“How’d you get it?”

“The police, along with a real thin file. That’s all the information they would give us so far. But look at the will! Do you know who Mark named as his executor?”

“Who?” I thumbed through the pages, looking for the answer, and found it at the same time Grady said:

“Sam Freminet.”

I skimmed the provision, which looked standard. “So?”

“So! As executor, Sam gets two percent of the estate as a fee. He also has the power to choose the lawyers for the estate, and he can choose himself. This way, he gets the lawyers’ fees on top of the executor’s fees, also two percent, which can start right away if he wants them to. The topper is that the will sets up a trust naming Sam as trustee, so he also takes a trustee’s fee, one percent a yearfor life. It’s like an annuity. He’ll never have to work again.”

“I’m confused.” Half of me was still thinking about my conversation with Dr. Haupt.

Grady stood over me impatiently. “Considering the size of the estate, that means Sam makes amillion dollars in fees, and the trustee’s fee goes on and on. It’s double, even triple-dipping, and he also gets the billings as the responsible attorney at Grun. You don’t think he’ll see some kind of bonus for bringing in an estate of this size?”

“And?”

“Bennie, aren’t you following me?” Two lines furrowed Grady’s usually mild brow. “Sam gets rich from Mark’s death. Does that say something to you about motive?”

“That’s absurd, Grady!” I felt angry, insulted for Sam. “That’s just absurd.”

“Is it? Please be objective. I don’t know Sam Freminet, only met him the one time, but money is a very powerful incentive.”

“Sam kill Mark?” I shook my head. “No way. Sam and Mark were friends. We all started at Grun together out of law school. Besides, Sam doesn’t need the money or the billings. He’s a partner at Grun, he probably makes over four hundred grand a year.”

“Do you know that for a fact? How’s his client list, do you know?”

“Sam’s a bankruptcy lawyer and everybody’s going bankrupt. I have to believe he gets his share of business.”

“You believe, but do you know? What about his bank account? Rich people are greedy. It’s the nature of the beast.”

“Come on, Grady, Sam has all the toys he needs. Literally.” I smiled, thinking of the stuffed Tasmanian Devil and Pepe Le Pew. Then I remembered Daffy Duck and his moneybags and stopped smiling.

“Bennie, think about it.” Grady unloaded his books and leaned on my desk, bracing himself on his arms. “Sam knew about Mark’s will, apparently he was the only person who did. You say you three were friends, but I get the impression Sam had more of a business relationship with Mark, but more of a personal relationship with you. Is that right?”

“Yes, I guess, since the breakup.”

“Could Sam have killed Mark to get back at him for leaving you? And make a bundle in the bargain?”

“It’s unthinkable!” I leaned back in my chair. “Sam Freminet is the gentlest soul in the universe. You don’t know him. Forget it. Nice try, lousy theory.”

Grady cocked his head. “Did you tell Sam that Mark wanted to break up R amp; B?”

“You mean after Mark told me? I went right to the river.”

“Do you know where Sam was that night?”

“I never know where he is at night. He goes out a lot.”

Then I thought of my meeting with Sam that day, in his office. “But he told me he heard some of our associates were leaving. Did you know anything about that?”

“Just that Wingate’s been grumbling, but you could see that. Do you think Mark told Sam he was going to break up R amp; B?”

“No. Sam would have told me.”

“Would he? He didn’t tell you about the will and he didn’t tell you he was Mark’s executor. Maybe you don’t know as much as you think about him.”

“I know enough to know that this is crazy, this whole discussion.”

Grady sat down, undaunted. “I’d like to call Sam and find out where he was that night.”

“You will not.”

“Bennie, we’re fighting the clock here, you heard Azzic. He’ll charge you as soon as he has something that can conceivably support it. Then where will you be? Murder’s not a bailable offense in Philly. You’ll go right to jail.”

I flashed on the women’s prison at Muncy. I’d been there to see clients and was always relieved to hit the front gate on my way out. “Are you trying to scare me, Grady?”

“I surely am.” He smiled, but I didn’t.

“Okay. Fine. But if anybody talks to Sam, it should be me.”

“I’d like to, as your lawyer.”

“No. You don’t know Sam. He’s one of the dearest men in the world, he volunteers for Action AIDs. He was mad at me because I had a client opposed to AIDS research. He-” I stopped in midsentence. Bill Kleeb. Eileen’s threat against the CEO. I had completely forgotten. I checked my watch. 7:00. I wondered where Eileen and Bill were now, whether they were back at their apartment. If I couldn’t get to Detective Azzic, maybe I could get to them. I got up and hustled to my briefcase for their file.

“Bennie? What in God’s name are you doing?” Grady asked, astonished as I ran back and forth.

“I have to make another call.” I found the phone number Bill had given me and punched it in.

“Now? We’re in the middle of a conversation.”

I held up a hand when Bill Kleeb’s voice came on the line. “Can you meet me at eight tonight? It’s very important,” I told him. Bill agreed only reluctantly, and I named a place to meet, then hung up, feeling uneasy.

“Who was that?” Grady asked.

“A client.” I replaced the file and zipped my canvas briefcase closed. “I have to go. You want to walk me out?”

“Which client? Where are you going?” He stood up.

“To meet a client, the animal rights guy, okay? Maybe his girlfriend.”

“Why?”

“I have to.”

Grady put his hands on his hips. “Bennie, I’m your lawyer. I’d like to know as much as the police and the press do about you. Besides, you said you’d let me win the next one.”

He had a point. I would have smacked a client who was behaving as badly as I was. “I just want to check in with him, see how he is. I can’t tell you more than that, it’s confidential and I don’t want you involved in it.”

“You’re worried about a client when you’re being investigated for murder?”

We met eye to eye, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable in his gaze. “I’m worried about all my clients. You saw me, I made a zillion phone calls today.”

“Why does this client merit a personal visit?”

Because I wanted to see if he and Eileen were picking out china patterns or explosives, but I couldn’t tell Grady that. “He’s young, a kid. He needs some help. Extra help.”

“Good. I’m extra helpful, I’ll go with you.” He retrieved his suit jacket from the chair and tossed it over his shoulder, hooking it with a finger.

“You can’t come. You have to hold the fort.” I opened my office door, but Grady halted the door’s progress with a hand.

“I don’t get it,” he said, gray eyes frank behind his glasses. “I know how much you care about finding Mark’s killer, but you spent the day doing everything else but. Now you’re running off. Aren’t you avoiding it?”

“I have some things to get in order,” I said, though I sensed he was right. Somehow, the threat to the Furstmann CEO was urgent to me. Maybe it was a murder I could prevent, as opposed to one I couldn’t. Or maybe it was just too hard to deal with Mark’s death.

“Hello?”

“Grady, if all goes well tonight, we’ll solve this thing together. You need my help, I can tell.”

He laughed. “Oh yes, I need your help. Don’t know how I got along without you before. Now will you call Sam Freminet or should I?”

“I will.”

“Will you also think about who else had a motive to kill Mark? Was anyone angry with him? Any clients in the past, anyone like that?”

“Yes, sir.”

He grinned. “I like the sound of that.”