Guilty Minds

60

She likes the cut of your jib,” Mandy said later.

I smiled and said nothing. I cut the wheel hard to the right and turned onto Route 15 South.

“I don’t even know what a jib is, do you?”

“It’s a sailing term.”

“She was actually flirting with you! She thought you were cute!”

“Why is that so outlandish?”

“She’s like a hundred and twenty years old!”

“I have to say, she looks awfully good for a woman of seventy-four.”

“So now you’re into her.”

I said nothing.

“I could have been a potted plant in that room. A statue.”

“You could have been the Venus de Milo, it wouldn’t have mattered. She prefers men.”

“Clearly. She’s a cougar. She’s also as crazy as a box of weasels.”

“She’s a complicated woman.”

“I’ll say. She’s a racist. She doesn’t like Gideon Parnell because he’s black.”

“Maybe. Or maybe because he marched. She doesn’t like troublemakers unless it’s her brand of troublemaker.”

“I’ll still take her money.”

I smiled. “You did say yes awfully fast.”

“Busted.” She shrugged. “What can I say, I have a mortgage.”

“Why did Slander Sheet never go after Gideon, anyway? Was it because they couldn’t find any dirt on him?”

“Because there was nothing interesting to report... I was working on a story on him before the Claflin thing came in. There was nothing there.”

“Did Julian tell you to do it?”

“He suggested it.”

“Because his boss, the owner, wanted Gideon Parnell taken down.”

She shrugged. “That was above my pay grade. But Claflin’s a much bigger target.”

My phone rang.

“Gideon,” she predicted.

I took it out of my jacket and answered without looking at it first, because I was driving. “Nick Heller.”

“Mr. Heller, this is Detective Balakian from MPD homicide.”

“Yes, detective.”

“I’d like to speak with you at your earliest convenience.”

“What about?” Mandy was watching my face.

“Kayla Pitts.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I just have some questions for you.”

“I’m out of town and won’t be back in Washington until late. How’s tomorrow morning?”

A beat. “Nine o’clock at homicide branch, 101 M Street.” It was an order, not a suggestion.

“I’ll be there.”

He disconnected the call.

“What does he want?” Mandy said.

“He wants this case to go away, but it’s not happening anytime soon. He wants to talk to me.”

“For what?”

“Just says he has questions.”

“I wonder if he’s getting pressure from above. All this conspiracy talk out there.”

I thought for a minute. “Maybe. Maybe that’s all it is.”