"Post, Judith - Something Subtle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Post Judith)

"When?"

"Two weeks ago."

Monroe turned to Blane. "You didn't tell me about that. A disgruntled ex-employee is always worth mentioning. Care to now?"

Blane scowled at Chaz. "He'd lost his spark, his drive. He wasn't keeping up anymore."

"How long had he worked here?" the detective asked.

"Nineteen years."

The detective stopped writing and looked up. "Nineteen years? Was he well-liked?"

"He and Norm were close friends."

"And how long had Norm worked for you?"

"Seventeen years."

"But he was still a top performer?" Monroe asked.

Blane looked down at his shiny, black shoes, avoiding the detective's eyes. "He'd been slipping lately. We had a talk."

"You were going to fire Norm?" Josh asked.

"Competition's the name of the game," Blane blurted. "Norm wasn't keeping up with the times."

"How could he?" Josh demanded. "You made him do all the background checks on prospective clients."

"He used to stay over," Blane said.

"His wife's sick," Jackie told him. "He had to leave here to take care of her."

Blane ran a finger under his collar. "He managed to stay this whole weekend."

"He probably thought he had to to keep his job," Chaz said.

"He couldn't afford to lose it now," Josh added. "His wife's hospital bills were expensive, and he needed his health insurance."

"Did you know about his wife?" Monroe asked.

Blane licked his lips. "I think he might have mentioned it once."

"When you 'talked' to him?" Josh asked.

"It might have come up."

Jackie gave a sigh of exasperation. "No wonder he played dirty to win the contest. His whole future was at stake."