Fugitive

“Hey, look, I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. I don’t know what I was thinking. Let’s start over. Why don’t you tell me about the witness we’re going to interview?”

“We aren’t interviewing anyone, De

“Right, right. I get that. It was a figure of speech.”

“I’m glad we have that straight. Ralph Day was Junior’s opponent in the election. Pope defeated him the first time he ran for Congress but Day won when Junior was killed. Day was also at the Westmont on the evening the murder took place.”

“What do you think he can tell us…you…that will help Charlie’s case?”

“I have no idea.”

“Speaking of ideas, I got a few when I was going through the Pope file.”

“Such as?”

“We should talk to Werner Rollins. After he cut a deal with the cops, Rollins said he saw Marsh shoot Pope, but he could have been pressured to finger Charlie. Twelve years have gone by. Who knows what he’d say now. If he retracts his statement it will really help clear Charlie.”

Kate had never thought Levy was stupid-just obnoxious-and she was impressed by his insight.

“That’s good thinking, De

“Great! Say, if you find him can I come along?”

“I’ll have to ask Amanda.”

“Oh, sure. Put in a good word for me, will you? I’d appreciate it.”

“I’ll do that.”

RALPH DAY’S INSURANCE agency was in a strip mall on the outskirts of Hillsboro. Day walked into the waiting room moments after his secretary buzzed him. He was a large, affable man in his early sixties with a little excess weight and a full head of white hair. He wore a charcoal gray suit and a conservative tie and looked the part of a successful insurance salesman. When they were seated in his office, Kate explained De

“I read about the shooting at the courthouse,” Day said. “Was anyone hurt?”

“We were lucky. The sniper missed with both shots.”

“Thank God for that.” Day paused. He looked pensive. “Can you tell me why Marsh is coming back after all these years?”

“That’s what everyone wants to know,” Kate answered.

“I guess it will come out at the trial. So, what did you want to ask me? I don’t know what help I can be. This all happened so long ago.”

“I guess I should start by asking you about your relationship with Arnold Pope Jr. around the time he was killed.”

“That’s easy enough. I hated Pope’s guts. No, let me amend that. It was his father’s guts I hated. Junior didn’t have any. He was just the old man’s puppet. There were times I actually felt sorry for Junior. He didn’t have a mind or life of his own.”

“Can you explain that?” Kate asked.

“Sure. Arnie Jr. was the political equivalent of one of those prepackaged boy bands the record companies put together. Senior started grooming him to be president from the moment he was born.”

“I’ve been doing a little research and you credited Senior’s money with Junior’s victory in your first contest.”

“No question. I raised a decent amount for my campaign but I couldn’t compete. I couldn’t prove it but I know that Senior violated every campaign financing rule on the books. He fu

“Would he have won a second term if he wasn’t murdered?”

“I’m far enough from the race to give you an honest answer. Junior would have kicked my butt. The boy had no substance but that was a hard point to make with an electorate that wasn’t paying much attention to our race. Of course, everyone paid attention when he got killed, and I was able to get a lot of free TV time.”

“You won the seat, so maybe you would have won anyway.”

“No, not a chance. If Junior hadn’t died I would have lost, but Junior’s party had to scramble to find someone to run against me and the best they could come up with was a retired county commissioner that nobody liked much. Senior never forgave me for taking Arnie’s spot in Congress. Next time around, he tried to bury me under his money again. I was better prepared and I won reelection, but it was close and he came at me every two years until he finally got me after my third term.”

“Do you miss being in Congress?” Kate asked sympathetically.

“I did but I’m over it. Life’s been pretty good to me. I dealt with the setback and put it behind me.”

“I understand you were at the Westmont the evening Junior was killed.”

Day nodded.

“What can you remember about the fight and the shooting?”

“Boy, that’s a tough one. It was dark and very chaotic, and I didn’t have a real clear impression of what happened even then.”

“That’s okay. Just give it your best shot.”

“Okay, well, I didn’t go to the club to hear the guru. I wasn’t into all that self-improvement stuff. I came to be seen, part of the politicking. I got to the Westmont just as Marsh’s entourage arrived and I parked in the lot. I was almost at the front entrance when the fight started.”

Day stared into space for a moment, his expression blank. Then he brightened.

“I do remember a big black man fighting with a security guard. People were pushing to get out of the way and I was shoved back from the action. Then I heard a shot. When I turned I saw Junior staggering. I remember Sally ru

“Can you remember anyone else in the crowd, a witness we can talk to who may have seen something?”

Day’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember the twelve-year-old scene. After a while, he rattled off a few names Kate recognized from the police reports.

“That’s all the people I can recall right now. I’ll think about it some more and if…”

Day paused. “Oh, I’ve got one more. Tony Rose was there.”

“You saw Rose?”

“He was on the edge of the crowd almost in a line from where I was but much closer to the pro shop.”

“Near the spot where you saw the guard and the black man fighting?”

“Right. He may have had a better view of the shooting. You should ask him.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Kate said.

“IT LOOKS LIKE the interview was a bust. Day doesn’t know much,” De

“Yeah, but we didn’t know that before we talked to him,” Kate answered, concealing from De

“You know, I feel bad about the way I acted when we were on our way to see Day,” Levy said. “I’d like to make it up to you.”

“Forget about it. I have.”

“No, seriously, how about di

Kate turned her head for a second and Levy flashed a wolfish grin. The investigator made a note to ask Amanda for hazardous duty pay.

“Thanks, De

“He doesn’t have to know. Tell him it’s a business meeting.”

“De

Levy’s grin shifted from wolfish to sly. “Maybe.”

“Don’t.”

“By this time next year, I guarantee you I’m going to be famous and rich. You could do a lot worse.”

“De