Page 167 of Head Room

Mike went theother way around and slipped in at the fire station’s farthest bay.

I glanced back along the sidewalk.Jennifer was in front of the sheriff’s department, prepared to rouse the cavalry.Diana provided closer backup if needed.

I walked into the open bay, spotting a figure at the back as I had the first day.

Miles Stevens.

An anagram for Stelmen Viess.A puzzle Irene Jardos created.

“Hi Miles.”

“Hi Elizabeth.”He sounded surprised, not concerned.He was using an old towel to wipe grease from a part.“Aren’t you getting married today?”

“I am.This afternoon.”No need to get into the details of Wedding One and Wedding Two.“That’s why I’m going to get right to the point.

“When the call came in that Sergeant Frank Jardos’ cabin was on fire, you tried like the devil to be the lead.Must have been a bad moment for you, since you’d left it earlier that day and it wasn’t burning then.But there was a dead body in it.

“But you tried to turn it to your advantage.Did you use the cover of the fire to kick the gun away from the body to make it look more like Frank Jardos planned the fire to cover up the premeditated murder of Nance?You kept coming back to his doing the clear-cut right before the fire, trying to add that in as evidence that he was guilty.

“What you should have considered is that the money trail leads right to you.We—” By which I meant Jennifer, but since she might have gone a tiny bit over the hacking line to get information fast this morning, I was not singling her out.“—have proof of that.Account numbers, deposits, the whole thing.

“And not just from the initial registering of bad actor businesses using other people’s names, but additional services to truly nasty enterprises who arenotgoing to be happy you got caught and thus exposed them.

“That must have been your first thought when Haus sent Nance after you.You must have tried to talk him around.But you couldn’t be sure, could you.You followed him to that cabin.And, how fortunate for you, he was alone.”

Not relaxed now.“I don’t get where you’re going with this.”

“I thought I was clear.You murdered Nance — Ron Sam Preet.It might not matter to you, but that’s an anagram for Peter Ransom.”

I heard faint sounds from where Diana and Mike stood.We’d have to catch up Jennifer later.

“I have no idea what you’re—”

“Maybe you don’t have any idea about Peter Ransom, because you haven’t read Irene Jardos’ manuscript.Everybody says she saw right through people.She certainly saw the truth well before you killed him that Ron Sam Preet was a good guy and Stelmen Viess was not.You know what Stelmen Viess is an anagram for?Miles Stevens.”

“That’s bull—”

He didn’t even finish the word.He threw the greasy piece of machinery and towel at me and ran.

I call that an admission of guilt.

He ran right into Mike, who had stopped far, far better men than Miles Stevens.

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

The cavalry arrivedalmost before they were needed, with Richard and another deputy taking Miles into custody.

Shelton ordered all of us to the sheriff’s department.

And then Shelton had the gall to want to ask questions —questions!— when the hour of my wedding was nearing.

He kept us waiting and waiting.

During the wait, Diana assessed the damage from the oily stuff thrown at me.

The good news was he’d missed my hair.It took a fair amount of scrubbing to get it off my face.The t-shirt was a loss.

Russ Conrad showed up.