The 6:20 Man

Chapter 44

Valentine turned to look at Devine. “It’s for you, Travis.”

“Thanks.”

Valentine walked off and Stamos looked nervously at him. “Surprised?”

“Yeah, I am. Everything okay?”

“Can we talk?”

He looked around. “Out on the front porch is the most private. I’ve got three roommates.”

“Okay. But what about the people living in the places next to you?”

“They’re empty. Being renovated by the owner.”

“Okay.”

“You want a beer or something?”

“No, I’m good.”

He closed the door behind him, and they sat side by side on the brick steps.

She had on shorts and a sleeveless blouse and sandals. The temperature was still around eighty and humid. She looked at his clothes and said, “Did you just get home?”

“I had a few errands to do after work.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“No, it’s fine. Did you take the train out here?”

“No, I took that Zipcar parked over there. It’s silly to keep a vehicle in the city.”

Devine looked at the green Prius. “Agreed. And you got my address from...?”

She looked embarrassed. “From the personnel office.”

“Didn’t think they gave that info out.”

“They normally don’t. Look, I’m sorry. I just wanted—”

“It’s okay, Jennifer. Fire away.”

He knew why she was here. He just wanted her to know this was not going to go all her way, or easily.

“I spoke with... Brad.”

“And he told you that we met?”

“Yes. It seems that everything is resolved.”

“Nothing is resolved.”

She looked startled. “What? But I thought—”

“That part is fine. But we still have no idea who killed Sara. It wasn’t me. Do you know where Cowl was when Sara was killed?”

Stamos shrank back from the question. “You can’t possibly think that—”

“Well, people certainly thought that I might have killed her. And he told me he wanted to have sex with her, but it was a no-go on her end and that probably pissed him off. I’m telling you this in good faith. If you run to Cowl and tell him I told you, things will get complicated really fast.”

“I won’t do that, I swear.”

He looked at her, trying to gauge her sincerity. “Did you know that Sara had her abortion back in December? That was before I even got to the firm.”

“Why is that important?”

“Because some people were trying to make out that I was the father of her child.”

“That’s crazy.” She paused. “But did you sleep with her?”

“I’m not going to answer that. Do you know where Cowl was when Sara was killed?”

“No, I wasn’t with him that night.” She suddenly scowled at him. “I understand you took pictures of Brad and me...”

“Don’t get all pissed off, Jennifer. I needed some leverage. And what the hell were you thinking doing it out in the open like that? He has a damn penthouse with a bed!”

“He... just grabbed me, said it would be exciting. It all happened so fast.” Her cheeks flushed. “Will you erase the pictures?”

“No, but I’ll never look at them again.”

“How can I believe that?”

“Believe it. I did not find it the least bit pleasant. I don’t just mean with what happened to Sara. I mean it seemed pretty damn degrading... to you.”

She flushed again. “That’s my business.”

“Yes, it is. But why exactly are you screwing the boss? You have the talent to make it on your own. This isn’t nineteen eighty.”

“Do you really think things have changed that much, Travis?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a woman.”

“That’s right, you’re not. So don’t judge me,” she added sharply. “And for your information, there are only three female partners in the entire firm. I know two dozen more who lost out to guys who weren’t half as good, according to the damn Book. So take your eighties comment and shove it.”

“Okay, okay, I guess I deserved that. But the thing is, Sara wouldn’t sleep with him, or so Cowl complained to me. Do you think that’s a motive for him to kill her?”

“Come on, he could have pretty much any woman he wanted.”

“But the woman he apparently wanted was Sara and she was having no part of it. That might have pissed him off.”

“You just won’t let that go, will you?”

“The guy, as far as I know, has no alibi for when she was murdered. And maybe he lied to me. Maybe they did sleep together. And she got pregnant and the child was his. And maybe he paid to have it aborted, and she regretted it and was going to expose what had happened. The boss impregnating the help and then paying for her abortion? Do you know how much money Cowl gets from church and state pension funds and teachers’ unions and other organizations that would frown on that sort of thing?”

“He wasn’t the father.”

He stared warily at her. “How do you know that?”

“I just do.”

“How?” Devine persisted.

“Sara told me.”

“Why would she do that? You weren’t close friends.”

“We... we were closer than I let on.”

“Wait a minute. If that’s true, did she tell you the real reason why she was interested in the play Waiting for Godot?”

“I don’t know.”

“What the hell do you mean you don’t know? Either you do or you don’t.”

“She was worried about something. But she wouldn’t fully confide in me. I think she was scared. I told you that before. And she didn’t want to involve me. I think she was protecting me.”

Devine studied her. He said slowly, “It sounds like you and Sara were way more than friends.”

“Sara and I—”

“Sara and you what?”

“I... I can’t—”

Devine was out of patience. “For God’s sake. Sara is dead! Just fucking tell me!”

She drew in a long, tortured breath and then let it go. “We... we were in love. Okay! We were in love. Satisfied, asshole?”

She jumped up, hurried over to the Prius, started it up, and drove off.

Devine just sat there and watched Stamos disappear into the dark.

He finally went back inside, where Valentine said, “Damn, she is so hot. Are you doing her?”

“Just shut up, Will. Just shut the hell up.”

Devine, his mind reeling, walked upstairs to his room and slammed the door.