Page 61 of Don't Say a Word

King was in her forties with wide hips and what appeared to be a perpetual sour expression. Highlights in her brown hair had grown out well past the point that she needed a touch-up because her gray hair was obvious. I wasn’t being judgy—okay, maybe a little—but she looked tired and preoccupied, and she definitely didn’t want to be here.

“How do you know Lena Clark?”

“I don’t, I met her yesterday.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“In her office.”

“Did she hire you?”

“No.”

“Who hired you?”

“For what?”

She frowned. “Why did you meet with Clark?”

“To get her opinion about Elijah Martinez.”

King did a double take. “What?”

“To get her opinion about Elijah Martinez,” I repeated.

“I heard you. Who are you working for?”

“I have a lot of clients.”

“Why are you being evasive?”

“I’m not. I do have a lot of clients.” Right now, only two—three if I counted Mrs. Martinez—but Ihavehad a lot of clients in the past, and anticipate having a lot in the future. She didn’t need to know any of that.

“Who hired you to investigate anything surrounding Elijah Martinez’s death?”

I flirted with the idea of telling her it was confidential because I didn’t like her attitude, but then decided she’d probably find out anyway since it wasn’t a secret.

“Alina Martinez.”

She blinked, surprised. This woman would never be able to play poker with an Angelhart.

“His mother?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I wanted to say,To do your job, but I didn’t, no matter what I thought of her half-assed investigation.

I also didn’t want to give her so much information that she might pull the you’re-interfering-with-a-police-investigation card. So I said, “Alina doesn’t know where Elijah was after he left work Friday night until he died in the park. His phone and backpack are missing. I’m retracing his steps.”

Which is what you should have done, I thought.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. What was she going to say? There was nothing in the police report that indicated she had investigated that angle.

Then she said something that surprised me. “We believe that someone in the homeless community came across his body and took his possessions. This has happened in the past in similar situations. He died between one and three a.m., and wasn’t discovered until after five in the morning.”

“That wasn’t in the report.”