Denny’s eyes lit with mischief. “I wondered when we’d get to him.”
She lifted one shoulder and dropped it. “Yeah, well. You know me. I always thought Bergen was the person who’d done it.”
“So you did. As a matter of fact, I do think I saw Bergen outside the gallery recently, but it was only for a few seconds, and I couldn’t be sure it was him.”
Fiona tensed. She turned to me, victory in her eyes. I let her have the moment. For all we knew, Denny was stretching the truth. He seemed like the kind of guy who enjoyed a good story, and being the source of thisscandalous tidbit obviously pleased him. We still had to check out other possibilities.
“Where were you two nights ago?” I asked, speaking for the first time since we’d sat down.
Denny’s mouth fell open. “I… You…” He sputtered. “I was here, playing video games with three of my roommates. We were here all night. I can wake one of them up if you need to verify, officer.”
His snarky tone made me smile. I could see why he and Fiona got along.
“No need for that. And I’m not an officer.”
“Oh.” He looked intrigued. “I should have known. You don’t carry yourself like one. What are you then?”
“He can’t tell you that or he’d have to kill you,” Fiona teased.
I forced myself to smile even though the comment hit too close to home. There had been a time, when I was deeply embedded in an international cyber terrorist cell, that the words would have been true. Fortunately, that wasn’t my life anymore.
“Color me intrigued,” Denny said, but he didn’t push for more information. He and Fiona chatted for a few more minutes and then she finished her drink and told him we needed to be on our way. He walked us to the door, hugging her again before we left. I bristled at the sight—I didn’t like her being held by another man—but I didn’t get the impression that either of them was interested in the other, so I let it go.
Once we were in the car again, I turned to her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with him?”
She flushed guiltily. “I didn’t think it mattered. I knew he’d be helpful, and I thought that was all that was important.”
I grunted. “It would have been nice to know.”
I’d had enough of being blindsided by people in my lifetime, and even though my instincts told me I could trust her, part of me wondered. Part of me would always wonder.
