingo Julian rose and followed me onto the deck, digging his hands into his pockets and striding deliberately. “We saw him go under with our own eyes. Right from where you and I are standing. He was out there all by himself. Those are facts. Why would you think it wasn’t an accident?”
    “I didn’t say what I thought. I asked what you thought.” The sun was sinking now, the horizon blazing red-orange.
    Julian’s hand on my shoulder. “I respect your pursuing what you believe to be Empire’s responsibilities here. I recognize this and I appreciate it. But the facts in this matter are unambiguous. Inventing far-fetched scenarios for what happened would be counterproductive, and possibly contrary to the best interests of Julian Communications. You can acknowledge my point of view. Yes?”
    “It makes sense as far as it goes.”
    “You think I don’t go far enough?”
    “That’s right. But don’t mistake my motives, Mr. Julian. Your concerns are my concerns.”
    “Ingo. Call me Ingo.”
    “Interesting. I call you Ingo but you call me Seidenberg.”
    “Yes, it is interesting, isn’t it?” Julian ran a hand over his hairless head.
    “When you were watching Newalis swim, and when you ran down after he got into trouble, did you see a boat here, a commercial fisherman?” I stepped to the railing and pointed toward the water offshore. All at once the height and a sudden illusion of no support beneath disoriented me. For an instant I felt I might actually topple over the railing, and a sudden swell of anxiety prompted me to step back.
    Julian was watching me. “Others have had that reaction. Something about the design of this deck, the way it extends out into the void. It scares people. For me, it’s the best feature of the house.” He leaned far out over the railing. “Being here excites me. It’s like soaring above the earth.”
    “About the boat,” I said.
    “The boat?”
    The subject was making him uneasy. I kept silent and waited for him to continue.
    “Yes, a boat.” Ingo said, finally. “I believe there was a boat.”
    “At anchor?”
    “Perhaps. I’m not sure.”
    “Did you call to the boat for help when you saw Newalis go under?”
    “It occurred to me, but it was far away, and I couldn’t see anyone on it, anyway. He must have been on the other side, facing Greenport. Fishing, I suppose. We didn’t have time to worry about the boat, Lisa and I. We were racing to reach poor Kenny.”
    “Yes, poor Kenny. Did you see the boat after you found Newalis and pulled him ashore?”
    “I have no idea. I had no reason to be concerned with the boat. We were trying to save Kenny’s life. I’m beginning to sense you’re cross-examining me, Seidenberg. Yes?”
    “You pay us to dig out facts for you,” I said. “That’s what I’m doing. You don’t have the whole picture.”
    “And you do?”
    “Let’s say I have a different perspective.” I paced across the deck and back again, processing my