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Nothing Lynn Peyer Whatever Whatever Matousek had told me proved that Jack Barrett had murdered Elizabeth I could see why she believed it, why she wanted to believe it Others in Victoria probably believed it, too Yet the question remained: Who sent the e-mail? I didn’t think it was Lynn She didn’t strike me as the e-mail type If she had decided to threaten Governor Barrett, she would have done so far less subtly and at a reater volume Besides, how could she have possibly learned Lindsey Bauer’s private e-mail address? I crossed her nahtly, and in pencil

I was idling at the intersection waiting on the light, debating which way to turn next The traffic had an anxious feel to it, like all the drivers were afraid they wereappointine revved impatiently It was a new SLK 320 convertible with the top up, costing about the same as my car I had taken a look at one a few nized the driver ilanced at each other and I noddedHe looked away Was the snub intentional or did he sied and he was off in a hurry I watched the Mercedes disappear around a corner

A fewout of toard the South Dakota border Both Lynn Matousek and Mrs Rogers had asked why I cared about what had happened to Elizabeth I wasn’t sure h I was beginning to think she was the reason I was sent here At the sah as I drove Victoria’s back roads Perhaps she had been searching for someone to speak for her after all these years and finally found afor me to think, I know Yet the idea pleased me just the same It made me feel iers had said earlier "Perhaps you were sent by God"

"Yeah, right Me and God" I crossed reater Victoria area that I had purchased at the convenience store and was now following it to the Hugoson far By five the sun would set I had hoped to arrive at my destination before then As it turned out, I drove past the farm and was nearly two miles down the road before I realized my mistake and doubled back

I couldn’t estie, its snow-covered fields stretching toward the setting sun The far and plowed to the dirt It started at the county blacktop and rose up a slight incline to a white two-story house with blue shutters that were badly in need of paint There were two large pole barns flanking the house, both made of sheet metal The driveway ended in a kind of courtyard framed by the three structures I parked in the center, turned off the engine, and slid out of the Audi The huge door to the nearest pull barn was open and I moved toward it A hard crust had formed on the snow It made each step sound like I had dropped my car keys

Just inside the door, I could see the back end of a dark blue pickup I called out and a man dressed for a tedious day’s work in the hard cold stepped around the truck and into the courtyard

I recognized hinize hi his head or gesturing with his hands, relying on peripheral vision instead of nornized the way he controlled the ave his face expression and spoke in a restrained conversational range, neither low nor loud, excited nor dull He was an ex-con, someone who had done the kind of tioson?" I asked

"Whatever you’re sellin’ I ain’t interested in buyin’ and by the looks of that car of yours, I doubt I could afford it, anyway"

"My name’s McKenzie I’d like to talk to you about--"

"I knohat you want to talk about and I ain’t havin’ none of it Get off ood, do you, boy?"

He stepped nearer Sohter, harder, with eyes that held all the war so I would know that he was a dangerousa trespasser It was unnecessary I already kneas a dangerous ht hand moved slowly to the spot on un if I hadn’t been so careless as to leave it in love compartment

"News travels fast in a sht, but he was quicker,directly into oson strung together a half dozen altogether filthy obscenities that suggested he wasn’t afraid of anything,city punk of dubious sexual orientation