Let me tell you how it works, okay? First of all, nobody outside Hollywood gets arrested for suspicion. The Wingates were taken somewhere for questioning, and they were taken voluntarily. If they hadn’t agreed to go, they’d still be here.” “Oh, sure, and if they hadn’t agreed to go, they’d look guilty as hell.” “You don’t look guilty because you don’t cooperate: You look guilty because the facts weigh against you, and it takes a little time to accumulate those facts. Come on, now. I bet a dozen people in this room were questioned by the police today.” A few heads nodded.
“So why take them away?” Greta persisted, an edge to her voice. I knew they weren’t going to like this one. “Probably because they agreed to a lie detector test.” There was a predictable hubbub. The double doors opened and a few more people squeezed into the room. I hoped I could get this over with before word spread too far. Greta began to warm her jets. “A lie detector test? And you say there’s no suspicion?” “I said you couldn’t be arrested for suspicion. Be reasonable, Greta, you saw the fight. The police have to consider the possibility that Wingate returned to the house later.” “I talked to Ellie..
“I’m talking possibilities here,” I spoke over her. “Not alibis.
The State Police have to look at everything before they can rule anything out. That’s logical, isn’t it? For all I know, they’ll be questioning you as well, especially given your feelings about the Order.” “What are you saying?” I couldn’t believe I’d been that stupid.
“I’m just pointing out that ps have to look at everybody at the start But Greta was already craning her neck looking around the room, er face flushed. “Where’s Norm? Norm, goddamn it.” “I’m here, I’m here.” A small man with a pencil mustache raised is hand in the middle of the crowd. Just looking at him, I pegged him be one of Greta’s boyfriends.
They came and went, but they all oked roughly the same. I was impressed she got the name right.
“Wasn’t I in bed all last night, after that fight?” There was an embarrassing pause. “Answer me.” Norman gave a limp shrug. “I guess so. I was asleep.” He looked round sheepishly.
Someone snickered, there was a guffaw across the room, and lowly the entire place was swept with laughter. I took advantage of the ap and headed for the door, half-expecting to feel a spear smack me between the shoulder blades. But either Greta was being drowned out, r she too had beaten a hasty retreat, probably to murder Norm.
I found Buster standing at the door. He stepped aside and let me ass into the entrance hall. “Catching some flak?” I brushed it off.
“Not too bad. People get anxious.” He planted one big paw on my shoulder and steered me toward he counter under the main staircase.
“Things are different up here ow, Joey. Folks are angry, and the Order is catching the brunt of it. don’t think anyone’s glad those people died, but they don’t want the lame pinned on Gannet. Look at Greta.
She’s all tied up in knots ause of old-fashioned competition. The Natural Order came in, hrowing money around, and we took it. Hell, she and I are Selecten-we said they’d be good for the local economy. Now she’s going broke ‘cause of the Kingdom Restaurant. There’s a lot of that anger oin’ ‘round, blaming them so we don’t have to look in the mirror.” He tapped my cheek with his hand. “We can’t fight back at the flatlanders, or the economy, or the government, but we can take it out n the Order. They’re right here, in our own back yard; we can reach ut and squeeze ‘em. And unless this shit is straightened out fast, that’s ust what’s going to happen. Somethin’s going’ to blow.” He straightened suddenly, either struck with a new idea or reactng to a crick in his back. Then he mussed my hair. “Well, I think I’ll et one last one for the road. See you at home.” And he lumbered off oward the bar.
It had been a startling little speech, mostly because I’d thought him too drunk to give it, but it left me thinking, and a little worried.
The entire state of Vermont was in the same financial straits, but few places were in Gannet’s extremely tenuous position. Its gradual decline had been kicked into high gear by the arrival of the Order. And as Buster had pointed out, resentments had been given ample time to become properly misdirected. I wondered now if that resentment was burning hot enough to kill five people and turn their home into a crematorium.
I recognized Laura through her car window as she drove by, looking for a parking space. I was standing on the Rocky River’s porch, having left behind the noise, the smoke, the heat, and the stench inside. The cool, fresh air felt wonderful. It was warmer than last night, well above freezing for a change what Buster would call “a warm snap.” I stepped off the porch and met Laura on the sidewalk. “Hi.” She smiled, her face softly lit by the light from the Inn’s windows.
“Hi, yourself. How’s your ear? I thought you’d be in bed by now.”
I made an involuntary gesture toward my ear. “It’s feeling better. I took a nap earlier. What’re you up to?” “I got bored at home. Are you leaving?” She moved, as if to step aside.
“No, no. I just needed a little air.” I nodded back at the Inn.
“You sound like a hunted man.” “Well, maybe hounded a little. People are curious think I have all the answers.” She laughed. “You’re kind of famous around here, ‘cause of that Ski Mask case in Brattleboro.
Buster’s got a scrapbook of everything you’ve done.” “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. I know you fought in Korea and got a bunch of medals, and that you went to college at Berkeley for a while… He’s got your letters stuck in there, too.” “And you’ve read them.” She was suddenly quiet, obviously embarrassed. “I don’t mind.” Her voice was muted. “You sure?” “Hell, I wrote ‘em to be read.” I had settled on the fender of a parked car. Now she joined me.
“You spend a lot of time with Buster?” She nodded. “Why?” She took her time before answering. I felt she was deciding there to trust me or not, whether to respond with a social nicety or eveal something quite personal. “He helped me when I was in able.” That was about as much as Buster had told me. Still, her admission an obvious token of friendship, the sharing of an intimacy. “I’m a recovering alcoholic.
Buster was the only one who figured t. Or maybe he was just the only one who cared.” I remained silent.
“That was about three years ago.” “How did he and you get together?” She smiled and shook her head. “Oh, you know how he is at the ge; it’s almost like he holds court there sometimes. And a lot of the he hires have had problems. I don’t guess they’re real good meics.”
I laughed at that. Buster’s employees were notorious for putting in the wrong holes, or the wrong-sized tires on cars. She was it was less a garage than a halfway house. “Anyway, I used to pull in there for gas or an oil change or tever, so we got to know each other over time; he’s real easy to talk first, it was just general stuff-who’re your folks, what’s your job. ned out he used to know my grandpa pretty well in the old days; ess they used to go hunting together. But he found out a lot more ut me pretty quick; it’s not like he asks much, you know? You just up telling him everything.” She laughed suddenly. “At least I did-real blabbermouth. AnyI got busted for DWI once; I don’t know how he found out about guess everybody finds out that kind of stuff in a small town like sooner or later. But they usually don’t say anything. He was rent. I pulled in there for gas one day, and he asked me to get out have a Coke with him, and that’s how it began.” “Did he get you into AA or something?” “No, it was just the two of us. We talked a lot; spent a lot of time there. I’d cook for him or I’d hang out at the garage.