soda fountain."
"It's gone, too," Stan said.
"Natasha sold the business as well," Joan said. "They put up a
high-rise bank building on the site."
"That second husband," Stone said, "that would be a Martin Asher?"
"Sounds familiar," Joan said. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but
why are you looking into the fire again after all these years?"
"We're checking out a report that it might not have been an
accident," Burch said.
"Oh my God! Murder? Stan, did you hear that?" She turned to her
husband, excited. "Honey, imagine. A murder mystery right on our block!"
"It's only a routine inquiry," Stone said quickly.
"How did the Terrells get along?" Nazario asked. "How well did you
know them?"
"They hadn't been here long," Joan said, her voice animated as she
led them into the comfortable living room. "They were newlyweds, she
was pregnant when they moved in. It was his second marriage. He had an
ex-wife—and kids. The children sometimes came for a weekend. Poor
things. One was about Vanessa's age. They came over here to play a few
times."
"I got the impression that their stepmother wasn't too crazy about
them. Natasha was young. The most gorgeous thing you ever saw."
Stan nodded solemnly.
"She liked to be the center of attention," Joan went on. "Didn't
want to share the spotlight. The two of them had a couple of big
blow-ups."
"Whoops
." She clapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry.
Wrong choice of words. But you couldn't help but hear the arguments.
Once when he tried to leave during a fight, she ran out after him and
threw herself across the hood of his car."
"The day he died," Stan said solemnly, "the fellow came over here
and asked to borrow a line wrench. Never did get the thing back. Part
of a matching set. Said he was working on his Thunderbird. I'd never
seen him work on the car before. I told him to bring his kids over to
Ryan's party later, but he said it wasn't his weekend for visitation."
"See anybody else over there that day?" Stone asked.
Joan shook her head. "I was way involved in the party. I mean, it
was absolute bedlam here, two dozen kids and not much help."
"Where was the party?" Stone asked. "Here inside the house, your
backyard… ?"
"No, out front in the shade under the trees. The kids saw it all,"
Joan said.
"Traumatized." Stan nodded grimly. "For life."
"Take any snapshots?" Nazario asked.
Joan shook her head. "Who had time?"
Nazario tucked his notebook back into his jacket pocket. Stone
checked his watch. Burch got to his feet, hoping to wrap this up today.
How much more would it take to convince Riley that there was nothing to
find?
"I was too busy shooting the video."
The detectives exchanged glances.
"You have a tape?" they chorused.
She cocked her head. "Probably in Ryan's room with all the
others—unless he taped a rock music concert over it. I'll see if I can
find it, and him. He won't want to miss this. He always says it was the
biggest birthday blast he ever had. I'll be right back."
Burch sat down again. "How long have you two been married?"
Stan paused for a moment. "Our twenty-second is coming up."
"Nice," the detective said. "What's your secret?"
Stan hitched his shoulders. "Dumb luck, I guess. We were young,
stayed the course, and that was it. You know how it is."
"Yeah," Burch said. "But—"
"I found it! I found it." Joan danced down the stairs, waving a
video cassette. Her son loomed behind her.
Taller than his parents, he wore an oversized red T-shirt emblazoned
with LINKIN PARK , blue jeans, and a silver stud in one
ear.
"He starts his junior year at FSU this fall," his mother said
proudly.
"That day was so cool," Ryan told the detectives. "My friends never
forgot it. So weird. I wanted fireworks, so when it happened, I thought
at first that they got them for me, that it was all part of the
birthday trip."
"I'll make popcorn." Joan backed toward the kitchen. "It'll just
take a sec in the microwave. Don't start the tape without me. We
haven't seen it in
"It's gone, too," Stan said.
"Natasha sold the business as well," Joan said. "They put up a
high-rise bank building on the site."
"That second husband," Stone said, "that would be a Martin Asher?"
"Sounds familiar," Joan said. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but
why are you looking into the fire again after all these years?"
"We're checking out a report that it might not have been an
accident," Burch said.
"Oh my God! Murder? Stan, did you hear that?" She turned to her
husband, excited. "Honey, imagine. A murder mystery right on our block!"
"It's only a routine inquiry," Stone said quickly.
"How did the Terrells get along?" Nazario asked. "How well did you
know them?"
"They hadn't been here long," Joan said, her voice animated as she
led them into the comfortable living room. "They were newlyweds, she
was pregnant when they moved in. It was his second marriage. He had an
ex-wife—and kids. The children sometimes came for a weekend. Poor
things. One was about Vanessa's age. They came over here to play a few
times."
"I got the impression that their stepmother wasn't too crazy about
them. Natasha was young. The most gorgeous thing you ever saw."
Stan nodded solemnly.
"She liked to be the center of attention," Joan went on. "Didn't
want to share the spotlight. The two of them had a couple of big
blow-ups."
"Whoops
." She clapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry.
Wrong choice of words. But you couldn't help but hear the arguments.
Once when he tried to leave during a fight, she ran out after him and
threw herself across the hood of his car."
"The day he died," Stan said solemnly, "the fellow came over here
and asked to borrow a line wrench. Never did get the thing back. Part
of a matching set. Said he was working on his Thunderbird. I'd never
seen him work on the car before. I told him to bring his kids over to
Ryan's party later, but he said it wasn't his weekend for visitation."
"See anybody else over there that day?" Stone asked.
Joan shook her head. "I was way involved in the party. I mean, it
was absolute bedlam here, two dozen kids and not much help."
"Where was the party?" Stone asked. "Here inside the house, your
backyard… ?"
"No, out front in the shade under the trees. The kids saw it all,"
Joan said.
"Traumatized." Stan nodded grimly. "For life."
"Take any snapshots?" Nazario asked.
Joan shook her head. "Who had time?"
Nazario tucked his notebook back into his jacket pocket. Stone
checked his watch. Burch got to his feet, hoping to wrap this up today.
How much more would it take to convince Riley that there was nothing to
find?
"I was too busy shooting the video."
The detectives exchanged glances.
"You have a tape?" they chorused.
She cocked her head. "Probably in Ryan's room with all the
others—unless he taped a rock music concert over it. I'll see if I can
find it, and him. He won't want to miss this. He always says it was the
biggest birthday blast he ever had. I'll be right back."
Burch sat down again. "How long have you two been married?"
Stan paused for a moment. "Our twenty-second is coming up."
"Nice," the detective said. "What's your secret?"
Stan hitched his shoulders. "Dumb luck, I guess. We were young,
stayed the course, and that was it. You know how it is."
"Yeah," Burch said. "But—"
"I found it! I found it." Joan danced down the stairs, waving a
video cassette. Her son loomed behind her.
Taller than his parents, he wore an oversized red T-shirt emblazoned
with LINKIN PARK , blue jeans, and a silver stud in one
ear.
"He starts his junior year at FSU this fall," his mother said
proudly.
"That day was so cool," Ryan told the detectives. "My friends never
forgot it. So weird. I wanted fireworks, so when it happened, I thought
at first that they got them for me, that it was all part of the
birthday trip."
"I'll make popcorn." Joan backed toward the kitchen. "It'll just
take a sec in the microwave. Don't start the tape without me. We
haven't seen it in
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