XO

“Thanks.”

She disconnected, turned to Kayleigh, her father and the others and gave them a report.

Bishop closed his eyes and muttered what might’ve been a prayer. Dance recalled he’d gone through a phase where he released a Christian album-after rehab. It hadn’t sold well.

“Who’s the victim?” Kayleigh asked breathlessly.

“We don’t know. It could be more than one. But because of the fire they couldn’t get a good look inside.”

“But where’s Alicia? And Tye?” Kayleigh called and got through to both of them. All the rest of the crew were accounted for too, Kayleigh reported after speaking to Tye Slocum. “Jesus. Alicia was out riding her horse. And Tye? He was picking up extra guitar strings. We’ve got a thousand in the truck. Why did he need to do that? Drives me crazy.”

The congressman and his entourage looked uneasy and Davis seemed to be thinking that a visit at this moment had not been a good idea. He said, “We’ve got some campaigning to do. Sorry to have bothered you.”

“Not at all.” It was Bishop, not Kayleigh, who made this comment.

Davis reiterated that he’d help out however he could. He’d see her at the concert.

“I’m not-” She fell silent, looking at her father, who gave no reaction. “Hey, thanks for your support.”

“Hope I can say the same to you on Election Day.”

Peter Simesky, the aide, stepped up to Dance once more. He shook her hand. “You have my card. If there’s anything else you need, please, just let me know.”

Kinesics is a skill that doesn’t shut off when you leave the office. The instant he’d made eye contact with her earlier, she knew that Simesky wanted to get to know her better, if circumstances allowed. She gave him credit: He wore no wedding ring and his first glance had been at her left hand; he might very well be one of those men who was not interested in an extramarital affair.

He also exuded a comfortable but not blunt self-confidence. He wasn’t put off by the two inches of height she had on him or abashed about his small frame and thinning hair (ironically her present romantic partner, Jon Boling, shared those attributes). But with Kathryn Dance’s complicated personal life, there was no room or inclination for expansion.

She nodded politely to Simesky and made sure the handshake was brief and professional. She couldn’t tell if he got the message.

Then Davis, followed by Simesky and Myra Babbage, left the house and made their way to the SUV. The security man opened the doors for them. In a minute they were speeding down the dirt and gravel driveway.

Then Kayleigh’s eyes flashed in shock and she began to cry. “Wait, he burned them?” she whispered.

“That’s right.”

“No, no! This’s my fault too!” Her shoulders rose, jaw tight. She angrily wiped away tears. “My song! He’s using another one of my songs.”

Dance pointed out, “The crime scene’s by the river, just like the second verse.”

“No, the fire! First Bobby and now these other people. Edwin sent me an email, well, a bunch of them, saying how much he liked my song ‘Fire and Flame.’”

She picked up the CD of Your Shadow and showed Dance the liner notes.

Love is fire, love is flame

It warms your heart, it lights the way.

It burns forever just like the sun.

It welds two souls and makes them one.

Love is fire, love is flame.

Bishop said to his daughter, “Hey, KT, don’t go blaming yourself. You can’t take into account all the damn crazies out there. That boy’s a sicko and nothing but. If it wasn’t you it’d be somebody else.” The sentences were wooden. He wasn’t adept at offering solace.

“He burned those people to death, Daddy!”

Bishop didn’t know what to say and he walked to the kitchen and got himself a glass of milk. Sheri stood uneasily beside one of the guitars. Dance called Harutyun again but there’d been no new developments.

When Bishop returned he looked at the watch on his big, ruddy wrist. “Hey, you heard from your sister?”

“Well, I talked to her this morning. I called her about Bobby. Why?”

“They shoulda been here by now. Or maybe-”

Kayleigh’s mouth actually dropped. “What do you mean, Daddy?”

“Maybe she’s headed to our place.”

“No, what are you talking about? ‘Been here’? Why would she be here?”

Bishop looked down. “I thought it’d be good for her to come. Moral support, with Bobby. Called her this morning. They flew up, landed an hour ago.”

This would be how he delivered important news. Tossed out casually like a softball.

“Oh, Christ. Why didn’t you tell me? She has no business… Wait, you said ‘them.’ Is the whole family coming?”

“Uh-uhn. Roberto’s working. It’s just Suellyn and Mary-Gordon.”

Kayleigh raged, “Why on earth would you do that? With this madman around. A little girl?”

“Moral support,” he growled back, flustered. “Like I said.”

“Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus.” Kayleigh sat down. “That’s not why you asked them…” But then her voice rose to a high pitch. “The fire… the attack. Oh, you don’t think… it’s not them?”

“Settle there, KT. How would this Sharp fella even know they were at the airport?” Bishop asked. “And what flight they were coming in on?”

Kayleigh grabbed her phone and dialed. She slammed the disconnect button. “Voicemail. Who was going to pick them up? Why didn’t you tell me, why didn’t you go?”

“Had that meeting with the congressman. I sent Ritchie. All right, I’ll give him a call.” Bishop found his mobile and placed a call. “Hey. Me. What’s the story? Where are they?… Who? Who d’you think I mean? Suellyn and her kid, that’s who… What?”

Every eye in the room was locked on him.

“When?… Oh, fuck.” He disconnected. “Okay, well, what happened was he got a call from a friend of yours.” A glance at his daughter. “He was going to give them a ride here.”

“Who?” Kayleigh cried. “Who the hell was it?”

“Ritchie doesn’t remember the name. But whoever it was knew the flight number, knew their names. Said you’d rather he picked them up.”

Sheri said, “But if it was him, Edwin, how’d he know Ritchie was going to pick them up?”

Bishop’s eyes bored into the carpet at his feet. “Well… shit.”

“What, Daddy? What!”

“This morning, we had breakfast at the Herndon Cafe, Sheri and me. We were pretty much alone in the place, pretty much had it to ourselves. Except there was somebody else, sitting nearby, his back to us. Tall fellow, black hair. Couldn’t see him. He coulda overheard me talking to Suellyn and calling Ritchie, giving him the information. I doubt it but coulda happened.”

“What time?” Dance asked.

“I don’t know. Nine-thirty, ten.”

Dance reflected: Edwin was at the movie theater about eleven. The timing could work.

Sheri Towne stepped up to Kayleigh and touched her shoulder tentatively. Dance noticed the singer’s lips tighten. Sheri stepped back.

“But how would he know Ritchie?” Kayleigh asked. “To get his number and call him?”

“Could he be connected to you on your site or in the press?” Dance asked.

“Maybe. He’s listed on the last albums, he was one of my assistants and drivers. In the acknowledgments.”

Dance said, “With all the research Edwin does, sure, he could’ve found out.”

Kayleigh began to cry. “What’re we going to do?”

Dance called Harutyun and told him their concern. He said he was going to check something.

As she waited her eyes were on Bishop. He was fuming; Sheri kept a bit of distance. Dance wondered who the anger was directed at. She guessed it would be Ritchie. Bishop seemed the sort to blame everyone but himself for