Page 12 of The Smart Killer

As he strolled away, Noah looked back into the room. The boy had been treated and was, by all accounts, now in a good state of mind. That’s what troubled him. He didn’t hesitate. Noah glanced back down the corridor before he went back inside.

Jason locked eyes with him.

“So how come you’re not in uniform — are you undercover?” Jason asked.

“No. I work for State Police as an investigator.”

“Huh.” He lowered his chin and then looked back at him. “Are you going to arrest me?”

“That’s not up to me.”

“But the cops think I started the fire, right? Because of my history.”

Noah cocked his head and walked over to the window, and looked out. The rain had stopped, but the grey skies hadn’t cleared. It felt like the calm before the storm, a momentary reprieve before it unleashed another downpour. “Let’s say it didn’t help.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“Take me through it again. What were you doing outside?”

“I forgot my key. I wasn’t going to smash a window. I did that once and got heck for it.” He dropped his chin and then lifted his eyes. “I keep a stash of dope in the shed. You know, so my mother can’t find it. Figured I would chill and wait until she got home.”

“Weed?”

“Yeah.”

“What else?”

His brow furrowed. “That was all.”

“Jason. I want to believe you, but that relies on you telling the truth.”

“I am.”

“The doctor said you had more than that in your system.”

Jason looked away toward the window.

“Where did you get it?”

“I thought this was about Mr. Johnson?”

“It is. Where did you get the LSD and morphine?”

He paused for a second or two. “From a buddy of mine.”

“You got a name for your friend?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Then I can’t help you here.” Noah headed for the door. “You’ll probably go down for drug use and arson.”

“All right!” he sighed. “I got it from a group in town. They hang out behind Big G’s High Peaks Lanes.”

“The bowling alley?”

He nodded. “Guy named Zeke. I don’t know his last name.”

Noah nodded. He’d been wondering about the distribution of the liquid morphine since he’d gotten wind of it being in the area. “All right. And then what happened?”