“Is that why you’re here?”
“Maybe.” I leaned across the table, serious now. “Actually, I’m pretty good at keeping secrets, Erin. When I was a cop I sometimes had life-and-death situations that depended on me being able to keep my mouth shut.”
“Which means what? Just because you’re not the world-class blabbermouth you seem to be, that doesn’t relieve me from the ethical reality of protecting my client’s business.”
“‘Well, shucks’ is right, then. How’s your drink?”
“Gin and tonic is like small talk. It’s pretty much the same all over.”
“So when do you go home?”
“Saturday afternoon. How about you?”
I shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. Might be weeks yet. We may never get to have that date.” I took a sip of my drink and played a card. “It can take a while to track down a killer.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Think about it for a minute.”
She furrowed her brow and said, “Hmmm,” to good comical effect.
“Think hard about who was killed in the last week or two. It’ll come to you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Do you know how to spell
That got to her. “You don’t mean Mrs. Ralston?”
“The late Mrs. Ralston.” I was watching her eyes, which never wavered. “It was in the Denver papers.”
“I went to the mountains, didn’t I just tell you that? I haven’t seen a Denver newspaper since before I went to Rock Springs. What happened?”
“Somebody got in there and smothered her.”
“Oh,
She turned her hands palms up and I said, “Yeah, he is.”
“Oh, Cliff. Why would anyone hurt that lovely lady?”
“The cops think it was Ralston.”
She shook her head, angry now. “The cops think, give me a break. Do they have any evidence against him?”
“Other than the fact that it’s usually the husband, no. They were hoping to sweat a fast confession out of him. If they don’t come up with something, they’ll have to go with the unknown assailant theory.”
“And it’ll never get solved.”
“That’s the way to bet. Unless, by some hail-Mary piece of luck, I manage to do it.” I gave her my miracles- do-happen look and the moment stretched.
“What would you do? Where would you start?”
“I think it might’ve had something to do with the book I left with her that night.”
She weighed this and said, “And that would be why the police are looking at Ralston?”
“That’s how one cop thinks. Unfortunately, he’s the one running the investigation.”
“Can you talk to him?”
I laughed dryly. “I did that.”
“So it’s one of those. Maybe he’d rather talk to me. Does Mr. Ralston have a lawyer?”
“Mr. Ralston went on the lam.”
“It just gets better and better, doesn’t it?” She sipped her drink. “So what happened to the book, did the killer get it?”
“I got it.”
“Then what makes you think the book was behind it?”
“Just a hunch that got started. There’s one problem with it, though. Only five of us knew they had it: the Ralstons, the doctor, me…”
“And me.”
If ever there was a pregnant moment, that was it.
I said, “I didn’t tell anyone.”
