She nodded. “Got my confidence back, beefed up my portfolio, and here I am,” she said lightly.
“And I’m glad of it,” he said, and let her see that he meant it. A smile, warmth that reached his eyes. She smiled back, a bit timidly. He wondered if she’d dated anyone seriously since that bastard, then shelved that thought for another day.
Another pause for the waitress to put down their steaks. Mac tried a bite. It was really good.
“Your father scores again,” he said.
She nodded, chewed and swallowed. “I can count on him for restaurant choices,” she said laughing. “Not for the newest hit, but for the solid, been there forever, you can’t go wrong kinds of places. No matter where I go.”
Mac grinned. “Back to our friend,” he said, conscious of the fact the restaurant was filling up. “The fake accent.”
“That was weird,” she agreed. “He was testing you. Taunting you really. I think he already knew who you were. Maybe even that you’d written the Howard Parker story.”
He considered that. “Maybe,” he said. “Some men just have to do that, though. That jockeying for who’s top dog.”
“Yeah, the chest bumping routine,” she agreed. And he laughed at that. “Then there was the whole bit with me. At first, I thought it was part of the John Wayne persona he was trying out. Then I thought maybe he was seeing what you would do. And I think that was part of it. Thanks for letting me handle it, by the way.”
He nodded. “I’ve learned. My aunt I told you about? Yeah. She gets really pissed if I try to fight her battles for her. So, if it’s just words, I figure a woman can handle it herself. Usually better than I can. Women fight dirty. Just like you did today.”
Angie giggled. “That was fun,” she said. “And it defeated his attempts to get you involved. But by the end of the day, though? That’s a man with a serious grudge against women.”
“How so?” he asked. He had some thoughts about it, too, but he was interested in her perspective.
“His sympathy with Jorgensen,” she said. “He wasn’t just saying all that to get Jorgensen to come out. That’s what he thinks.”
“No tell?”
She shook her head. “And then his own ex wanting to leave? Angry. The comments about women deputies? He’s angry — I bet he got called on the carpet by the county commissioners about his bad employment stats. Which is why I want to see those two women. You OK with that?”
Mac nodded. “I think talking to his ex is an important part of a profile,” he said. “And I have no problem talking with Jorgensen’s wife either. To make sure she’s safe, if nothing else.”
“Statistic waiting to happen, there,” she muttered. “And I hope to God she’s within the city limits so she’s got someone to call besides him.”
Mac noted she wasn’t using a name now either. Good. She also knew more about government structure than most people did — including some of Mac’s co-workers in the newsroom.
“The school shooting reaction was off, too,” she continued. “He still thinks there’s something weird about Sandy Hook? Was he really a denier?”
Mac nodded. “Right up until the school shooter in his own town,” he confirmed. “One of the reason Janet wants this story. She wants to know if that changed him.”
“Not much, I don’t think,” Angie said. “That was a pretty grudging acknowledgement.”
“And he defended the father,” Mac said thoughtfully. “He’s so committed to gun rights he defends someone who let his son have access to an AR-15. What the fuck? Who does that? The kid is angry at a girl who won’t go out with him. So, he goes home, gets the gun, goes to school and kills all of his friends?”
“I’m surprised he didn’t have something to say about the girl,” Angie said. “Bet he would if you pushed him.”
Mac nodded. “I will tomorrow if I can,” he said. “But what I really want to know more about is the wilderness trips. And if I can go on one. But I interviewed Anderson recently. He may hesitate.”
“See if I can go? I’d love to photograph that!”
“I don’t think they’re keen on women going,” he said.
“Ask?”
Mac nodded. He’d ask.
He paid the bill, got the receipt, and they headed out to his truck.
“So, will you teach me to shoot?” Angie asked as she buckled in.
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I want to know what it feels like,” she said. “I don’t necessarily want a gun. I just want to know what shooting a gun is like.”
“Sure,” Mac said. “I’ll take you to a gun range sometime this week. Especially if you get to go along on a wilderness training exercise. You at least need to know which end to hold and which end the bullet goes out.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and got in the car.
“OK, copilot,” Mac said, thinking the wrinkled nose thing was pretty cute. “Where are we going? Mrs. Jorgensen first.”
She did a search, mapped it, and gave him directions.
The house they were led to was small, white and in need of painting. A bicycle was locked up to the front porch railing. The two of them got out and walked up the sidewalk. “You do the meet and greet?” Mac said under his breath. Angie nodded.
A tall, thin woman, with dark hair and eyes, peered at them from behind a half-closed door. “Yes?” she said, not timidly really, Mac thought, but anxiously? Maybe.
Angie explained who they were. “We spent the afternoon with Sheriff Norton,” she said. “And we were with him when he went out to serve papers on your husband. It raised questions — and concern, to be honest. Are you OK?”
Mac blinked, not the way he would have handled it, but he was curious how it went.
The woman, Carole, and Angie looked at each other for a moment. And then Carole nodded, and opened the door. “Come in,”
