THE WAKE-UP CALL came way too early, but after a long shower with plastic wrap covering my entire thigh (thanks to the hotel kitchen), I actually felt pretty good. In fact, I came out of the bathroom with a clear head and full of new ideas. I’ve always done my best thinking in the morning, particularly in the shower. I go to sleep with problems swirling in my head, and the next morning, the mental files drop neatly into their proper drawers.
I slipped out of the room without waking Beth and joined Clovis at breakfast. I brought up my concerns about Beth’s safety right off the bat. Would she be safer back at Davidson?
“For the next couple of days, until we get the real threats sorted out, I think she needs to stay here with the rest of you. Hopefully, the situation will calm down, but for now, Beth would be an easy target at college.”
“Have I got this straight? As long as I’m here in Little Rock, Beth is at risk. But if I send her back to school, she’s even more at risk, as long as I’m here? That’s one hell of an argument for packing my bags right now.”
“It’s not that simple. Right now, it’s only my educated guess that the threats are the result of someone trying to get you to leave. I could be wrong. The police and Bruce Morgan think I am. They think the threats are crackpots and the car was pure happenstance.”
“It still boils down to the same thing, Clovis—we’re making decisions without information. I can’t help Woody, and you can’t protect Beth or me, until we know what and who we’re up against. So let’s change that.”
“Okay by me. What’ve you got in mind?”
“Let’s start with me hiring you for more than just security.”
Clovis nodded. “You got it.”
I told Clovis what I needed him to do, my “shower thoughts” having worked their way into a checklist. I first told him about the possibility that men disguised as state troopers had stolen Woody’s computer and files right after the shooting. He agreed with me that, if this were true, somebody had to have known some part of what Woody had planned to do before he had done it. This possibility opened a huge can of worms.
Next, I asked him to make copies of the key and note and to see if the key opened a safe-deposit box where Woody banked. Subject to Mitch Purdue advising me otherwise, I was going to give the originals to Sam this afternoon. I asked Clovis to see if he could find out where Woody might have bought the gun he used and to interview the clerk who’d sold it to him. Helen was sure Woody had never owned a gun or brought one into the house. I guessed that it had been purchased recently, and the police could tell Clovis where. I asked him to find Woody’s car if the police didn’t already have it. And last, I gave him a list of questions to ask Russell’s staff. Clovis took notes, sometimes smiling, sometimes questioning why I wanted something, and occasionally shaking his head in amazement. When I finished, he closed his notebook sharply and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Maggie warned me about you. She said you go along acting like you aren’t paying a lick of attention. Then, all of a sudden, you’re miles ahead of anyone else, handing out assignments and spouting off theories.”
“Maggie exaggerates.”
“Not if this list is any indication.”
As we finished, Beth came into the restaurant, for once up early and ready for the day. She sat down and asked, “So, did you guys talk about Jeff?”
“Jeff?” Clovis looked at me. “Your Dad asked me whether you should stay here or go back to school, but he didn’t tell me about any Jeff. Do you mean the young fella who called me last night to find out if you really were safe here in Little Rock?”
Beth smiled sheepishly. “Yes, that Jeff. Jeff Fields. He thinks I need to come back to Davidson.”
“I don’t think getting you back to Davidson is about safety. That young man misses you. If the traffic between your phones is any indication, I know you miss him as well.”
I was impressed that Clovis had the technology to monitor the traffic on our phones, but Beth scowled. “You’d better not be listening in on my calls.”
Clovis just grinned. “For the next few days, I think it’s better for you to stay here. But you’re pretty much an adult. It’s ultimately your decision whether to stay or go. If you decide to stay, I’ll explain the circumstances to Jeff the next time he calls.”
“Thanks, but I can handle Jeff.” She tossed her head a little.
“Your Dad tells me he wants you and me to work together for the next few days. He says you’re good with computers.”
“I am, but what—”
I interrupted, “I gave Clovis a long list of items to investigate. We both need someone who’s smart, experienced in computer research, and can interpret and report accurately. Other than Maggie, you’re the only one I trust to do this right. Talk to Clovis about it while I get ready to see Lucy Robinson.”
Beth ordered a Diet Coke, and they got right to it. I knew that once she’d learned what I needed, she’d have ten more ideas, and she would be giving the orders.
When I walked out of the restaurant, I found Brenda waiting for me in the lobby.
“Mr. Patterson, can you come into my office for a moment? It will just take a minute.”
I followed her, and she closed the door behind us. As I turned to face her, her arms went around my neck and her mouth met mine. Totally shocked, I wasn’t sure how to react. I tried to kiss her back, fumbling a bit. But she stepped back awkwardly, refusing to look at me, and nudged me out the door. “Have a nice day, Mr. Patterson.”
I had no idea what to think, so I didn’t. I had been in her office less than a minute, and if anyone was watching, the only thing that had changed was that I now had a smile on my face.
I hurried to my room to put on a tie and was pleased to see I hadn’t spilled anything on my clean shirt at breakfast. I grabbed my coat and went back to join Clovis and Beth, carefully avoiding Brenda’s office. She was more than I could think about right now.
They were right where I had left them, still huddled together.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Good,” said Beth, “but I’m going to need a new and faster computer.”
“Really?” I frowned.
“My laptop is too slow for what we need, and the laptop Maggie brought belongs to your firm. Clovis knows a guy who has exactly what we need. He’s already downloading the software and will bring it to the hotel this morning. We can’t protect the information we discover using someone else’s computer.”
“Okay …”
“I need one with a quad-core chip, at least.”
I sighed. Sure enough, Beth was already giving orders, and I was falling in line.