"Who?"
"His parents. He beat them to death with a tire iron while they were asleep."
"That's awful."
"It sure is, but nobody around here was really surprised about it."
"Why not?"
The man shrugged and said, "He was just that kind of kid, you know? See that car in the driveway?"
"Expensive machine," Remo said.
"That was the kid's. He drove it all the time, and he wasn't even old enough to drive."
"Is that right?"
"On top of it all, he had friends who did the same thing, you know. Drove expensive cars even though they weren't old enough to have licenses. And they were over all the time."
"I see. How long did the Martins live here?"
"Actually, they only moved in a couple of months ago. I think the father— Allan, his name was— got a raise or something from the company he worked for."
"What company was that?"
"An automobile company, what else? I think it was National Motors. Yeah, that's it."
"He must have gotten a large raise."
The neighbor made a face. "Nah, they were flashing more money than he could have gotten just from a raise."
"You noticed that, did you?"
"How could I help it, what with that car and all? Maybe they came into an inheritance or something."
"I guess that's possible."
"Especially since they paid cash for the house."
"That is a lot of money to flash," Remo agreed, wondering if there was anything this man didn't know. Maybe he'd ask him who killed the kid.
"So you don't really know where all the money came from, then?" he asked.
"Hey, I'm not nosy."
"I can see that," Remo said. "Just observant."
"Right, that's what everybody says."
That's because they're too polite to say "nosy," Remo thought.
"So what happened to the son after he murdered his parents?" Remo asked.
"That's the funny part," the neighbor said, and Remo could feel Chiun stiffen behind him.
"Funny?" Remo said.
"Yeah. You see, the police arrested him, and a judge let him out on bail. Less than an hour later, Billy Martin was dead. Somebody killed him."'
"Really? That must have been a shock."
"Especially to him," the man said, and then laughed at his own joke. Remo just hoped that Chiun would be able to keep himself under control.
"So now they're all dead," Remo said.
"Looks that way."
"Daaa-vid!" a woman's voice called from inside the neighbor's house.
"Oops, there's the Mrs.," David said. "I've got to go in and tighten a faucet or something. Listen, I didn't ask you— why were you looking for the Martins?"
"Oh," Remo said, "I was just going to try and sell them a set of encyclopedias."
"Oh, yeah?"
"I don't suppose you'd want to buy—"
"Oh, I couldn't. My Mrs. would kill me. Well, better luck with someone else."
"Thanks."
When the neighbor went back into his house, Remo could feel Chiun take a deep breath behind him.
"I do not know how I can stand to be among you people," Chiun said. "There is no sensitivity, no warmth, no pity for a child cut down in the prime of life. There is—"
"—Someone in the house," Remo said, cutting Chiun off.
"What?"
Pointing, Remo said, "There's someone in the Martin house, and the house is supposed to be vacant. I'm going to take a look."
"Now we have to break into the home of a dead child," Chiun said despairingly.
"Somebody already beat us to it." Remo said.
"For once, you are right." The old Korean started for the house. Remo hurried after him.