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always around our place. So he asked Greg. They put the cans of gas and stuff in the truck. He drove it to our place and waited in the truck for Tony. When I found out about it, I knew Rodriguez was behind it. And was going to put the blame on you, Rick.”
    â€œSo why did Greg try to kill me?”
    â€œHe told you! He wasn’t trying to kill you. Don’t you ever listen?” said Susanna.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE PRICE OF A LIFE
    S usanna stood up. “Come on, Greg. We’re leaving. These guys aren’t working cops. They have no right to ask us questions. They’re just playing games.”
    â€œJust a minute, Susanna,” I said. “You’re right, of course. But we can call in the real troops in a second when we want. Hang on. The party isn’t over yet.”
    â€œAnyone looking at the evidence is going to assume you killed your mother, Susanna,” said Angela. “Go ahead. Convince us you didn’t.”
    â€œThere’s no point,” said Tony. “She did it. Or, at least, she’s responsible for Cheryl’s death. We won’t have any trouble proving it either.”
    Susanna sat there quietly. She seemed perfectly relaxed now.
    â€œWhy did you do it, Susanna?” I asked. “Cheryl was your mother.”
    â€œGreed,” said Tony. “Rodriguez probably paid her a bundle. First to put Freddie in your apartment where they could find him. And then to get rid of him. We’ll find the money. It’s very hard stuff to hide.”
    â€œHow much did you get to kill two people, Susanna?” I asked. “What’s the price of a life right now?”
    â€œYou stupid bastards,” she said. “I didn’t touch Cheryl. But I won’t pretend that I’m sorry she’s dead. I hated her.”
    â€œWhy?” I asked. Even then—even suspecting she killed Cheryl—I was stunned.
    â€œBecause Cheryl was rich. And we lived like beggars. Do you know what that’s like?”
    â€œDead, she was rich,” said Mark. “Not while she was alive.”
    â€œThat’s not true. My father left her lots of money. But she never spent anything. She rented out most of the house. She worked as a waitress.” Susanna’s cheeks were red with anger. “She could have sent me to private school and bought us both nice clothes. We could have had a car. Instead, she made me get a job. And pay rent on my apartment.”
    â€œShe put your father’s insurance money aside for you, Susanna,” said Mark. “It was for emergencies and to get you a good start in life.”
    She wasn’t listening.
    â€œIt served her right, dying in the fire. But I had nothing to do with it. And you’ll never be able to prove that I did.”
    â€œEveryone makes mistakes, Susanna,” I said, “Even you. You know why they called me the Spider? I was after this rich, powerful guy with important friends. A real bastard.”
    Tony nodded. “Rick wove a huge web. And the bastard made one mistake. Rick caught him. One very big fly. So we called him the Spider.”
    â€œAnd this time I wove a very small web and caught a big fool and a nasty little fly,” I said.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE MISTAKE
    S usanna stood up, slowly and deliberately. She nodded and walked out. Greg scrambled after her. Tony was already on his mobile, talking fast. What happened next came very quickly. Afterward, no one was really sure what order it all happened in. Angela said that Greg was the first to notice anything. She’s probably right. She was the first of us to go outside after them.
    There was hardly any traffic on West Central Avenue. Greg’s truck was parked right at the curb in front of us. It was pointed east. He started walking around to the driver’s side. A slow-moving westbound patrol car braked suddenly. It made a u-turn on the almost empty street. Greg stopped and walked back toward the sidewalk.