Page 59 of Little Empty Promises

Why was he buggingmefor information, then?

Why not go to them?

Perhaps he saw me as the easier target.A gross lack of good judgment on his part.

“I cannot imagine who else would give you information you shouldn’t have,” I said.

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

“Why does it matter so much toyou?Why aren’t you focusing your time on your campaign?”

He threw his hands in the air.“What can I say?I’m a great multitasker.”

“I’m trying to conduct a clean investigation, one without leaks.When a leak gets out into the public before it’s supposed to, it compromises what we’re trying to achieve.”

“I have the utmost respect for your process, believe me.”

“Do you?Because you still haven’t given me the name of your source.”

“His name shouldn’t matter.”

Hisname.

We were getting somewhere, at long last.

“His name matters a lot,” I said.“You have a choice to make.Give me the name, or I have nothing further to say.”

“That would be a shame.I’d hoped we’d be able to work together on cases like these once I become mayor … for the good of the community, of course.”

“Assuming you become mayor.”

Benjamin took a seat and crossed one leg over the other.“Has anyone ever told you that you drive a hard bargain?You should have been a lawyer.I bet you wouldn’t have lost a single case.”

“I was the captain of my debate team in high school,” I said.

He shook his head.“Figures.”

“As for my cases, I’m well suited to life as a private investigator.I feel like we keep veering off the topic at hand.If you won’t reveal your source, I’d like you to leave.”

It had been some time since I’d had a good verbal sparring session, and I found myself enjoying it far more than I should have.

Benjamin flattened a hand and raised it, as if suggesting a cease fire between us.“You’re a real firecracker.If you got to know me, you’d see I’m a nice guy, one of the good ones.”

If I had a nickel for every time I heard those words … I wouldn’t say I’d be rich, but ...

Looking at him now in his tailored suit, striped tie, and leather shoes, I wasn’t the only one in the perfect profession.

“There’s no need to get upset, you know,” he said.“We’re just two people having a conversation.”

Incorrect.

We wereoneperson trying to have a conversation the other wasn’t interested in having.

“I’m not upset,” I said.“Trust me when I say you don’t want to see me that way either.”

He slapped a hand against his pantleg, bent his head back, and laughed.

I thought he was going to make a snarky quip back, but he didn’t.He looked me in the eye, holding my gaze for a few seconds.It was almost like he’d seen something in my expression, something that made him see there was a lot more going on beneath the surface than he realized.

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