For his reputation? Look what I did and got away with. . . .
To scare Earl into getting the money? This will happen to you, unless . . .
Or had he meant to say that he’d simply arranged it but hadn’t done the dirty work himself?
His thoughts circled and zigzagged from one extreme to the next as he considered them.
But how the hell would he have known she’d be out jogging that night?
This whole thing was a mess.
Getting nowhere, he set aside the pencil and rubbed his temples, knowing there was more to consider than the situation with just those three.
What was he going to do about Miles?
His friend. His deputy.
Cutting a deal with Sims and losing the paperwork? Letting him go? Then charging out like this was the Wild West to bring Otis to justice without even bothering to talk to Earl Getlin?
Harvey wasn’t a bad guy, but he was going to have problems with this. Serious problems.
They all were.
Charlie sighed. “Hey, Madge?” he called out.
The secretary popped her head into the office. Plump and graying, she’d been around almost as long as he had and knew everything that went on in the department. He wondered if she’d been listening.
“Is Joe Hendricks still the warden up at Hailey?”
“I think it’s Tom Vernon, now.”
“That’s right,” Charlie said, nodding, remembering he’d read about it somewhere. “Can you look up the number for me?”
“Sure. Let me get it. It’s in the Rolodex on my desk.”
She was back in less than a minute, and when Charlie took the slip, she stood for a moment, not liking the look in his eyes. She waited to see if he wanted to talk about it.
He didn’t.
It took almost ten minutes to get Tom Vernon on the phone.
“Earl Getlin? Yeah, he’s still here,” Vernon answered.
Charlie was doodling on the paper in front of him. “I need to talk to him.”
“Official business?”
“You could say that.”
“No problem from this end. When are you planning to come up?”
“Would it be possible this afternoon?”
“That fast, huh? Must be serious.”
“It is.”
“All right. I’ll send word down that you’re coming. What time do you think you’ll make it?”
Charlie checked his watch. A little after eleven. If he skipped lunch, he could be there by midafternoon.
“How about two o’clock?”
“You got it. I assume you’ll need someplace to talk to him alone.”
“If that’s possible.”
“It’s no problem. See you then.”
Charlie hung up the phone, and as he was reaching for his jacket, Madge peeked in.
“Are you heading up there?”
“Have to,” Charlie said.
“Listen, while you were on the phone, Thurman Jones called. He needs to talk to you.”
Otis Timson’s attorney.
Charlie shook his head. “If he calls again, tell him that I’ll be back around six or so. He can reach me then.”
Madge shuffled her feet. “He said it was important. That it couldn’t wait.”
Lawyers. If they wanted to talk, it was important. If he needed to reach them, it was another story.
“Did he say what it was about?”
“Not to me. But he sounded angry.”
Of course he did. His client was behind bars and hadn’t been charged yet. No matter—Charlie had the right to hold him for now, anyway. The clock was ticking, though.
“I don’t have time to deal with him now. Tell him to call later.”
Madge nodded, her lips together. There was more she seemed to want to say.
“Anything else?”
“A few minutes later, Harvey called, too. He needs to talk to you as well. He says it’s urgent.”
Charlie slipped into his jacket, thinking, Of course he did. On a day like today, what else could I have expected?
“If he calls back, give him the same message.”
“But—”
“Just do it, Madge. I don’t have time to argue.” Then, after a moment: “Have Harris come in here for a second. I’ve got something for him to take care of.”
Madge’s expression made it clear she didn’t like his decision, but she did as she was told. Harris Young, a deputy, came into the office.
“I need you to find Sims Addison for me. And I need you to watch him.”
Harris looked a little uncertain of what he was being asked to do. “Do you want me to bring him in?”
“No,” Charlie said. “Just find him for me. And baby-sit him. But don’t let him know you’re there.”
“For how long?”
“I’ll be back around six, so at least until then.”