Although Detective Steele and Gloria were friends , he soon began to suspect her of the murder. Instead of going to Ben’s funeral, Gloria ran away. Detective Steele thought that this was a strange way for her to behave. Six years later, she was found living in another town with a man named Carl Thatcher. Detective Steele wanted to put her on trial for murder, but he had only one piece of evidence against her. A shopkeeper in Aspen had sold Gloria some rat poison two weeks before Ben’s death. The most important thing was for Detective Steele to find a motive for murder.