He shook his head. “But I was sitting there, talking with Matt, and it struck me that the folks Larry played poker with know the cops around here better than they know me. The idea that they’d say something to me that they wouldn’t say to you all...well, I must have been out of my mind.”
“Grief and shock will do that.”
“Yeah. I should know that. I’m sure you do, too.”
Cat shrugged one shoulder a little bit, then waited. She was convinced he hadn’t come here to dump some uncomfortable feelings. She judged him to be a man who was largely buttoned up.
He seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant, and she wondered what had been so urgent that he’d come to see her this late. Maybe being alone was difficult for him right now? She began to think about offering him the single bed in her home office.
He suddenly zeroed in on her. “The reason I came over.”
“Yes?” She couldn’t help tensing.
“Is there any way I can get more information, about what you know? About that second robbery that Matt mentioned?”
She nodded. “I was planning to talk to the sheriff in the morning and ask. Whatever I can share, I’ll tell you.”
“Thanks.” He looked down at his hands.
There was more; she could feel it. Then it struck her she hadn’t offered him the most basic of courtesies. Dang, her mother would be disappointed in her. “Want something to drink? Obviously I’ve got beer, because you bought it earlier. Or instant hot chocolate. Or coffee, if you’re one of those people who can drink it right before bed.”
He made a snort that sounded like an almost laugh. “I learned to drink coffee round the clock. Strange how it doesn’t seem to interfere with my sleep even when I’d like it to.”
She had to smile. “So what’ll it be?”
“A beer, please. Or I can get it. I’ve been here often enough to know the way to your refrigerator. Strange, I can see it right from here.”
She laughed. “Okay, help yourself.”
“What about you?”
“No, thanks. I prefer my head to be clear. My usual limit is one drink.”
He rose and got his beer, returning to his seat as he twisted it open. No bottle opener for this guy.
“So that’s what you wanted to know? If I can find out something else about Larry’s case?”
“Not quite.” He tipped the bottle back and drank before he spoke again. “What Matt said about fear. I sensed you noticed.”
“Yeah, I did.” No point in denying it.
“That would put a whole new spin on this. What’s the point of looking for the killer around here if he might have been in and out? Sent by someone who had a grudge against Larry because of his reporting or was afraid of what he might write.”
“I agree. So tomorrow I’m going to see if I can use my badge to get past his paper’s paywall and read Larry’s articles.”
“Hell, I can get you past the paywall. Let me get out my credit card.”
“You can’t wait?”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant you don’t have to use your badge or the department’s resources. That’s all. I was going to try to get into his archives anyway. I’d like to have copies of all those articles and exposés.”
“I’m sure. Now I would, too. But I need to do it in official capacity. What if there’s some kind of evidence in there? That article you two fought over? Do you think it could be that?”
“I don’t know. I need more to go on. But it’s possible. It’s also possible he was working on something else and that story was over two years ago. On the other hand...”
She waited, then prompted, “Yes?”
“On the other hand, who knows how long that trail was? I told you about the guys who were charged as a result of that story, but who knows what information they might be willing to trade?”
She sorted through that. “But if some guy agreed to offer information in exchange for a lighter sentence, there’d be nothing for anyone to protect now.”
“Maybe not. Or maybe someone is afraid of what else Larry might have known. But again, it could be any of his stories, or even a new one.”
She thought about it. “But if he keeps everything secret, no one would know what he might be working on now.”
“Not exactly. The people who gave him information might know. And maybe one of them got nervous and told someone else. Maybe we focused too much on his secrecy.”
She became totally alert as he offered another new perspective. Maybe... But how to use this?
“We still have a lot of questions,” she said. “And if we do find out something, how are we going to locate his sources? I’m sure Larry must have protected them.” Even facing the difficulty of the task, her excitement continued to mount.
Duke answered. “Oh yeah. Protected better than classified information is my impression. I don’t know if his editors even knew who most of his sources were. Never discussed that with him.”
Cat changed her mind and got up to get herself a beer. “Want another?”
“Haven’t finished this one. Thanks.”
Cat brought her own beer to the table, glad she wasn’t sleepy any longer. She’d needed this boost, a rush of adrenaline, the idea that they might have a direction to head.
She was driven hard by the desire to find answers, the need to catch the perp... Those were her fuel.
She stared down at the icy bottle in her hand. It wouldn’t stay cold for long. “You can’t pour beer over ice,” she remarked.
The craziness of her words brought Duke’s thoughts to a sharp stop and startled him into a laugh. “What?” he asked.
“Irrelevant,” Cat answered. “Just one of those nutty thoughts that occur to me sometimes. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a mental vacation.”
She had a really sweet face. That was his own irrelevant thought, given the circumstances. But it was a sweet face, those
