C Is for Corpse

think it connects back to Dwight Costigan." I sketched the whole story out for him, avoiding his gaze. We were stretched out in the grass by then and I kept having these images of sexual misbehavior that I didn't think would serve. I plowed right ahead, talking more than I should have just to create a diversion.
    "God, you come up with something on the Costigan killing and Lieutenant Dolans gonna' crochet you a watch," he said.
    "What about Lila Sams?"
    He held a finger up. "I was saving the best for last," he said. "I ran a field check on her and came up with a hit. This lady has a string of wants and warrants as long as your arm. Priors going back to 1968."
    "What for?"
    "Fraud, obtaining property by false pretenses, larceny by trick and device. She's been passing bad paper, too. She's got six outstanding warrants on her even as we speak. Well, wait. Take a look for yourself. I brought the print-out."
    He held out the computer print-out and I took it. Why didn't I feel more elated at the notion of nailing her? Because it would break Henry's heart and I didn't want to take responsibility for that. I ran an eye down the sheet. "Can I keep this?"
    "Sure, but don't jump up and down like that. Calm yourself," he said. "I take it you know where she is."
    I looked over at him with a weak smile. "Probably sitting in my backyard drinking iced tea," I said. "My landlord is head over heels in love with her and I suspect she's on the verge of taking him for everything he's worth."
    "Talk to Whiteside in Fraud and he'll have her picked up."
    "I think I better talk to Rosie first."
    "That old bag who runs the dive down the street from you? What's she got to do with it?"
    "Oh, neither one of us can stand Lila. Rosie wanted me to do the background check for the aggravation if nothing else. We needed to know where she was coming from."
    "So now you know. What's the problem?"
    "I don't know. It just feels crummy somehow, but I'll figure it out. I don't want to rush into anything I'll regret."
    There was a momentary silence and then Jonah gave my shirt a tug. "You been up to the shooting range lately?"
    "Not since we were there together," I said.
    "You want to go up there sometime?"
    "Jonah, we can't do that."
    "Why not?"
    "Because it might feel like a date and confuse us both."
    "Come on. I thought we were friends."
    "We are. We just can't hang out together."
    "Why not?"
    "Because you're too good-looking and I'm too smart," I said tartly.
    "We're back to Camilla again, right?"
    "Right. I'm not going to interfere with that. You've been with her a long time."
    "I tell you something. I'm still kicking myself. I could have gone to the other junior high school, you know? Seventh grade. How did I know I was making a decision that would haunt me in middle-age?"
    I laughed. "Life is full of that stuff. You had to choose between metal or woodshop, right? You could have turned out to be an auto mechanic. Instead you're a cop. You know what my choices were? Child psychology or home ec. I didn't give a shit about either one."
    "I wish I hadn't seen you again."
    I could feel my smile fade. "Well, I'm sorry for that. It was my fault." I could tell we'd been looking at each other too long, so I got up, brushing grass off my jeans. "I have to
    go."
    He got up too and we said some good-bye things. We parted company shortly thereafter. I walked backward for a few steps, watching him head back to the station. Then I continued on toward my office, turning my attention back to the matter of Henry Pitts. I realized then that there wasn't any point in talking to Rosie about it. Of course I'd have to tell the cops where Lila was. She'd been a con for nearly twenty years and she wasn't going to reform and make Henry a happy man in the twilight of their days. She was going to cheat him silly, thus breaking his heart anyway. What difference did it make how she got caught or who turned her in? Better to do it now before she took every cent he had.
    I'd been walking rapidly, head down, but when I got to the corner of Floresta and Anaconda, I did an abrupt left and headed for the police station.

Chapter 24
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    I was at the police station for an hour and forty-five minutes. Fortunately, the Missing Persons Department and Fraud were nowhere near each other so I didn't have to worry about running into Jonah again. First, Whiteside was at lunch and then he had a quick meeting to attend. Then when I explained the situation to him, he had to place a call to a