Page 171 of Head Room

“Good choice.What about podcasts on law enforcement behaving badly?”

I had him.Not quite guilty, but definitelycaught.

He had multiple approaches open to him.He went for dignity.No wriggling, no denying, no dismissing.I respected his choice.

“I do watch some.They’re instructive.”

The last word surprised me.“Instructive?”

“Watching other law enforcement officers make mistakes and listening to the analysis of what they did wrong, especially regarding citizens’ rights, helps me know how I should act.And not act.”

“Very well-played, Richard.”Deserving of a reward.“Would you like to come with me to talk with Nola Choi?”

“Sounds good.”

No hesitation.No asking how this connected to podcasts.And he barely blushed at all.

****

In the followingdays, first Kam Droemi and then Jay Haus were caught.

Haus swore that he’d only told Miles how the registered agents system worked, not a single word about how to abuse it.

He had a hard time, though, explaining why, after Nance confronted him, he directed the vet to Miles Stevens, then immediately called Stevens.

According to Haus, he hadn’t suspected the dead man in the cabin might be Nance until Frank Jardos was found alive.At that point, Haus fled.

Because he wasn’t involved.

Right?

Kam tried essentially the same excuses, with hers further undermined by proof that Miles Stevens used her address and her computer for the scam, while frequenting her apartment enough that neighbors assumed they were a couple.

With subtle hints from us that did not reveal Jennifer’s research, the authorities found for themselves that the money trail led directly to Miles.He’d paid Kam little and Haus hardly anything.

Less subtly, Jennifer pointed them to information on a number of companies Miles had registered in Wyoming.So far, most face having their registration withdrawn.A few face more serious investigations.

The scientific wizards recovered enough of the serial number on the fire-damaged gun to connect it to a weapon reported lost in a house fire that Miles worked.

That added another piece in the case against him.

But not Jasper Abbott’s case against him.

The decision was made to move prosecution to another county because of the close ties between the sheriff’s department and the fire department.

I suspected the concern was not that this case could be endangered by those ties, but that it might fray future ties.

Frank Jardos cleared up that on the day he walked past Connie without noticing her he’d been going to the fire department.He’d picked up a hint that mail with vets’ names had been delivered to Kam Droemi’s address.She wasn’t there and he didn’t have a chance to follow up.

No big surprise now, but if Shelton had let him give that answer at the campsite, we might have made the connections sooner.

Or not.

Mrs.P brought Clara into line and the negotiations between the museum and the veterans was approved by the board.James Longbaugh was finalizing the paperwork.

The vets and Frank were planning a memorial for Ben Sam Preet — Nance — and a cabin-raising for Frank.

The present from Needham and Thelma was a Christmas ornament with a wonderful hand-painted view of the Circle B home ranch.