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"Then you don’t know much about love and respect, do you?"

I couldn’t ith this guy

"Only what ently closed the hood of the Mustang and gave it a loving pat She wasn’t going anywhere

"Actually, I didn’t co," I said

"Oh?"

"I wanted to ask about a case you worked a dozen years ago"

"What case?"

"Brian Becker"

"Brian Becker" He squeezed his eyes shut as if he could conjure an ie of the ," I said

"Sure Killed hie It was eventually ruled an accident"

"Only you didn’t believe it"

"What makes you say that?"

"I read your supple to prove Becker was ht it would work, I would have tried it," Sochacki said

"Why didn’t you believe it was an accident?"

"You read the entire file?"

"Yes"

"Then you tell me"

"Two domestic assaults in nine days prior to Becker’s death"

"Yeah Plus the eleven contacts we’d had with him before that"

"Still"

"I ad," Sochacki said "There was no insurance claied hands There was nothe asshole out of her life for good, Merodie Davies didn’t profit at all from Becker’s death Neither did anyone else that I could find There was no evidence of foul play--no bruises, no contusions on the body, no signs of a struggle; he wasn’t anchored to anything There was nothing there Nothing My partner knew it The boss knew it The county attorney knew it I suppose I knew it, too It just--it just didn’t feel right You said you were on the job"

"Eleven and a half years in St Paul"

"Then you knohat I ht it was the wo ‘Cept the ME said no way There was nothing in Becker’s blood but booze"

"Tell me about the woman in the bar"

"Fro alone until Becker arrived Then they drank alone together After an hour or so they left I never could get an ID on her Witnesses said she had long auburn hair Said she was a beauty Said they never saw her before or since I had hoped she paid for her drinks with a credit card or personal check, but she was all cash"

"Was she waiting for hi for someone Whether it was for Becker specifically or anyone alked through the door, I can’t say"