The Alibi

“Now that I’ve had time to think about it…” Indecision rearranged his features. “I just don’t know if I want to get involved. I could be wrong, you know. I didn’t get that good a look at her.”

Loretta reassured him again, thinking all the while, Where the hell is Hammond?

Friday

Chapter 35

Steffi drew up short when she opened her office door and found Hammond on the other side of it, fist raised, about to knock.

“Got a minute?”

“Actually, no. I was just—”

“Whatever it is, it can wait. This is important.” He backed her into the office and closed the door.

“What’s up?”

“Sit down.”

Quizzical, she nevertheless did as he asked. In the time it took her to get seated, he had begun pacing the width of her office. He didn’t look much better than he had yesterday. His arm was still in the sling. His hair looked like it had been dried with a leaf blower. He had nicked his chin shaving, and the scabbing spot of blood reminded her of the lab report she had received only minutes ago.

“You look frazzled. How much coffee have you had this morning?” she asked.

“None.”

“Really? You look like you’ve been taking caffeine by IV.”

Suddenly he stopped pacing and faced her across the desk. “Steffi, we have a special relationship, don’t we?”

“Pardon?”

“It transcends our being colleagues. While we were together, I entrusted you with my secrets. That past intimacy elevates our relationship to another plane, right?” He looked closely at her for a moment, then cursed and tried in vain to smooth down his hair. “God, this is awkward.”

“Hammond, what is going on?”

“Before I tell you, I’ve got to clear the air on another matter.”

“I’m over it, Hammond. Okay? I don’t want a man who—”

“Not that. Not us. Harvey Knuckle.”

The name landed like a rock on her desk. She tried to contain her surprise, but knew her shattered expression must be a dead giveaway. Under Hammond’s piercing gaze, a denial would be futile.

“Okay, so you know. I had him sneak me some private information on Pettijohn.”

“Why?”

She tinkered with a paper clip for a moment, weighing the advisability of dissecting this with Hammond. Finally she said, “Pettijohn approached me several months ago. It seemed innocent enough at first. Then he made his pitch. He said it had occurred to him how comfortable it could be for both of us if I held the county solicitor’s job. He promised to make it happen.”

“If?”

“If I would keep my eyes and ears open and report to him anything that might be of interest. Such as a covert investigation into his business dealings.”

“To which you said?”

“Something not too ladylike, I’m afraid. I turned down the offer, but it made me curious to know what he could be hiding, what he was into. Wouldn’t it be a feather in Steffi Mundell’s cap if she nailed the biggest crook in Charleston County? So I approached Harvey.” She bent the paper clip into an S shape. “I got the information I was after and—”

“Saw my father’s name on the partnership papers.”