Free Peony Street by Pamela Grandstaff Page B

doesn’t know.”
    “It’s too big a coincidence.”
    “It’s mysterious, that’s true. I’m sure if we had either phone we could find out what happened.”
    “I wish his family would get here. I’m counting on them to get me access to his service provider’s call log.”
    “If they have his user name and password,” Scott said. “Otherwise we’ll have to subpoena the service provider. That could take weeks.”
    “Claire could have two phones,” Sarah said. “She says she has one; maybe she has two.”
    “Then I’m sure his call log will reflect that.”
    “I want her to stay put until we get that log.”
    “Her alibi checked out,” Scott said. “She wasn’t here when he was killed.”
    “You’re not the medical examiner,” Sarah said. “We won’t have that report for at least two weeks, maybe four.”
    “It takes four hours to drive from DC to Rose Hill, and that’s in daylight in good weather. Four hours from when she rented her car,” Scott began again.
    “She knows more than she’s telling,” Sarah said, “and right now she’s my only suspect. I’d really like to get Sloan Merryweather’s take on this. I’d like to subpoena her.”
    “Be careful, Sarah,” Scott said. “Powerful people do not like to be bothered and you can’t afford to piss off your boss in an election year.”
    “Solving a high-profile homicide case could make me and my boss look good in an election year,” Sarah said. “If you don’t roll the dice you can never beat the house.”
    “Have you spoken to anyone in Mr. Farthington’s family about meeting with us?”
    “They’re coming down to identify and retrieve the body. I’ll tackle them after they get to the morgue.”
    “With sensitivity, of course.”
    “Of course.”
     
     
    Sarah left and Scott walked down to Claire’s parents’ house. He walked up to the front door just as Sammy was letting himself out.
    “Hold it right there, partner,” Scott said.
    Sammy froze and then looked right and left, as if planning his escape route.
    “I brought you something,” Scott said.
    Sammy looked suspicious.
    “Shows me it,” Sammy said.
    “Is Claire supposed to be watching you?” Scott asked. “Does she know you’re leaving?”
    “I going to school at the white church,” Sammy said.
    “I seriously doubt it,” Scott said. “Here’s my deal: we go inside and see Claire or I take you to your grandma’s house and let her give you a bath.”
    “I no get bath,” Sammy said. “I not dirty.”
    “So we go inside and I show you and Claire what I brought to trade you.”
    Sammy turned around and opened the door, revealing Claire fast asleep in the upholstered rocking chair. Mackie Pea barked and jumped down from her lap, waking her up.
    “Scott,” she said, clearly flustered. “Sammy? Were you leaving?”
    Sammy wouldn’t look her in the eye. Scott smiled.
    “Sammy’s slick,” he said.
    “I didn’t even feel him get off my lap,” Claire said.
    “Where’s it?” Sammy asked Scott.
    Scott reached into his breast pocket and took out a skinny silver pen.
    “I gots lotsa pens,” Sammy said, dismissing Scott’s potential trade.
    “This pen is like the one astronauts use in space,” Scott said. “It writes upside down.”
    “Do it,” Sammy said.
    Scott took out his notepad, lay down on his back on the floor and motioned for Sammy to join him. Then he held the notepad up in the air above them and demonstrated writing upside down.
    “I gots a pen do’s that,” Sammy insisted.
    “Show me,” Scott said.
    While Sammy went down the hall to retrieve his pen Scott looked up at a bemused Claire.
    “You can see how we were all just put here to serve him,” he said.
    “He’s the most powerful person in this town, apparently,” Claire said.
    “It’s charisma,” Scott said. “I think he has real, viable political potential.”
    Sammy came back down the hall, lay on his back next to Scott, and tried to write with his pen on the pad