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Trooper Calten makes a show of searching the cab, saving the underside of the driver’s seat for last. He spends a long time looking under there, even getting his flashlight from his cruiser. Then he slams the door and gives Danny a flat look.

“What about that Breathalyzer?” Danny asks.

“Sir, are you being smart with me?” Danny can’t tell if the cop’s cheeks are flushed or if it’s sunburn.

“No. But I wasn’t weaving and we both know it.”

“I’m going to write you up for reckless driving, Mr. Coughlin.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Danny says. “If you do, I’ll see you in court. Where my lawyer will ask if you spoke to Inspector Jalbert of the KBI prior to pulling me over. Then you’ll have to decide whether you want to tell the truth or commit perjury. Which might or might not come back to bite you in the ass. Do you want that?”

Calten takes a minute while trying to decide if he wants to push this. It’s not sunburn; definitely a flush. Danny thinks it’s nice not to be playing defense for once. Calten hands him back his license and registration. “Try to keep on your side of the road from now on, sir.”

Danny almost pushes it a little farther, almost asks if Calten doesn’t at least want to give him a warning, and decides enough is enough. Calten is armed, and he still hasn’t snapped the strap over the butt of his service weapon.

“I will, Officer.”

“Get out of here.”

Calten follows him for five miles, almost riding Danny’s bumper, then turns off. The rest of Danny’s trip to Great Bend is without incident.

37

Edgar Ball is waiting for him at the far end of the KBI station’s parking lot. He asks Danny how his trip was. Danny tells him about Trooper Calten.

“Unbelievable,” Ball says. “Are you sure you want to take that dope back?”

“It should be safe enough now, Jalbert took his shot.” Danny hopes he’s right about that, and also hopes he won’t be arrested later by Inspector Davis.

Ball opens the trunk of his car and hands Danny the McDonald’s bag. Danny puts it in the center console, and this time he locks his truck.

“Let’s go in,” Danny says. “Watch Jalbert when he sees me. That’ll be interesting.”

But it’s not. What they see is the barest flicker of surprise, there and gone. The room, equipped with audio-visual recording equipment, is crowded. In addition to Jalbert and Davis, there’s a tubby bald guy named Albert Heller and a suit-wearing beefcake named Vernon Ramsey. Heller is the Wilder County Attorney. Ramsey is a detective from Oklahoma City. With six people crowded in, the feel is downright claustrophobic. Somewhere in this facility there’s probably a more spacious conference room, but conferencing isn’t what Jalbert and Heller have in mind. What they have in mind is breaking Danny down. Now that he’s here.

Introductions are made. Hands are shaken (Danny and Jalbert forgo this). The Miranda warning is given, this time by the county attorney. Heller finishes by announcing for the record that “Mr. Coughlin has brought his counselor at law.”

Heller takes the lead, covering the same ground that was covered at Danny’s last interview. They sit facing each other, with Edgar Ball on Danny’s side of the table and Ella Davis on Heller’s. Ramsey leans against the wall, face impassive. Jalbert stands in the corner with his arms crossed.

Under questioning, Danny recounts his dream. He recounts his trip out to the abandoned gas station in Dart County. He recounts his clumsy attempt to make an anonymous report. When Heller asks why he called, Danny tells him about the dog. “It was digging her up. Chewing on her. I’m sure you saw the photographs.”

Heller tells him they need to know much more about where Danny was during the first three weeks of June. Danny says he’ll help all he can, but he doesn’t keep a diary or anything.

When Heller runs out of questions, Vernon Ramsey, the Oklahoma City cop, steps forward. “Did you kill Yvonne Wicker?”

“No.”

Ramsey steps back. He has no follow-up questions. Jalbert whispers something in his ear and Ramsey nods, face impassive.

Heller winds things up by telling Danny not to leave the county.

Danny shakes his head. “I’m actually planning to leave the county and the state. My name was printed in a free handout newspaper. I’m the prime suspect, and somebody wanted to make sure everyone in central Kansas knew it.” Danny’s eyes flick to Jalbert. Jalbert looks blandly back.

“I can assure you no one involved in the murder investigation gave your name to the press,” Heller says. “That was unfortunate, but nevertheless it would be a very bad idea for you to leave the town of Manitou, let alone Kansas. It would have conse—”

“Arrest me,” Danny says. “If you want to keep me in Kansas, arrest me.”

Heller stares at him. Ella Davis looks down at her hands, which are folded on the table. Ramsey appears to be studying the ceiling. Jalbert is openly glaring.