"I'd give a million bucks for that gun with her prints on it."
"So would I," Stone agreed, "but it doesn't look as though we're ever going to find it."
"I'd give a lot for a witness who could put Beverly in the sack with Vance, too."
"Oddly enough, Beverly is known among her friends as a blabbermouth, but apparendy, she never blabbed about a relationship with Vance."
"Except maybe to Vanessa."
"Maybe, but we'll never know."
Marc suddenly stood up. "Jesus," he said, "I just thought of something. Vanessa kept a diary."
"How do you know that?"
"She kept it in her handbag, and she'd write in it at odd moments. I tried to read it once, but it was one of those things like high school girls have, with a tiny lock on it."
"I know the kind you mean," Stone said.
Marc sat down again. "But it must have been in the house with her; it would have burned."
"I think I can find out about that," Stone said.
"How? From the investigating officer?"
"I have a friend in the department."
"Use my phone," Marc said, pointing across the room to a phone on a coffee table.
Stone went to the phone and dialed Rick Grant's direct line.
"Captain Grant."
"Rick, it's Stone Barrington. Can we meet somewhere?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, Stone."
"Why not?"
"You're defending Arrington Calder, and, I have to tell you, the investigators on the Vanessa Pike case are looking at you funny."
"All right, then will you do this for me? Call those officers and ask them if they found Vanessa's diary in their search of the premises after the fire."
"Why?"
"Because, if it still exists, it may have some information about Vance Calder's murder."
"If that's true, then it would have to go to Durkee and his partner, too."
"All I want is a copy. We could subpoena it, if we have to."
"All right, I'll check on it and get back to you."
"Thanks, Rick." He hung up and turned back to Marc. "If we hit paydirt in the diary, then we can demand that the cops get a search warrant for Beverly's house. Maybe the gun is there."
"Wouldn't that be nice?" Blumberg said.
Stone stood up suddenly.