to?”
“Do you know Colin Eldwin?”
“Who?”
“Do you read the
Westmuir Record
?”
“The
what?”
Paritas was getting really exasperated now. Hazel felt the walls closing in. There was a man in a room somewhere either injured or dead and her only lead, so far, was a woman so desperate for companionship that she’d come to Westmuir County to find it. She’d even gone fishing for it. Hazel cast one more look at the strange, bereft form on the shelf and held her arm out to indicate to Paritas that she was free. She stepped out into the hallway.
“I can go?” Paritas asked.
“You can go.”
“I’ve never been questioned before,” she said. “It’s really not very pleasant.”
“It would have been worse if you’d actually done something.”
“And you’d have been able to tell? By browbeating me into contradicting myself or something?”
“Something like that,” said Hazel, leading her through the pen to the front of the station house.
“Nice to know the police have so much faith in the average citizen,” said Paritas, “that they have to trick them into telling the truth.”
“Would you trust the average citizen, Ms. Paritas?” Hazel asked her.
Paritas thought about it. “More than the police?” She smiled tightly and pushed the door open.
She was halfway to the sidewalk when Hazel asked, “What kind of name is Paritas?”
“Woman-stuck-in-traffic,” said Gil Paritas, smiling.
Hazel went back into her office, and Wingate was still there, watching the screen and absently signing reports with one hand. Hazel sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Anything?” she asked him.
“No. Well, nothing else. I’ve got a knot in my stomach watching this guy get attacked over and over again. Although I take your earlier point – why hint at things? What do they want us to think of this?”
“We should be careful what we wish for.”
“What did you find out from Paritas?”
“She’s a tourist. She’s got no clue what it is she hooked on the lakebed. But I think she’s afraid her boy-toy might. So I have to go up and see this Bellocque guy.”
“You want company?”
“No. I’m going to go in the morning, when I have more energy. In the meantime, we have to have eyes on this screen twenty-four hours a day in case something changes.”
“She’s sure Bellocque is accounted for?”
“He’s big and bearded, so he’s not the man in the chair. Too bad we didn’t see the face of the knife-bearer.”
“That would have been accommodating of him.”
She sat heavily in the chair. “Listen, James –”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Your first week back, you deserved something easier than this.”
“It’s still not an excuse. I’m sorry I blew up at you.”
“It’s okay,” he said, and he seemed to mean it. “You should go home, Hazel.”
“Yeah. I feel a little …” A night of sleep would be a good idea, especially if any of this blew up further. “I do need to lie down. But you’ll call –”
“If anything even slightly interesting comes up.”
“You ran Claire Eldwin?”
“Yeah. Nothing.”
“Well, keep on her. If hubby’s not back soon, I think we have a problem.”
He agreed, and reassured her he’d keep on top of everything. She went back out into the pen. Almost all of her officers were out on calls, dealing with citybound traffic after the long weekend. You wouldn’t know from the look of it that the station house was dealing with what seemed at least to be an abduction or perhaps a murder. She was hoping they wouldn’t have to leap into high gear, but she was ready to bet against it.
She thought she might try to walk home, but she was well past anything like a walk. PC Kraut Fraser was playing Tetris on his computer when she went past. “I seem to lack certain spatial talents,” he said.
“Can you keep a car on the road? I need a lift home.”
He seemed relieved to switch off the computer. “We’ll take the long way,” he
“Do you know Colin Eldwin?”
“Who?”
“Do you read the
Westmuir Record
?”
“The
what?”
Paritas was getting really exasperated now. Hazel felt the walls closing in. There was a man in a room somewhere either injured or dead and her only lead, so far, was a woman so desperate for companionship that she’d come to Westmuir County to find it. She’d even gone fishing for it. Hazel cast one more look at the strange, bereft form on the shelf and held her arm out to indicate to Paritas that she was free. She stepped out into the hallway.
“I can go?” Paritas asked.
“You can go.”
“I’ve never been questioned before,” she said. “It’s really not very pleasant.”
“It would have been worse if you’d actually done something.”
“And you’d have been able to tell? By browbeating me into contradicting myself or something?”
“Something like that,” said Hazel, leading her through the pen to the front of the station house.
“Nice to know the police have so much faith in the average citizen,” said Paritas, “that they have to trick them into telling the truth.”
“Would you trust the average citizen, Ms. Paritas?” Hazel asked her.
Paritas thought about it. “More than the police?” She smiled tightly and pushed the door open.
She was halfway to the sidewalk when Hazel asked, “What kind of name is Paritas?”
“Woman-stuck-in-traffic,” said Gil Paritas, smiling.
Hazel went back into her office, and Wingate was still there, watching the screen and absently signing reports with one hand. Hazel sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Anything?” she asked him.
“No. Well, nothing else. I’ve got a knot in my stomach watching this guy get attacked over and over again. Although I take your earlier point – why hint at things? What do they want us to think of this?”
“We should be careful what we wish for.”
“What did you find out from Paritas?”
“She’s a tourist. She’s got no clue what it is she hooked on the lakebed. But I think she’s afraid her boy-toy might. So I have to go up and see this Bellocque guy.”
“You want company?”
“No. I’m going to go in the morning, when I have more energy. In the meantime, we have to have eyes on this screen twenty-four hours a day in case something changes.”
“She’s sure Bellocque is accounted for?”
“He’s big and bearded, so he’s not the man in the chair. Too bad we didn’t see the face of the knife-bearer.”
“That would have been accommodating of him.”
She sat heavily in the chair. “Listen, James –”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Your first week back, you deserved something easier than this.”
“It’s still not an excuse. I’m sorry I blew up at you.”
“It’s okay,” he said, and he seemed to mean it. “You should go home, Hazel.”
“Yeah. I feel a little …” A night of sleep would be a good idea, especially if any of this blew up further. “I do need to lie down. But you’ll call –”
“If anything even slightly interesting comes up.”
“You ran Claire Eldwin?”
“Yeah. Nothing.”
“Well, keep on her. If hubby’s not back soon, I think we have a problem.”
He agreed, and reassured her he’d keep on top of everything. She went back out into the pen. Almost all of her officers were out on calls, dealing with citybound traffic after the long weekend. You wouldn’t know from the look of it that the station house was dealing with what seemed at least to be an abduction or perhaps a murder. She was hoping they wouldn’t have to leap into high gear, but she was ready to bet against it.
She thought she might try to walk home, but she was well past anything like a walk. PC Kraut Fraser was playing Tetris on his computer when she went past. “I seem to lack certain spatial talents,” he said.
“Can you keep a car on the road? I need a lift home.”
He seemed relieved to switch off the computer. “We’ll take the long way,” he
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