still had no chance of ever getting out. “I even met with the detective who was the first one to get to your house that night. There’s nothing new there either.”
But Steele was undeterred. “That guy had me pegged as the killer the second he got there. I could see it in his eyes. The way he looked at me after he found Sharon. I knew I was done for.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Just a feeling I had. As soon as the cops got there, I knew I was going to jail. I knew no one would believe me.”
“Well, the detective’s attitude hasn’t changed much.”
Steele shook his head. “He’s just like all the others though. All these people are always going to say the same thing. They’ve been saying it for years. They can’t change now.”
“We’re hitting a wall here.” I shuffled the papers in my file, as if to emphasize the fact that I’d done everything I could. But it was more to justify my defeat to myself than to Steele. Finally, I smiled and said, “Not that it means much, but I did get a threatening call from one of Matt’s friends.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I laughed. “Some guy said he was watching me and not to step out of line. I’m pretty sure it was just some guy Matt’s in prison with, you know, making the call just to help him out.” I heard myself talking. Something in my voice resonated with doubt. The note under my door was real and proved that someone out there knew who I was and what I was doing. But they weren’t the same people. I thought about mentioning the note and then let it go. It didn’t prove anything. It was just weird.
Steele thought about the threat for a second and said, “The fact that he had someone call you, to me that says he’s worried. I know there’s got to be something else out there.” Steele shrugged, as if the facts were plain as day. “Matt was in the house that night. Someone, somewhere, has to know something. Someone had to see something.”
“The only name I’ve come across is an old friend of Matt’s named Danny Kelly. Does that name mean anything to you?”
“Not to me. Maybe Becky would remember it. I don’t know. Like I said before, I didn’t really know Matt. I sure as hell didn’t know any of his friends.”
“You don’t have any idea who Danny Kelly is?”
Steele shook his head.
“Matt’s mom and sister both knew the name. In fact, I got it from his mother. I’ve been trying to track him down. There’s no mention of him anywhere in the file. I’d just like to ask him if Matt ever talked about that night. If he ever mentioned anything that might be useful.” I grinned and shook my head. “I’ve got to tell you though, we may not find him.”
“Just keep trying.” Steele scratched behind his ear and added, “You’ll find him.” He spoke with a prophetic certainty that made him sound omniscient or insane. I couldn’t decide which. All I could do was smile. His optimism was disheartening. The more assured he was, the worse his disappointment would be.
I returned to my notes. I had no real agenda for the meeting. I had only come to grope in the dark, hoping something useful might come of it. Steele watched me flip through the papers.
“What about Ray Gee? Ring any bells?”
“No.”
“His name has come up a few times. I guess he’s been around, asking people questions. The detective said he thought he was a reporter. Matt’s sister claimed he offered her money to change her story. I’m more inclined to believe the detective, if I have to believe any of them. Whoever he is, he seems to have a strange interest in you.”
Steele’s eyebrows went up and he leaned back. “That’s a little odd, don’t you think?”
“Sure, if any of it’s true. But it’s impossible to say. The detective seems credible, the Bishops don’t. I don’t know what to think.”
“Is there any way to get in touch with this guy?”
“I doubt it, unless he contacts us. The detective dismissed him as a nut, and the Bishops are convinced we’re all in some kind of conspiracy with the guy. They’re not the most stable people. They seem to think the whole world’s out to get them.”
Steele looked around at the walls and said, “I know the feeling.”
I watched the subtle movements of his small body. I listened to the