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Andy didn’t bother arguing. Maybe because there was a little bit of truth to that. Cutty had never discouraged Andy’s friendship with Quinn, but more than once he’d cautioned Andy not to ignore hisbetter instincts.

“Are you seriously suggesting Quinn attacked my uncle Friday night?”

Millard gave it a moment’s consideration. “Nah. I told you. That was kids getting out of hand.”

“And whoever tried to break in Saturday afternoon? Was that supposed to be Quinn?”

“Of course not. Those damned kids didn’t realize you were there.”

“And Saturday night?”

Millard frowned. “What about Saturday night?”

Ah. This was tricky. Andy had not reported the Saturday night attempt at a break-in because Marcus had scared off the burglar whenhebroke in. In fact, Andy had only Quinn’s word that there had been a third attempt. Telling Millard that Quinn had been lurking in the alley outside Time in a Bottle, waitingfor Marcus to show up, was not going to improve either Quinn’s position or his own.

He said instead, “The break-in at Miriam Labelle’s. You don’t think it’s connected?”

Millard said slowly, “Connected how?”

Once again, Andy felt a flicker of caution. “You don’t think a string of local burglaries might be connected?”

Millard gave a short laugh. “You’ll never convince me a bunch of juvenile delinquents attacked and murdered your boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend. And according to you, juvenile delinquents attacked and nearly killed my uncle, so why not Marcus?”

Millard was staring at Andy like Andy was the crazy one. “You’re trying to tell me those kids conveniently came back last night just to get rid of your boyfriend?”

“Why not? According to you, they’re running around the countryside, breaking into places left and right.”

“You’re going to have to come up with a better story than that.”

“A betterstory? How about proof of innocence? Have you checked the security cameras of the shops adjacent to Time in a Bottle?”

“We checked Saturday morning,” Millard said wearily. “None of those cameras are positioned to capture the front of Time in a Bottle. Or the alleyway.” Millard shook his head. “I told Cutty about a hundred times he should install a security system.”

“I’ll tell you where there are cameras to capture Quinn’s and my comings and goings. All the security cameras up and down Chestnut Street. All those expensive houses will have expensive security systems. Quinn’s got a security system himself. That’s going to show when we arrived and when we left and any comings and goings in between.”

As he said it, Andy realized that if Quinn had left the house during the night, Andy had just placed him in Millard’s crosshairs. But if Quinn had killed Marcus, Quinn was not who Andy believed he was. Andy wasn’t going to protect a murderer. Not even a murderer who maybe, misguidedly, thought he was doing Andy a favor.

Quinn had not killed Marcus. Andy was positive of that. He added, “That street’s a cul-de-sac. There’s only one way in and one way out. If Quinn left the house, it’s going to show up on someone’s camera. And if he didn’t—and Iknowhe didn’t—that’s his alibi.”

Millard looked surprised—had he really not considered the cameras on Chestnut Street?—and then wary.

“You sound pretty sure of that.”

“Iamsure.”

Millard’s face lightened. “But maybe he left on foot.”

“He’d still show up on camera. He’d show up on someone’s camera somewhere, including the shops along Main Street.”

“Maybe he avoided the cameras.”

“All the cameras?Allthe cameras in town? Really?”

Millard’s face tightened. He said nothing.

“Those cameras are his alibi andmyalibi. So unless you’re going to charge me—in which case I want to speak to my lawyer—I’m leaving.”