The landlord lives across the street, and the old guy watches his property like a hawk. He usually takes his shotgun when he goes over to check on the place."
"All right."
When I stood up, they did, too. Dan was out the door in a flash. Pohan paused to give me a business card.
"Detective, thanks so much for your help. I-we really…"
When I turned to find Dan, he was already down the corridor getting himself buzzed out the door.
Pohan watched him go, shaking his head in a way that seemed almost mournful. "There's one thing you learn pretty quick in this line of work," he said. "Things aren't always as they seem. But then, sometimes they're exactly as they seem."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Even though it was almost nine o'clock at night, Sal's Diner was filled with the aroma of a greasy griddle, and I knew my nice wool coat was going to carry the scent of frying bacon right out the door with me and into next week.
Dan was hunched forward with his fingers woven around his cup, staring into his coffee. "Why'd you'd come?" he asked.
"Because of our close personal relationship."
He dipped his head even more, almost hiding the brief flush of embarrassment that colored his face. "I know, I know. I haven't been much help-"
"You've been a complete asshole."
He accepted the rebuke without comment. It felt so good, I threw in another one for good measure. "I understand that you lost a friend, and I can even understand why you might resent me, but you never even gave me a chance."
"What was I supposed to think? Here you are this big-time fast-track superstar hand-picked by Scanlon to come in here and
handle
things for the company. I figured it was your job to shut me down or report back on what I was doing."
"You thought I was brought in here by no less than the chairman of the company to keep an eye on you?" I wasn't mad at him anymore because he'd called me a superstar. "You must be pretty important. Either that, or I'm not."
"That's not… I didn't mean…" When he finally raised his eyes, I smiled to let him know I was teasing him. He sat back, exhaled deeply, and seemed to relax for the first time all evening. He draped his arm across the back of the booth and pulled one leg up next to him on the bench seat. The waitress took the move as a cue to come over, top off his coffee, and leave the check. When he reached over and pulled it to his side of the table, I figured we'd turned a corner.
"Why don't you just tell me what's going on with you, Dan?"
"I know what everyone thinks," he said. "I know what the police are saying, and I know you believe them. But there is no way Ellen Shepard killed herself. No fucking way. She was murdered."
His tone was even, he held steady eye contact, and he was completely calm for the first time since I'd met him. There was no question in my mind that he believed what he was saying. "Who do you think killed her?"
"Little Pete Dwyer."
"The missing crew chief from Sunday night?"
"Right."
"Why him?"
He shrugged vaguely and stared up at the ceiling. "I hear things."
"You're going to have to do better than that, Dan. Don't treat me like a fool."
He knocked back the rest of his coffee, and the knee started going again as he regarded me. I waited.
"Okay," he said finally. "I've got nothing hard. Just a lot of suspicious stuff, people talking, things Ellen was doing lately that I didn't get."
"Like what?"
"In the last few weeks before she died, she was doing a heavy-duty research job on Little Pete Dwyer. She was asking a bunch of questions, reading his personnel file, looking at all his performance reviews."
"She could have been looking for a way to deal with the guy. I've done that, especially with a hard case, trying to figure out why they are the way they are."
"You don't need to do research to know why this guy's a shithead. It's because of the old man, Shithead Sr. They're two of a kind. And anyway, it doesn't explain why she had me staking him out."
"Staking him out? You mean, sitting in
"All right."
When I stood up, they did, too. Dan was out the door in a flash. Pohan paused to give me a business card.
"Detective, thanks so much for your help. I-we really…"
When I turned to find Dan, he was already down the corridor getting himself buzzed out the door.
Pohan watched him go, shaking his head in a way that seemed almost mournful. "There's one thing you learn pretty quick in this line of work," he said. "Things aren't always as they seem. But then, sometimes they're exactly as they seem."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Even though it was almost nine o'clock at night, Sal's Diner was filled with the aroma of a greasy griddle, and I knew my nice wool coat was going to carry the scent of frying bacon right out the door with me and into next week.
Dan was hunched forward with his fingers woven around his cup, staring into his coffee. "Why'd you'd come?" he asked.
"Because of our close personal relationship."
He dipped his head even more, almost hiding the brief flush of embarrassment that colored his face. "I know, I know. I haven't been much help-"
"You've been a complete asshole."
He accepted the rebuke without comment. It felt so good, I threw in another one for good measure. "I understand that you lost a friend, and I can even understand why you might resent me, but you never even gave me a chance."
"What was I supposed to think? Here you are this big-time fast-track superstar hand-picked by Scanlon to come in here and
handle
things for the company. I figured it was your job to shut me down or report back on what I was doing."
"You thought I was brought in here by no less than the chairman of the company to keep an eye on you?" I wasn't mad at him anymore because he'd called me a superstar. "You must be pretty important. Either that, or I'm not."
"That's not… I didn't mean…" When he finally raised his eyes, I smiled to let him know I was teasing him. He sat back, exhaled deeply, and seemed to relax for the first time all evening. He draped his arm across the back of the booth and pulled one leg up next to him on the bench seat. The waitress took the move as a cue to come over, top off his coffee, and leave the check. When he reached over and pulled it to his side of the table, I figured we'd turned a corner.
"Why don't you just tell me what's going on with you, Dan?"
"I know what everyone thinks," he said. "I know what the police are saying, and I know you believe them. But there is no way Ellen Shepard killed herself. No fucking way. She was murdered."
His tone was even, he held steady eye contact, and he was completely calm for the first time since I'd met him. There was no question in my mind that he believed what he was saying. "Who do you think killed her?"
"Little Pete Dwyer."
"The missing crew chief from Sunday night?"
"Right."
"Why him?"
He shrugged vaguely and stared up at the ceiling. "I hear things."
"You're going to have to do better than that, Dan. Don't treat me like a fool."
He knocked back the rest of his coffee, and the knee started going again as he regarded me. I waited.
"Okay," he said finally. "I've got nothing hard. Just a lot of suspicious stuff, people talking, things Ellen was doing lately that I didn't get."
"Like what?"
"In the last few weeks before she died, she was doing a heavy-duty research job on Little Pete Dwyer. She was asking a bunch of questions, reading his personnel file, looking at all his performance reviews."
"She could have been looking for a way to deal with the guy. I've done that, especially with a hard case, trying to figure out why they are the way they are."
"You don't need to do research to know why this guy's a shithead. It's because of the old man, Shithead Sr. They're two of a kind. And anyway, it doesn't explain why she had me staking him out."
"Staking him out? You mean, sitting in
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