Page 25 of The 6:20 Man

He stared down at her. She looked very small in her two-inch satin pumps. And he looked very big in his cheap suit.

“Why were you asking all those questions about Sara?”

“Because she’s dead and I was curious,” he replied.

“Curious about what? She killed herself.”

Devine said, “Curious about why she did it. It’s happened before at Cowl. Four years ago. The guy had just been fired via the ever-so-personal email torpedo. And his fiancée gave him the ring back when she found out. So the guy ate a round from a gun he bought illegally two hours later.”

“How did you find all that out?” she said, looking both puzzled and worried.

“Come on, these days can anyone actually have a secret that someone else can’t find out about with a few computer clicks?”

“And do you have secrets?” she said aggressively.

“A ton of them. And at some point, they’ll come back to bury me.”

They may already have.

This statement seemed to take her aback. He decided to change tactics and show he actually had some empathy.

“Look, Jennifer, I’m not proud of what happened at that bar. While I was trained by the Army to do it, I don’t like wrecking guys. I gave them multiple chances to walk away and they just wouldn’t do it. But I would have much preferred it never happened.”

“Why were you at the bar?”

“If you want the truth, I saw you go in. I wanted to talk to you about Sara. She was really nice to me, and I’m beyond bewildered that she would have killed herself. I mean, she had everything to live for, unless I’m missing something.”

Stamos was quiet for a few moments. “Are you going straight home, or can we get a bite to eat and maybe have a drink? I thought we could talk. You know. About Sara . . . and stuff.”

He looked at his watch. It was not yet 6 p.m. They let you off early on Saturday, or so they said. Actually, he’d just walked out. There were other newbies up there still analyzing away, writing reports to later be trashed, terrified to leave their seats until the coast was truly clear. Which would, in truth, be never.

“I’m always game for a beer. And talking about Sara might be good for both of us.”

“There’s a place I know down by the water.”

He loosened the skinny tie he’d bought online for three bucks. Then he held out his hand in the direction of the harbor. “After you.”