Dad was waiting for me at the door, and while not exactly excited enough to seem out of synch with the fact someone was murdered, he was a bit light in his step as he pulled me inside and guided me quickly into the sitting room to dish what he'd uncovered.

"My buddy in Boston said Manuel was cremated," he said, "by request of his parents." Not out of the ordinary per se, though it did seem rather suspicious to me considering there was still questions his mother asked ...