And the Contender Is

“The first thing we need to do is figure out if Fritz had any enemies.” Peter Van Husen poured sugar into his coffee followed by a healthy dollop of cream while Mindy watched enviously. If she used sugar and cream, she’d gain at least five pounds before she was finished drinking her cup of coffee. “Did you know of any?”

Mindy shook her head. “Fritz didn’t really strike me as the type of person who had any enemies, although he didn’t strike me as the type of person who had any friends either. He was pretty much your basic independent type.”

“Was he married?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. He gave me the impression that he was single. Maybe he was divorced.”

“Did he hang out with anyone at work?”

Mindy almost snorted coffee out her nose but caught herself in time. “Are you joking? No one hangs out with anyone at Kutrate Kemicals. It’s like that movie Joe Versus the Volcano—all grey and dismal and the only thing anyone is looking forward to is getting out of there at the end of the day.”

“Sounds pretty bad.”

“It is,” Mindy assured him, “for the peons. The people at the top have it pretty good.”

“Was Fritz one of those people?”

“Hardly!”

“But he was a scientist. A chemist. That’s a pretty good field to be in, isn’t it?”

“Maybe at a normal place but not at Kutrate. Truly, the only person who has it made there is the boss. Bernard Morton.”

“Your ex-fiance.”

Mindy flashed her eyes at Peter. “Give me a little credit for coming to my senses before making it all the way to the altar. At least I wasn’t that dumb.”

The vaguely judgmental look in Peter’s bright blue eyes faded a touch. “What did you see in a guy like that?”

“Other than the fact that he’s rich and gorgeous?”

“He’s also selfish and an ego manic.”

Mindy shrugged. “For a long time I convinced myself that those things didn’t matter. Bernard can be quite charming when he wants to be.”

“How’d Bernard get along with Fritz?”

“Pretty much like he got along with everyone else. As long as you suck up to Bernard, you’re OK. It’s when you challenge him that you’re in trouble.”

“Did Fritz ever challenge him?”

Mindy thought back to when Fritz wanted to break away from Bernard and Kutrate Kemicals and make Fat Off on his own. He hadn’t done too well with that plan—or maybe he had! Maybe Bernard found out about Fritz’s plan and killed him! “Well, sort of. Kutrate Kemicals planned to produce a weight loss spray that Fritz invented. Fritz was pretty mad that he wasn’t going to get as much money from the spray as he thought he would.”

“Why wasn’t he?”

“Bernard was cheating him,” Mindy said.

“That would explain why Fritz would kill Bernard but it wouldn’t explain why Bernard would kill Fritz.”

“If Bernard killed Fritz and you’re right but isn’t it possible that Bernard realized what Fritz was up to and decided to get rid of him before Fritz could make any trouble for him?”

“It sure is,” Peter agreed. “Bernard Morton’s still the number one suspect in my book. No one else has any kind of motive. Plus—“

“Plus you just don’t like him,” Mindy finished for him.

“No, I don’t. I know I should be objective but it’s impossible for me with that guy. He’s a user and I can’t stand users.”

Mindy remembered how Peter had been having an affair with Mavis Schuyler, the Queen of All Users and wondered if his bitterness could be traced back to that mess.  “All I know is that my next boyfriend is going to  be a lot more of a giver than a taker,” she told him.

Peter raised dark blond eyebrows. “And are there any contenders for that title at the moment?”

Mindy met his eyes. “I’m not sure,” she replied, “but I’m starting to think that there just might be…”