The Sign of the Book by John Dunning

do you read him?”
    â€œHe’s a solid old guy, sharp under all that folksy stuff. I wouldn’t blow him off.”
    â€œBut you haven’t really questioned her yet?”
    â€œJust what I told you about yesterday.”
    â€œNo idea what the books might mean, if anything?”
    â€œNot yet.”
    A moment passed. I thought it could go either way. She was making a decision now, and maybe then I’d have my own decision to make. “You said he was into books. Even way back when you knew him.”
    â€œYeah, he was,” she said. “I told you about that, remember?… That night we met in your bookstore two years ago, I told you my first boyfriend was a book freak like you. But I guess, given the way it all turned out, I didn’t know what he was into.” She sniffed. “Any reason to think the books might be part of it?”
    â€œNothing I can put my finger on. They might be a motive for something.”
    I looked up and saw Lennie Walsh drive past. He turned in to the parking lot at the hall of justice and sat in his car, smoking and talking to himself.
    â€œGo over and see her,” Erin said. “This time don’t pull any punches. Ask her about the books and see if McNamara will confront her on this confession she’s so eager to give him. Make an issue of it. Tell her if she lies, or evades your questions, you’re out of there.”
    â€œI guess I can do some form of that.”
    â€œHowever you do it, let’s get a straight story from her and see where we are.”
    â€œOne more thing. McNamara wants to know what happened between you two.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œHe says he’s a nosy old bastard who likes to pry.”
    â€œHa. He asks good questions. That’s one I would’ve asked as well.”
    She thought about it, then said, “Go ahead and tell him they had an affair behind my back. See what he thinks of my conflict of interest.”
    Â 
    Again I was shown into the conference room on the second floor. “You’ll have to wait for Parley,” said old Freeman, the custodian. “He’s down talking to the sheriff about another matter and he doesn’t want your lady questioned until he can be here.”
    It was a half-hour wait. When Parley came in, he said, “They don’t want to dismiss your ticket outright. I could have Christ and twenty-six disciples lined up to testify and he’d still want to take Lennie’s side of it. They’re all down there now hashing it over. Secretly I think the sheriff is pretty damned mad about it. Like I told you, this is not the first time Lennie’s done this kinda thing.”
    Another fifteen minutes passed before Mrs. Marshall was brought in. I couldn’t tell from the sheriff’s expression how the wind was blowing, but he didn’t look happy. He escorted Laura to the same chair and left us there.
    I watched Parley, waiting for his lead.
    â€œLaura, we need to talk turkey, you and me.”
    â€œCan Mr. Janeway stay?”
    â€œIt might be just as well, for right now, if it was just the two of us.”
    â€œBut he needs to be here,” she insisted. “So he can tell Erin what was said.”
    He looked at me, clearly annoyed. “Dammit, Janeway, is this woman of yours gonna come down here or not?”
    â€œShe’ll come,” Laura said, surprising us both. “I know she’ll come.”
    â€œI talked to her this morning,” I said. “She has not accepted your case, Mrs. Marshall, she certainly can’t be considered your attorney at this point. And for what it’s worth, I think she’d agree with the advice Parley is giving you.”
    â€œThis is not a question I’d normally ask,” Parley said. “Now I think you’ve got to tell me what really happened the day Bobby was killed.”
    â€œI did tell you.”
    â€œSo far you’ve only said that you shot