All Night Long

own private version of therapy.”
    He looked back at the screen. “Dang, woman, you may be on to something here.”
    She sank down onto the couch beside him. “You came here to Dunsley to find a nice, quiet place in which to write.”
    “That was the plan.”
    “Why did you buy the lodge? Don’t tell me you need the money because you’re not even trying t un it at a profit.”
    “I’m okay financially. Made a few solid investments over the years.” He covered her hand with hi wn. “As for the lodge well, you know what they say, you can’t go wrong with waterfront property.”
    “You can in Dunsley. When my aunt sold my parents’ house, she got almost nothing out of it.”
    “Thanks for that cheery piece of data.”
    “How did you end up as an innkeeper?” she asked.

    “I sure as heck didn’t intend to go into the hospitality business. The plan was for me to live in one o he cabins and close up the others. But there were a couple of glitches.”
    “Such as?”
    “Maxine and her son, Brady,” he said. “And, to some extent, Tucker Mills.”
    She threaded her fingers through his. “I get it. Maxine is financially dependent on her work here, isn’t she?”
    “Not like there’s a lot of employment options around the lake, especially in the off season. About five minutes after I moved in, it dawned on me that if I closed up the lodge, Maxine and Brady were goin o be in serious financial trouble.”
    “What about Tucker?”
    “Tucker probably would have gotten by without the part-time work here because getting by is what he does.” Luke hesitated. “But he likes working here. He’s used to it. Taking care of the lodge is part o is routine.”
    “And Tucker needs his routine.”
    Luke’s mouth kicked up again. “Don’t we all?”
    “For sure. In other words, you didn’t close down the lodge because three other people would hav een directly affected.”
    “It’s not like the place can’t pay for itself. I took a look at the financials and figured that, given enough summer business, the lodge could continue to turn a modest profit. Hell, with Maxine managing it, the place might even turn a decent profit.”
    “Keeping the lodge open was a very generous thing to do, Luke.”
    “Just seemed like the easiest strategy, all things considered.”
    “I don’t believe that for a moment. You left things the way they were because you felt a responsibilit o the people you inherited when you took over. I remember something that Dad once told me.”

    “What?”
    “A good officer always takes care of his people.”
    She leaned forward and kissed him.
    He kissed her back. After a while he closed down the computer and drew her back into the bedroom.

Thirty-Four
    The call from Ken Tanaka came at seven-thirty the next morning, just as Luke was getting ready t erve his special French toast to Irene.
    “I haven’t finished examining Hoyt Egan’s financial records, but I think you should see what I’ve got,” Ken said. “There’s a pattern here. A familiar one. Looks potentially messy.”
    “Can you e-mail me the information?” Luke asked.
    “Don’t think that would be a good idea at this juncture,” Ken said. “We’re talking about bad stuff tha ay or may not involve the man who might become the next president. I don’t want an e-mail trai eading to either you or me just yet. I’d rather discuss it in person. I need to show you some data.”
    That was Ken, Luke thought, always careful. It was one of the reasons that he had survived in a war zone, and it was no doubt the reason that he had been successful as a private investigator.
    Luke looked at his watch. “I can be in the city in a couple of hours.”
    “I’ll be waiting,” Ken said.
    Luke hung up the phone and went back to shoveling French toast onto a plate. “That was Tanaka. He’s found something in Egan’s financials that looks interesting. Thinks it might involve Ryland Webb.”
    Excitement lit her face. “Are we talking political scandal?”
    “Maybe.”
    “A scandal of suitable proportions could explain a murder.”
    “Calm down.” He grated a little orange peel over the toast. “All we’ve got at the moment are some new dots. I’m going to drive into the city right after we eat. Want to come with me?”
    “Yes.” She hesitated, obviously torn. “But I think I’ll let you deal with your friend.
    There’s somethin lse that I want to do today. We’ll get more accomplished if we split up.”
    Unease