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that you can—might help.”
    “It might. But I don’t want to dwell on it and waste my time with you.”
    “You’re already dwelling on it, sweetheart. Maybe the master detective Inch-High Private Eye can help you see the case in a new light.”
    “All right,” he said. “Without naming names or giving you specifics, Master Detective, a man was murdered. Since he wasn’t an ideal husband, his wife was the main suspect.”
    “But even if he’d been an exemplary husband, wouldn’t you still look at his spouse first?” I asked. “I mean, he might be super nice, but she might not be.”
    “Of course, we always look at the person or persons closest to the victim first. The fact that he was an abusive philanderer simply gave the wife more motive. The main motive was a substantial insurance payout.”
    “How substantial?”
    “Two million,” he said. “The man owned a share in an accounting business. When he died, his partner became the sole proprietor. That’s why the wife was so generously provided for in the insurance policy.”
    “So the partner didn’t have to buy out the man’s share or anything?” I asked.
    “Nope. Apparently, the two men went halves on everything, and their partnership agreement stated that upon the death of one, the other partner would inherit the business as a whole—revenue, expenses, capital, everything.”
    “You said the victim was a cheater and anabuser,” I said. “It sounds like maybe he cared more about his partner than he did his wife.”
    “Funny you should say that. I’ve been mulling over the same thing. The conclusion I drew was that the victim could never be sure if and when his wife might get tired of his behavior and leave him,” Ted said. “I don’t know if he and his wife had any sort of prenuptial agreement, but I’m guessing—based on the partnership agreement—that they did. The men had arranged their business in such a way that only the two of them could ever control the business.”
    “In other words, if the wife divorced the victim, she couldn’t make him give her a share of the business or sell his share and split it with her.” I burrowed against Ted’s muscular chest. “What about the partner? Was he considered a suspect?”
    “He was. But, like the wife, there was insufficient evidence against him to make an arrest.”
    “Any other suspects?” I asked.
    “Only the victim’s mistress at the time of his death . . . but she was dismissed fairly early on.”
    “Why was she discounted so quickly?”
    “She had nothing to gain,” he said. “Her only benefit from the relationship was gone as soon as he died. She had to start paying her own bills. There were no more expensive gifts.”
    “You don’t think she loved the guy?”
    “It’s a little hard to believe after seeing the photographs of the two of them. He was old and paunchy; she looked like a model.” He shrugged. “Maybe she
did
love him. Or maybe his death wasa sad inconvenience that forced her to find another sugar daddy.”
    “Either way, I wouldn’t be hasty in taking her off the suspect list,” I said. “If she loved him, she might’ve been angry that he wouldn’t leave his wife for her. If she was only using him, maybe he was ready to move on to someone else but she wasn’t.”
    “Could be,” Ted said. “But I don’t think she’s our killer.”
    “Who do you think
is
our killer?”
    “I’m leaning toward the wife. She had the most to gain. She got two million dollars and stopped being humiliated and slapped around.”
    “When you put it like that, it makes thinking she might’ve gotten away with murder seem not so bad. But it is . . . I know it is,” I quickly added. “Did they have children?”
    “Yes, three daughters,” Ted said. “Since his death, the wife has made wise investments and appears to be doing well.”
    “And the partner?”
    “He seems to be doing great. He has tons of business, and he’s—”
    Ted was interrupted by