Page 77 of Cold Vengeance

“It would take the explanation of a lifetime for me to understand that.”

“One thing you need to realize is that if I’d gone to bed earlier, I wouldn’t have seen that SUV outside. And I might not have heard his car door slam. This could have turned out much worse. Can you see that?”

“You’re trying to handle me,” Tony said. “Knock it off.”

“What I’m saying is true, Tony. But let’s move past that.” She leaned forward in her chair. “We were having supper and my brother said something about almost hitting a deer on the way here, do you remember?”

“No, not really,” Tony said.

“Anyway ... I was doing the dishes when I kept going back to our conversation. I knew there was something bothering me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. That’s when I remembered what Dan said. And then I recalled something else. I just wasn’t certain where I’d heard it. I started wondering if it was on April’s podcasts or in her notebook. I also wondered if I’d made a note about it in my own notebook. But I’d left it, along with my laptop, at the office. I had to have them, Tony. Because if I was right, it would reveal the person who killed the hitchhiker, Cheryl Armitage. I do have to add that he had help. At this point, I’m not sure who did what, although they’re both to blame.”

“I’m not following, but keep going,” he said.

“As I was saying, I needed to prove that he’d said it.” She held her hand up before he could say anything else. “Just listen. Anyway, he’d mentioned something I should have picked up on right away. To be honest, I have no idea why he even brought it up. I’m sure he didn’t mean to. I think he probably used it as an excuse back then to cover his tracks and he repeated it to me without thinking. Because of who he was, no one thought to challenge him. Or if anyone was suspicious, they were too afraid of him to say anything. I have no idea if he realized later what he’d revealed. He might not have. I just can’t be sure. Then last night, while I was at the office, I did a quick search under his name. I wanted toknow if he’d crossed the line before. You know, done something that would make my suspicions look credible. It was then that I noticed it. The nail in his coffin, so to speak. Although right now, that might be a little too literal.”

River turned her laptop toward Tony. He gasped when he saw the photo. “You’ve got to be kidding. How could it be him?”

“Two reasons. On the night that Cheryl Armitage died, Detective Vincent Porter said that he’d hit a deer on the way to the crime scene.”

“That’s not really enough to make you think he ran over Cheryl. People hit deer quite a bit in Missouri—although it does give me pause.”

“That’s only the first thing that turned me on to him. Now look at his ring.”

Tony looked closer at the photo. Porter was wearing some kind of signet ring. It looked very familiar. Where had he seen it before? That’s when it hit him. “It’s the same ring Jeffrey Bailey wears.”

“Right. I looked it up. It’s some kind of Masonic thing. I can’t prove it, but I’m sure Detective Armbruster will be able to track it down. It made me suspect that Jeffrey and Porter knew each other.”

“Which leads me to my next question,” Tony said. “How did the police show up so quickly tonight?”

“I found Arnie’s number in your address book. By the way, most people keep their phone numbers on their phone, Grandpa.”

“He’s called you. His number is on your cell phone.”

River didn’t say anything, but her cheeks turned slightly pink.

Tony shook his head. “You left this house alone, unprotected. And you forgot your cell phone?”

River looked sheepish. “Let’s not focus on the negative, all right?” She frowned at him. “That vein in your neck is throbbing.”

“You think? We’re going to have a long talk later about thechances you took tonight. And don’t tell me again how everything turned out okay because you weren’t in your room when Porter showed up.”

River didn’t say anything for a moment. She must have realized he was upset and decided to back off.

“Anyway, I called Arnie from the office. I guess he decided we might be in danger. I thank God he sent two patrol cars and the fire department over here. If he hadn’t...”

Tony reached down and patted Watson’s head. “I don’t want to think about that. I take it that burning pile of... whatever... outside is Porter?”

River nodded.

“So, now Porter’s dead. We need to find Jeffrey and look for answers.”

“I’ve tried calling him, Tony. He’s not answering his phone.”

“It’s really late. He’s probably asleep.”

“Maybe,” River said slowly, “but I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“You’re thinking Jeffrey Bailey and a crooked cop were working together? Why? Just because of the ring? So where’s April?”

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