A Is For Alibi

In a tense atmosphere veiled with cordiality, Millhone meets Laurence’s first wife, Gwen, and his former mistress, Charlotte Mercer. Gwen, revealing vulnerability beneath her composed exterior, offers insight into her past struggles with alcohol, divorce, and an extramarital affair. Though cooperative, she becomes reticent when certain subjects are broached, leaving Millhone pondering her reliability as a source. Gwen sees her own lawyer, Charlie Scorsoni, as above suspicion, yet curiously wonders if he might view her as a suspect.

Mercer, a jaded and sarcastic woman married to a local judge, corroborates Gwen’s statements about Laurence’s desire for control and emotional domination. She brings up Sharon Napier, Laurence’s secretary. According to Charlotte, Sharon had a personal grudge against Laurence for ruining her mother’s life and took psychological satisfaction in her role in his life, positioning her as another potential suspect.

Millhone seeks to locate Sharon Napier and learns that Sharon has moved to Nevada and possibly skipped out on her debts. Bob Dietz, a Nevada investigator, aids Millhone in this pursuit.

Millhone heads to Los Angeles, where she stays in a motel managed by Arlette, a vocal advocate against body discrimination. Next, Millhone visits the parents of Libby Glass. The family is marred by tragedy; the mother, Grace, tends to her husband, who has mobility and hearing disabilities, while wrestling with the memory of her deceased daughter.

The chapter continues Millhone’s visit with the Glass family. When Lyle arrives, the atmosphere shifts dramatically; he is affectionate toward Grace but cold and hostile toward Millhone. His evasiveness raises questions about his willingness to discuss Libby’s death, and it suggests that he might have something to hide.

Millhone eventually breaks through Lyle’s defenses, getting him to speak about his past with Libby. He reveals that Libby broke up with him to be with Laurence, only to possibly die by suicide following Fife’s death—an angle Millhone hadn’t previously considered.

Millhone heads to Haycraft and McNiece, the accounting firm where the murder victim used to work, but her encounter with Allison, the receptionist, proves fruitless. Garry Steinberg, the man to whom she needs to speak, is in New York, and the other members of the firm are either dead or unavailable.

This frustration drives Millhone to go for a jog on the beach. Though the location evokes the lingering vestiges of the 1960s’ drug culture, she finds a moment of levity and connection with a stray dog.

After the run, Millhone receives a call with Sharon Napier’s address in Las Vegas. She also has a brief yet emotionally charged conversation with Charlie Scorsoni, sparking a feeling in her of curiosity and emotional vulnerability. The chapter ends with Millhone setting out for Las Vegas.

Millhone checks into a kitschy motel and observes the casino culture, which operates under its own set of rules. She eventually locates Sharon Napier, who is now dealing cards in a casino.

Sharon is a cold, calculating beauty, but her expression changes momentarily when she learns that Millhone is investigating Laurence’s death. Millhone grapples with worsening flu symptoms, brought on by the Las Vegas’s tense, emotionally draining atmosphere. Still, after meeting with Sharon, her resolve to continue her investigation intensifies.

Millhone is jolted awake by a phone call from Sharon, who is irritated about their delayed meeting. The call is cut short by a loud noise resembling a gunshot, pushing Millhone into high alert. Her flu symptoms are forgotten as adrenaline fuels her rapid arrival at Sharon’s apartment, where she finds her dead, apparently murdered.

At the apartment, Millhone switches from casual investigator to a detective in the midst of a crime scene. She carefully navigates the dark apartment using a flashlight as a makeshift weapon and switches off any external lights. Despite her methodical preparations, Millhone finds the setting eerily quiet—a stark contrast to the bustling backdrop of Las Vegas she had previously experienced.

Upon discovering Sharon’s shot-through throat, Millhone is confronted by her own vulnerability. She realizes she could have been the victim had she arrived on time for their meeting. Sifting through Sharon’s apartment, Millhone finds overdue bills and past-due notices, which she takes for further scrutiny. Her investigative demeanor briefly falters when a squeaking noise leads her to a rodent in the bathroom, awakening a sliver of sentimentality.

Conscious that she might be implicated, Millhone calls the Las Vegas police anonymously and then hastily leaves the apartment. She manages to remove a slip of paper from Sharon’s cigarette pack that has her own name and motel address on it—evidence that could link her to the crime. As she departs, she spots a heavily armed patrolman entering the apartment, heightening her sense that she may be enmeshed in something more treacherous than she’d assumed.

Reeling from Sharon’s murder, Millhone is happy to leave Las Vegas. She takes a solitary drive to Salton Sea, where she meets Greg Fife, Laurence’s son, who resides in a humble camper due to boat repairs. Throughout their encounter, Greg is hesitant to revisit his past and reflect on his father’s personality. The conversation gradually unfurls Greg’s complexity of feelings, oscillating between resenting his father and longing for his approval. Through a geological lesson drawn in the wet sand, he shares a cherished memory from his teenage years, marking the Salton Sea as a special locale holding a deep sense of loss and longing to reconnect with his deceased father.

As the chapter progresses, Millhone and Greg forge a deeper connection, jogging through the desert and discussing their backgrounds. The conversation spans serious topics, including Millhone sharing the traumatic loss of her parents and her experiences working harrowing cases. They also indulge in lighthearted banter about age and movies, illustrating a burgeoning trust and intimacy. The inquiry touches upon specifics such as Laurence’s allergies and unsolved mysteries including the peculiar death of their family dog and limited details regarding their housekeeper, Mrs. Voss.

As Millhone prepares to depart, ensuring to keep Greg updated on her findings, she glimpses Greg through the screen door, creating an illusionary resemblance to Laurence.