“We get it, sir,” said Milo.
“Do you? Well, anyway, there’s nothing I can tell you about Sophie. And come to think of it, why’d you evencomehere? Did someone tell you something about me? If they did, it’s bullshit.”
Talking louder and faster.
Milo said, “We’re just trying to educate ourselves, sir. Do you want to have the conversation here?”
“I don’t wantanyconversation,” said Winchell. “But I also don’t want you harassing me because you think I held back. I mean you say you get it, but what does thatmean?”
“It means, sir, that we’re not out to hassle you in any way. Or to put you in a tough situation. So if you’d prefer, I’ll give you my card, you call me, and we can arrange a sit-down.”
“And if I don’t want a sit-down?”
“You’re under no obligation.”
“But you’ll suspect me,” said Winchell. “And maybe get more aggressive, like marching into the waiting room and making a big thing of it.”
“That won’t happen, sir. Scout’s honor.”
“That,” said Winchell, “means nothing to me unless youwerea scout.”
“Eagle.”
“Where?” said Winchell.
“Small town in Indiana.”
“That so.”
“It is.”
“Well, I earned my Eagle badges in St. Louis, Missouri. Collected twenty-six of them, which is five more than I needed.”
Milo said, “I squeaked by. Scored my twenty-first at the last moment.”
“Maybe you should’ve paced yourself better,” said Winchell.
“No doubt. Here’s my card.”
Winchell took it. “Homicide. Ugly ugly word. Hard to believe Sophie—what exactly happened to her?”
“You do want to get into it here?”
“I’d like to know—no, no—okay, no sense stretching it out. You want to speak to me, drive out of the lot, turn right, and go up a block. If there are no busybodies around, park and we’ll talk. If there are, keep going until there aren’t.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Be prepared,” said Frank Winchell. “Any Eagle knows that.”
Chapter
18
As we tailed Winchell’s Audi, Milo said, “A little edgy but to me he seemed genuinely surprised about Sophie.”
“To me, as well.”
“So that’s probably why.”
