Inspector Pierce nodded. “Are the two of you dating?”
“How is that relevant?” Gaylord interjected.
“I need to understand why they were here, together, in the middle of the night,” he said.
“We’re together, a couple,” Tom said, but Gaylord sent him a frown.
Inspector Pierce nodded. “Maybe there’s some sort of connection to what Delaney said at the pub and Mallory being here. She might’ve been curious, I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out. And she wasn’t here alone, obviously. You said,” he looked at his notes, “that Sophie went with her. I’ll talk to Sophie and the other woman, Rena, but I’ll have more questions for the two of you.” He looked only at me.
“Have you checked on them, Sophie and Rena, to make sure they’re okay?” I asked.
“I know some officers visited the victim’s building, but you’re the first person to tell me about last night,” Inspector Pierce said. “I don’t know who has been questioned and who hasn’t, but everyone was accounted for.”
I hadn’t said anything earlier, but it suddenly felt deeply wrong to leave something out. I looked at Gaylord. He wasn’t going to be happy with me, but I said, “There’s a little more.”
“Do tell,” Inspector Pierce said.
I shared the details about the favor that Rena had asked of me, still not mentioning the alleged affair. Surprisingly, Gaylord didn’t frown at me, and Inspector Pierce called in another officer to go check on the women immediately. He asked to get them both into the station for questioning.
“Well, someone killed Mallory Clacher,” he said after he dismissed the other officer and turned his gaze back to only me. “The last person or persons seen with a murder victim is of particular interest. I appreciate your cooperation, but no going back to Kansas or anything for a while.”
“No plans at the moment,” I said. “I mean, of course not.”
“We need fingerprints of everybody here, mostly to rule you out. I need any specifics if any of you have been in the alley—the close—recently.” Tom and I said we hadn’t, but I wasn’t sure about my coworkers. “I’ve got an officer with a fingerprint machine. He’ll be right in.”
“You don’t have to give him your fingerprints voluntarily. Not yet at least,” Gaylord said.
“I don’t mind,” Tom said.
“I don’t mind either,” I said.
Gaylord nodded.
Two officers came into the shop. I couldn’t make out the words that accompanied their somber tones as Inspector Pierce stood to join them by the front door.
“That was fine,” Gaylord said. He turned to me. “Did you and the victim have any harsh words for each other?”
“No,” I said. “We barely knew each other.”
“I didn’t think so, but the inspector didn’t ask that specifically and I wanted tae make sure.” He frowned. “We might have a conflict I didn’t foresee. If the victim was related tae a man named Conn Clacher, I might not be able tae represent you. He’s a local thug, and I’ve represented him a time or two. If there are connections … Well, I just don’t know.”
“Thug?” I asked. “Do you think he could have had something to do with Mallory?”
“I’m going tae make some calls and see if there’s any connection. If so, I’ll tell the police, but I’m fairly certain Conn isn’t in town.”
“Do you think Inspector Pierce will ask to see the scalpels in the warehouse?”
“Probably, but that’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Does he need a warrant?”
“There was a murder. They have full access.”
I nodded.
“Listen to me. Do not ever talk tae the police about a crime without an attorney present. Promise me.” He handed me his card. “Tom and I went tae university together, but no matter of our friendship, I’m a defense attorney. I’m not leaving until he’s done, but do not talk to him without me or one of my colleagues.”
“I won’t.”
A knock sounded from the shop’s front window, turning those of us inside silent as we looked that direction.
A young woman was outside and peering in, her face close to the glass, her hand shading the reflection. Lots of blond curly hair framed her pretty features.
“Tom?” Gaylord said.
“I … uh,” he began. He shrugged. “She works for a newspaper, I guess.”
“I forgot,” Gaylord said. “Excuse me—I’ll go tell her tae go away, and then make those calls.”
Gaylord left the bookshop, making his way around the police by the front door. He and the woman obviously recognized each other, and they came together in a brief hug and greeting and then seemed to speak to each other in, by all appearances, a friendly manner.
“You know her?” I said to Tom.
“We were friends at university.”
“Oh.” I smiled at his discomfort.
Gaylord became distracted by another passerby. I didn’t recognize the man he turned to talk to, and the blonde didn’t seem to know him either. She stepped away from them and knocked on the window again.
One of the officers looked at her and said something. She hesitated, and then said something to him. He said something else before he turned away from her. Obviously irritated to have been dismissed, she frowned as she peered up toward the sign above the window and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She turned and waved to Gaylord, who sent her a distracted return wave before she walked away from the bookshop.
“I’ll have to meet her at another time,” I said.
“This is an inappropriate moment tae try tae be clever, but is there any chance you’d like tae move tae Glasgow?” Tom said.
Edinburgh wasn’t quite big enough for me and all of Tom’s previous girlfriends, or at least women he’d dated long enough that they’d been upset when he didn’t want to date them any longer. We’d run into a number of them.
“Long commute,” I said.
Tom smiled ruefully.
“Thanks for calling Gaylord. I like him,” I said.
“My pleasure. He’s still living a young single man’s life, out every night, but he’s a fine attorney. Don’t ever hesitate tae call him
