Free Bullet in the Night by Judith Rolfs Page A

police about Thomas Hartford’s past stalking?”
    “I’d forgotten about him until you asked. No need to bring him up anyway.”
    “I’m surprised they didn’t check this out. They must have seen his name in her book just as I did.”
    “Why should they probe further when they have Kirk right at the scene with a clear motive?”
    “I understand and certainly don’t want to dredge Hartford up unnecessarily, but I’m not convinced that Kirk is Lenora’s enemy. I’ll see if I can come up with something more specific linking her former student with Lake Geneva. No sense dragging up the poor man’s pain for nothing. While we’re on the subject, is there anything else in Lenora’s past that might be of concern?”
    I would have sworn a shade dropped over Tucker’s eyes before he answered. “Not that I’m aware of.”
    “Did you know Lenora’s first husband?” I asked nonchalantly, trying to stay cold and logical.
    “No. She was divorced before we met.” Tucker waved the waitress over. ”I’m ready for more coffee now, then the bill, please.” He waited while she filled his cup then he added, “I gather from what she said, he was the argumentative sort. Although knowing Lenora, I’m sure she could hold her own and then some. Her first husband’s alcoholism and infidelity were hard on her, but you probably know about that.”
    “Lenora and I lost touch for several years when I went into private practice. Soon after their divorce I understand her husband died in a drinking-related car accident. I never knew much about him, even though I’d asked her.”
    “How did she answer?” His big eyes scanned me like a laser.
    “I still remember her words, ‘Whatever’s true, noble and good, I choose to speak of. He was none of those.’” I leaned back and pressed my fingers into my neck while contemplating her words. “She’d become a Christian by then and didn’t want to rehash her past. I get that.”
    “Sounds like my wife. Lucky for me, she was willing to risk marriage again.”
    I looked up sharply. “Before you, she’d been quite against it. You must have been quite persuasive.”
    Red, the color of beets, flooded Tucker’s face visible around his beard. I worked at buttering my muffin to avoid staring. He’d always seemed too distant and crotchety for my taste. What had Lenora seen in him? The man’s usually granite features would have fit nicely on Mt. Rushmore. Maybe he was her rescue and fix-up project. I recalled her happiness during their private wedding ceremony. She hadn’t verbalized any problems since. To each his own? I squared my shoulders.
    Tucker sighed audibly. “We’ve had a great marriage. Moving to this area was her idea and a super one. Until now.” He diverted his gaze from me to the copper kettles strung along a black iron rack suspended from the ceiling, then reached for a paper napkin to blow his nose.
    I pushed my empty plate aside, giving him a moment to deal with his emotion. “What about your background. Anything there you’d like to share?”
    Tucker shot me a surprised look. “Not much to tell.” He refolded his newspaper. Perhaps he didn’t like the question. Finally he offered, “I’d been married once before, too.”
    My eyebrows lifted. “I thought you were a bachelor when you and Lenora married.”
    His eyes held a sheen. “My wife ran off three months after the wedding. Left a note saying she didn’t want to settle down after all. I guess being married to a stuffy research professor was too boring. Looking back, it was for the best. We had little in common. As an analytical researcher, I’m probably not the world’s best communicator.”
    I gazed down and smoothed the vinyl cloth that had lifted at the table edge, holding back my agreement.
    To my relief he didn’t seem to notice my lack of response. “With Lenora, that changed. We wanted the same things out of life.”
    I imagined her excellent counseling skills drawing him out. “Was it