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“Come on, Ruthanne. You can’t believe Quinn killed Marcus. For crying out loud. You used to babysit him.”

Ruthanne gave Andy a long, hard look. “First of all, Quinn’s not a baby anymore, and when hewasa baby, he was a holy terror. Secondly, it’s not up to me; it’s up to the chief. Thirdly, whatever Quinn’s been doing for the past sixteen years, it wasn’t teaching Sunday school. He’s got an arsenal in that house.”

“You searched his house?” Andy was shocked at how quickly things were now escalating, given Millard’s lack of movement on the break-ins and the assault on Uncle C.

“State searched his house.Of course.He’s our prime suspect.” She picked up her sandwich and added, “And if I were you, Andy, I’d keep a low profile. The only reason you’re not sitting in a cell beside Quinn is Cutty’s an old friend of the chief.” She took a big bite out her sandwich as though that was the final word.

Andy spared a brief thought for the box of snow globes and ledgers he’d left in Quinn’s front room. What had Statemade ofthatevidence? What had they made of whatever evidence remained in Quinn’s bedroom?

“Did they find anything in the house to connect Quinn to Marcus’s death?”

“I haven’t heard.”

“Has his bail been set?”

“He’s been charged with homicide. He’s being held without bond.” That time she didn’t meet Andy’s gaze.

“That’s bullshit. This whole situation is bullshit. Circumstantial bullshit. You know damn well Quinn didn’t take it upon himself to murder my ex when we haven’t even seen each other in sixteen years.”

Ruthanne chewed, swallowed, said thickly, “Well, judging by Quinn’s place, it looks like you’ve been making up for lost time.”

Andy’s face warmed although there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He and Quinn were both consenting adults.

As if reading his mind, Ruthanne said, “I only bring it up because you’re not exactly an unbiased witness.”

“Hell no, I’m not unbiased. Iknowhe didn’t harm Marcus because he was with me all night.”

She put her sandwich down again. “That’s not as helpful as you think. You’re also in this up to your ears. You’re the one with the motive for getting rid of Bok. Quinn is the one with the skills. That’s how it looks to everyone right now. Bok was a stranger here. No one else in Safehaven had any reason to want him out of the way. You’d already expressed your disbelief that the legal system could help you. Their scenario makes sense on every level.” She added reluctantly, “You think I like this? I don’t want to believe it, but nothing else makes sense.”

“This doesn’t make sense either!”

“Andy—Andrew—Quinn was caught going through Bok’s motel room. He doesn’t deny he bribed the front-office clerk tolet him know any time he saw Bok leaving the premises. He’s got a collection of weapons most hitmen would envy—”

“Does it include letter openers? Because according to Millard, Marcus was killed with a letter opener through the—” His own throat clamped tight, cutting him off.

She ignored that. “And, finally, there’s something hinky about his record.”

“What doesthatmean? Hinky?”

“It means all we’ve been able to do is verify that he worked in some capacity for the government and that he’s mostly been out of the country for the past decade.”

“So what? He worked for the Agency for International Development.”

“Yeah, right.”

“It’s a real thing.”

“I sure never heard of it. No one else has ever heard of it.”

Was this going to be funny at some point? “What is it that you think? That Quinn’s a government assassin, or that he somehow faked his background?”

“That’s what Millard thinks.”

“Which?”

“Either. Both.”

“Why am I not surprised? Does Quinn have a lawyer?”