Page 70 of The 6:20 Man

“A woman at my firm was found dead. Suicide, they thought. Now it looks like murder.”

“I heard about that. What was her name again?”

“Sara Ewes.”

“Is that why you’re here to talk to Brad?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you know her?”

“I did,” he replied.

“Why would anyone want to kill her?”

“That’s what the cops are trying to find out.”

She shivered. “There are so many creeps in this world.”

He looked past her, out to the pool area.

“My train comes through here early every morning. It stops right behind this place, for reasons unknown to anyone other than some systems engineer.”

She glanced where he was looking. “I’m in the pool sometimes in the morning.”

“I know you are.”

He let that hang out there.

She looked back at him, her manner unapologetic and her eyes wide and seeing . . . everything. “So you’re trying to tell me, in a painfully roundabout way, that you’ve checked me out?”

“Me and every other guy on board. I think the popularity of the six twenty is spiking. Word gets around.”

Now her face flushed, and not in a good way.

“I didn’t say that to embarrass you,” he said hastily. “I’m just amazed you’re up that early.”

She composed herself. “I like to have time to myself. Meditate, swim.”

“That’s a good thing.”

She sharpened her look at him. “Don’t patronize me.”

He said, “Not my intent. Before I catch the train, I do a full workout starting at four a.m. I guess that’s a form of meditation for me. Endorphins, fresh start to the day.”

“You look very fit,” she said, running her gaze over him so slowly and provocatively that he felt like he was naked.

“Army sort of required it. And I’ve kept it up because I like to be able to take care of myself.” Like I did in that alley.

“I wasn’t aware that people on the train could see the pool area. There’re trees back there.”

“Right, but there’s also a gap.”

She gave him an enigmatic look. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Okay.”

“Six twenty? Why do you go in to work so early?” she asked.