Page 15 of A Reasonable Doubt

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“So, Gentry dying opened the door for Chesterfield?” Quinlan said.

“Yes.”

“Do you know what caused Arthur’s death?” Quinlan asked.

“No. I just heard that he passed suddenly.”

“Who can we talk to about Mr. Chesterfield?”

“Mrs. Dowd has two adult children, Iris and Andrew. Iris is a doctor at Saint Francis Medical Center and Andrew is an attorney with the Reed, Briggs firm. They’re both members of the Westmont. From what I’ve been told, they were horrified when Mrs. Dowd married Chesterfield. Chesterfield has caused a rift between Mrs. Dowd and her children, and her resignation from the Westmont has isolated her from many of her friends.”

“Can you get us a list of people who might help us in our investigation?” Quinlan asked.

“I’ll have it to you by tomorrow.”

“Thank you. Can you think of anyone else who might have a grudge against you or Mrs. Randall?”

Before he could answer, the door opened and Landon Crawford walked in.

“My God, Sam, I just heard.”

“Who are you, sir?” Dillon asked.

“It’s okay, Roger. I know the judge,” Quinlan said.

Before his appointment to the federal bench, Crawford had been a trial judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Crawford took a hard look at Quinlan. “You’re a detective, Quinlan, right? You testified in a few of my cases.”

“That’s right, Judge. What are you doing here?”

“He’s the chair of the Westmont board,” Ragland said.

“I just learned that Sophie Randall is dead,” Crawford said. “What happened?”

“She was poisoned, Landon,” Moser answered.

“Poisoned? How could that happen?”

“We just started our investigation,” Quinlan said. “We have an idea about what happened, but I don’t like speculating.”

“Quite right,” Crawford agreed. Then he looked at Moser. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” Moser answered as a tear welled up.

“I can see how upsetting this has been for you,” Quinlan said. “Do you have any more questions, Pete, Roger?”

“Not right now,” the deputy DA said. Roger shook his head.

Quinlan handed Moser his card. “Why don’t you go home. If you think of anything that might help us, please call.”

Moser nodded and stood up to go. Crawford started to follow him.

“Can you wait a moment?” Quinlan said. “I have a few questions for you.”

“Certainly. Do you want me to drive you home?” the judge asked Moser.

“Thanks, but I’m okay.”

“How can I help?” Crawford asked as soon as the door closed behind Moser.


Tags: Phillip Margolin Mystery