How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin

the family is always suspected first, but really! It's completely silly to think Peach could have killed him."
    "She was the last to see him alive. And she told you herself they argued."
    "That's nonsense."
    "You'd be surprised how simple these things turn out to be, Miss Blackbird."
    Another cop came over purposefully. "Bloom, they're ready for you upstairs."
    "Okay," he said, then turned to me. "There's something I need you to do, Miss Blackbird. I'm sorry it has to be tonight, but we don't have another choice."
    "You want me to go back upstairs," I guessed, and my heart began to skitter.
    "It'll be all right," he said, somehow charming and solemn at the same time. "And I'll be with you the whole time. But it's important for us to know everything about the crime scene. You're the only one who can help us determine exactly how things looked when you found Pendergast."
    Inside, I felt a sliver of anger that the detective referred to my friend by his last name. It depersonalized a man who deserved respect and affection.
    Bloom must have seen something change in my expression, because he said quickly, "I won't kid you. It'll be hard. But you've been wonderful so far. You can do this."
    I didn't want to be coached. I would help because it was dear Rory who had died.
    "Let's go now," I said, "while I feel this way."
    The questions came rapid-fire after that. Had I touched the railing? Where was I standing when I spoke with Sam? How long had I paused on the landing? What kind of car had I seen leaving the cobblestone yard? How fast had it been going? When I arrived on the second floor, had I seen or heard anyone descending the main staircase?
    Carefully, they guided me along my route. Upstairs, I hesitated in the doorway of the study, so Bloom went before me and asked another question to lure me into the room. The books, the unfinished supper, papers, telephone and paintings were just as I had seen them the first time I entered. I showed them how the painting looked—slightly crooked on the wall.
    A knot of cops huddled in Rory's dressing room, murmuring among themselves and pretending to ignore what Detectives Bloom and Wilson were doing with me.
    "And here?" Bloom asked, pointing his pen towards the open bedroom door. "This is where you stood when you first saw the victim?"
    I stepped into Rory's bedroom. I assumed the body had been removed, but there he lay, covered with a white plastic sheet. It was as if a cheap drop cloth had been thrown over him to allow painters to refurbish the room.
    A part of my brain closed down then, as if a curtain had dropped between the intellectual side of myself and the emotional side. The police asked me questions; even some of the men who had kept silent up until that time posed queries. I remember a woman, too, who asked me bluntly about the champagne glasses I had dropped. They were still in place, broken crystal and twin pools of wine soaked deep into the carpet.
    I explained what I had seen and done. I explained twice. And after that, they wanted to review their notes. I felt faint only once, but the spell passed when I shoved my emotions behind the curtain again and forced myself to respond to Detective Bloom's relentless interrogation.
    I heard one officer mutter, "The kid cop has his big chance. Now look at 'im go."
    Finally Bloom and his partner led me out into the corridor.
    "The pills on the floor," I said, when we were out of the room. I rubbed my face with one hand and wondered if I would ever think straight again.
    "What about the pills, Miss Blackbird?"
    "The bottle is a standard prescription container. Were they some kind of heart medication?"
    "Were you aware of a heart condition?"
    "I knew he'd had a heart attack a few years ago, not a very serious one. What kind of pills were those on the floor?"
    The partner said, "I don't think we—"
    Bloom interrupted. "Maybe she can help, Scotty."
    "You've broken enough rules already," said Wilson. "You want your promotion this