Part 35 (2/2)
Cora started a string of invectives, but Sherry had put down the phone. The screen door slammed as she went out.
Sherry was back minutes later. ”Nothing there.”
”Good.”
”Why is that good? Couldn't you use a hint just now?”
”A hint would be fine. A crossword puzzle would be embarra.s.sing. Since I just swore up and down to Chief Harper there wasn't one.”
”Oh, here's Aaron. Hey, honey, in the kitchen! Maybe he's got something.”
”If he did, he wouldn't be home.”
”Hi, honey,” Aaron said. ”Is that Cora?”
”Yeah.”
”Good. Lemme talk to her.” Aaron's voice came over the phone. ”Cora, I got something for you.”
”What?”
”The boyfriend. He went ballistic when he heard Randolph asked her out.”
”How do you know?”
”I'm a reporter. That's my job.”
”How come you didn't get it before?”
”The boyfriend wasn't important before. The fact Randolph asked Lilly Clemson out wasn't even news until Rick Reed started touting it. The word now is the boyfriend had a fight with the banker.”
”Physical or verbal?”
”Word is just verbal, but plenty heated.”
”I see.”
”I thought you'd be more pleased.”
”Why?”
”It lets Melvin off the hook.”
”I'm not in this to get Melvin off. I'm in this to find out what actually happened.”
”Right,” Aaron said.
He didn't sound convinced.
CHAPTER.
46.
”Becky! You gotta help me!”
Becky Baldwin looked up from her desk. ”Christ, I wish you had a cell phone.”
”I'm glad I don't. My life is complicated enough without it.”
”Yes. But then your lawyer can't reach you. I need Chief Harper to b.u.t.t out of my business. He was in here reading me the riot act. You snuck into the holding cell and interviewed his prisoner.”
”I wasn't in the holding cell.”
”Oh. Touchy. He didn't say it was a conjugal visit. He said you had a talk.”
”Why was he telling you?”
”I'm a licensed attorney. I have to cooperate with the law.”
”You're a licensed attorney and you have to respect the confidence of your client.”
”Thank you. I needed that refresher course in legal ethics. The problem is, Harper thinks you're holding out on him.”
”I am holding out on him.”
”What?”
Cora grimaced. ”You're gonna beat me up, but there was no reason to tell you. Now there is. Harper thinks maybe I found and suppressed a crossword puzzle that would tie in the KenKen found with Lilly Clemson's body. I didn't, but I did in Roger Randolph's murder.”
”What?”
Cora told Becky about finding the crossword puzzle and having it yield her own license plate number.
”You held out on me?” Becky said.
”Well, it hardly seemed relevant to an alimony hearing.”
”Did it seem relevant to the murder?”
”I wasn't charged with the murder.”
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