[

“They confirmed Joe worked there, right?” I said.

[

“What for?” I asked him.

Finlay just shrugged.

[

[

“So that’s it?” I said. “Is that all you got?”

[

“No,” I said. “Should I have?”

[

“So what did she tell you?” I asked him.

[

I nodded.

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Finlay nodded.

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[

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I shrugged.

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[

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The tired man at the desk prepared to answer. Like preparing for a lecture. He picked up three files from his left and dropped them on his blotter. Opened the top one. Pulled out the second one and opened that, too.

[

He glanced around the three of us again. Finlay nodded to him.

[

[

“I’d put it at about ten minutes,” he said. “Ten minutes, beginning to end. So the woman was being held. The man was being nailed to the wall. I’d guess both were naked by then. They were in nightwear before the attack, right?”

[

[

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[

Roscoe was as white as the guy’s coat. I thought she was going to pitch forward off her stool. She closed her eyes and hung on. She was hearing about what somebody had planned for us last night.

“And?” Finlay said.

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[

“Weapons?” I asked.

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[

“A razor?” I said.

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“Why?” I said.

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I nodded. Roscoe and Finlay were silent.

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Roscoe looked up.

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[

[

“So what can you tell us?” I said.

[

“So what else do you know?” I asked him.

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[

“He was?” I said.

“I think so,” the guy said. Sounded confident.

[

“Go on,” he said.

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[

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“Why?” Finlay asked him.

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[

“You sound so much like Joe,” she said.

[

[

I heard her sniffing, and then her voice came back clear.

“He was running an investigation,” she said. “Into what, I don’t know specifically.”