"You know something? I oughta arrest you right now."
"Please," said Allie.
"Please nothing. Don’t start pulling the tough little citizen sleuth bit with me, Allie Griffin. You could be in jail right now if anyone found out you removed evidence from the scene. You should be in jail! How dare you impede the progress of the police!"
Allie felt her face flush with anger. She bit the inside of her lip while Beauchenne stood silent, chuffing thick steam from his mouth in the chilly night.
"I'm sorry," Allie said.
He caught his breath, and then said, "I'm sorry I yelled like that. But you don’t realize how serious your actions are and that bothers me a great deal. It's like when you broke into Tori Cardinal's house. Don’t think I don’t know that was you. I knew it then and I know it now. Never mind the fact that you evaded the home security system—which, by the way, is something I still absolutely do not want to think about—but you were committing a serious offense by doing that. And the worst part of it is that you think it's all a game."
"Oh come on."
"No, I'm right. You know I'm right. You're red as a robin's belly."
"Not for nothing," said Allie after a moment, "but there were other fibers on Sally's neck. I only took one."
"Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, we found the rope."
"Do you have pictures?"
"Allie..."
"You know your butterball detective doesn't have the brains to figure this out on his own. I know how that frustrates you."
"You do, huh?"
"You're here now, aren’t you?"
He smiled slightly. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"That means you must have a little faith in me."
"Very little."
"Oh, you're cute when you lie. So you want to know the rest of the story or don’t you?"
He took a frustrated breath. "Talk to me."
"Did Tad Mills' statement say anything about a series of phone calls?"
He answered in the negative.
So she told him about Tad Mills. About the phone calls. About the fact that Tad thought it was Angus, only Angus wasn't on his phone when Tad got the latest call. Most importantly, that Sally Kane's body was discovered at the exact time the last call came through.
When she was finished, she looked at Beauchenne. She heard the sandpaper sound as he stroked his graying stubble.
"That last part, I think it was a coincidence."
"Why?"
"Because they happen. Because a day without any coincidences whatsoever would be a strange day indeed. The rest of the story, though, that's something we need to look into."
"Will this get Tad in trouble?" she asked.
"Why?"
"Because I like him, and I think he's innocent."
"And why do you say that?" There was a tone to the sergeant's voice that wasn't his sterile cop voice, nor was it his casual Frank Beauchenne voice. This tone was something different, and it was off-putting.
"I say he's innocent because...because I have a feeling."
"Well," said Beauchenne, the tone still coloring his words a murky black, "to answer your question, no, that probably won’t get him in any trouble."
"Ok," Allie said cautiously.
He paused, as if he was trying to gauge the
"Please," said Allie.
"Please nothing. Don’t start pulling the tough little citizen sleuth bit with me, Allie Griffin. You could be in jail right now if anyone found out you removed evidence from the scene. You should be in jail! How dare you impede the progress of the police!"
Allie felt her face flush with anger. She bit the inside of her lip while Beauchenne stood silent, chuffing thick steam from his mouth in the chilly night.
"I'm sorry," Allie said.
He caught his breath, and then said, "I'm sorry I yelled like that. But you don’t realize how serious your actions are and that bothers me a great deal. It's like when you broke into Tori Cardinal's house. Don’t think I don’t know that was you. I knew it then and I know it now. Never mind the fact that you evaded the home security system—which, by the way, is something I still absolutely do not want to think about—but you were committing a serious offense by doing that. And the worst part of it is that you think it's all a game."
"Oh come on."
"No, I'm right. You know I'm right. You're red as a robin's belly."
"Not for nothing," said Allie after a moment, "but there were other fibers on Sally's neck. I only took one."
"Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, we found the rope."
"Do you have pictures?"
"Allie..."
"You know your butterball detective doesn't have the brains to figure this out on his own. I know how that frustrates you."
"You do, huh?"
"You're here now, aren’t you?"
He smiled slightly. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"That means you must have a little faith in me."
"Very little."
"Oh, you're cute when you lie. So you want to know the rest of the story or don’t you?"
He took a frustrated breath. "Talk to me."
"Did Tad Mills' statement say anything about a series of phone calls?"
He answered in the negative.
So she told him about Tad Mills. About the phone calls. About the fact that Tad thought it was Angus, only Angus wasn't on his phone when Tad got the latest call. Most importantly, that Sally Kane's body was discovered at the exact time the last call came through.
When she was finished, she looked at Beauchenne. She heard the sandpaper sound as he stroked his graying stubble.
"That last part, I think it was a coincidence."
"Why?"
"Because they happen. Because a day without any coincidences whatsoever would be a strange day indeed. The rest of the story, though, that's something we need to look into."
"Will this get Tad in trouble?" she asked.
"Why?"
"Because I like him, and I think he's innocent."
"And why do you say that?" There was a tone to the sergeant's voice that wasn't his sterile cop voice, nor was it his casual Frank Beauchenne voice. This tone was something different, and it was off-putting.
"I say he's innocent because...because I have a feeling."
"Well," said Beauchenne, the tone still coloring his words a murky black, "to answer your question, no, that probably won’t get him in any trouble."
"Ok," Allie said cautiously.
He paused, as if he was trying to gauge the
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