The Innocent (Will Robie 1)

questions,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she answered.

Liar, thought Robie.

CHAPTER

40

THEY SAT IN Robie’s rental and watched her parents’ duplex.

Julie squirmed a bit and said, “Exactly how is this getting us anywhere?”

“We’re seeing if anyone interesting shows up. I’ll give it another half hour and we’ll move on.”

“This is busy work, right? You’re trying to make me so bored I’ll quit and go back and sit at the apartment, right?”

“Are you always so skeptical of everyone?”

“Pretty much, yeah. And are you telling me you’re not skeptical?”

“Within reason.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Forget it.”

He looked out his window and watched as a stray cat skittered down the sidewalk. A few drops of rain started to fall and the animal picked up its pace, disappearing down an alley.

“How long had your parents lived here?”

“About two years. Longest we lived anywhere.”

He glanced over at her. “So give me the short version of your life.”

“Not much to tell.”

“It might help the investigation.”

“I just remembered something. Something my mom said when the guy with the gun was there.”

“What?”

“When the guy started to come after me my mom said, ‘She doesn’t know anything.’ ”

Robie sat up straighter and his grip tightened on the wheel. “How did you forget to tell me that?”

“I don’t know. Just being back here and seeing the house made me think of it.”

“She told the guy that you didn’t know know anything,” said Robie. “Which implies that your mom did know something. And before you said the guy asked your dad what he knew.”

“I see where you’re going with this. So now somebody thinks I know it too, despite what my mom said. But if the guy who was after me died in the explosion?”

“Doesn’t matter. He would have communicated to whomever he was working for.”

“Maybe he was a loner?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“He wasn’t the type. I can tell. And besides, someone removed your parents’ bodies and blew up that bus. And it wasn’t him. He wouldn’t have had time or the opportunity.”

“Why would they blow up the bus? If they were trying to kill me, I wasn’t on it.”

“But they might not have known that. Let’s say someone fired an incendiary round into the tank on the side opposite from the door. The windows on the bus were tinted. They might not have known we had gotten off the bus. They were making sure of things just in case their guy on the scene failed, which he did.”

“Do you think they still believe I’m dead?”

“Doubtful. These people apparently have a lot of resources. We have to assume they know you’re alive.”

Julie looked out the window. “What could my parents have gotten into?”

“Let’s track their days a little bit and see if anything comes up.”

“Where to first?”

“The diner where your mom worked. Give me directions.”

Using Julie as the navigator, Robie drove over to the diner, which was only a short distance away. He pulled the Volvo to a stop at the curb about a block down and on the other side of the street from the diner.

He cut the engine. “They know you there, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“So I’m not sure it’s smart for you to be seen there.”

“So I just sit in the car by myself? That was not part of the deal.”

“The plan is ever-evolving depending on conditions on the ground.”

He reached into the backseat and pulled out the bag he’d taken from his apartment. He slid out a pair of binoculars.

“Here’s the plan. I go in and ask some questions. You keep a lookout. Anybody seems to be paying me too much attention, take his picture with your camera.”

“How will you explain why you’re asking questions in the diner?”

He reached into the bag again and pulled out two power packs, an earwig, and a headset. He handed the latter to her.

“You’re command central. You speak into that, I’ll be able to hear you in there but no one else will, okay? And you’ll be able to hear everything from in there clearly. You feed me information as you see fit. Okay?”

Julie smiled. “Okay. Cool.”

He put on his earwig, powered up his pack, and clipped it onto his belt, where it was covered by his jacket He got out and then leaned back in.

“Anything looks weird, you feel bad vibes, just say, ‘Come,’ and I’ll be here in five seconds, okay?”

“Okay.”

He shut the door, looked left and right, and then headed to the diner.

Through the binoculars Julie watched him every step of the way.

CHAPTER

41

ROBIE DROPPED ONTO a free stool and picked up a dingy menu from a rack on the countertop. A waitress in a frayed blue uniform with a not overly clean apron over it faced him. A pencil was stuck behind her right ear. She was about fifty, wide in the hips, with gray roots running through her otherwise blonde hair.

“What can I get you?” she asked.

“Cup of black coffee to start.”

“Coming up. I just put on a fresh pot.”

In Robie’s ear Julie said, “Her name is Cheryl Kosmann. She’s my mom’s friend. She’s a good person.”

Robie nodded slightly to show he’d gotten the info.

Cheryl brought his cup of coffee and set it down. “You look like you could use some meat on your bones. Our meatloaf is really good. Sticks to your ribs. Lord knows I’ve had enough of it. Haven’t seen my ribs for about twenty years.” She laughed.

“You’re Cheryl Kosmann?”

The laugh caught in her throat. “Who wants to know?”

Robie pulled out his cred pack, flashed first the badge and then the ID card.

Cheryl stiffened. “Am I in trouble?”

“Should you be?”

“Not unless working your ass off for pennies is a crime.”

“No, you’re not in trouble, Ms. Kosmann.”

“Just make it Cheryl. I know this is a four-star fancy place, but we try to keep things informal.”

“How long you worked here?”

“Too long. Came here out of high school to work one summer and here I am all these years later. If I think about it too much I start to cry. I know where my life went. Right in the crapper.”