Murder Deja Vu

himself. I’d rather give you the break than either one of them. Come clean. Take away his edge.”
    “Something to think about,” Harris said.
    Payton walked to the coffeepot. “Think I’ll have a cup of that coffee while you’re dawdling around thinking what you should do.”
    “I don’t have cream or sugar.”
    “Don’t need either.”
    “How come you never asked me about this before?”
    Payton took one of the Styrofoam cups, poured, and took his seat. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give a crap whether you’re blackmailing each other. That’d be between the two of you. But like I said, I’ve got two murders to solve, and I think Minette might be involved in one or both of them. And before, I didn’t have two residents of Harold County on the run, one of whom I happen to like a lot.”
    Harris fiddled with the handle of his mug, studying it. “I like her too. People say a man and woman can’t be best friends, but Dana’s mine and has been since we were kids. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
    “I’d guess not, which is why I’m counting on you to tell me what I want to know. I’ve only met Daughtry one time. He wasn’t particularly friendly, and he didn’t like me checking him out, but he acted respectful. I get the feeling he’s being fucked over for the second time. I hate it when people who don’t deserve it are fucked over. Is that what happened to you?”
    Harris went into a long silence while he drank his coffee. “I fucked myself over, and I allowed Robert Minette to make it worse.” He hesitated again. “I did something many years ago that Robert advised me to cover up.”
    Payton’s heartbeat quickened. He was going to get what he came for. “Which makes him an accessory to whatever the crime is. Unless it’s a felony, the statute of limitations in North Carolina has expired.” He felt naked from the intensity of Stroud’s penetrating stare.
    “What if it is a felony?”
    The sheriff understood what Harris implied. “Depends. We might be able to strike a deal. I want Minette for either ordering a murder or covering up one. Whichever, I want him, and I’m willing to play ball. I think I can get a judge to do the same.”
    “Awfully risky, Jim. You’re going after the highest law enforcement agent in three counties on the word of a self-confessed drunk for something that happened years ago.”
    “Yes, I am. And unless you want to see your best friend go down for aiding and abetting a murderer, which is what will happen if Daughtry is shot dead, I suggest you think long and hard before you say no to what I’m asking.” He finished his coffee and placed the cup on Harris’s desk. “It’s the best deal you’re gonna get.”
    “I still haven’t heard a deal.”
    “I still haven’t heard your story. You trust me, Harris?”
    Harris pursed his lips. “Yes, I do.”
    “Then cut the crap and give me what I want.”
    “How’d you know, Jim?”
    “I didn’t for sure. But I know you well enough that if Minette didn’t have something on you, you’d’ve told him to go fuck himself a long time ago instead of burying your head in a bottle. I figure you have something on him he wouldn’t want to come out, so you two have been playing a game of Russian roulette, waiting to see who gets the fatal spin. Shouldn’t be you, Harris. And I’d hate like hell to give the deal to a creep like Klugh, whoever he is.”
    “What do you mean, whoever he is?”
    “The real Harry Klugh died in 1984. I’m figuring our imposter did something really bad long about then, stole the man’s identity, and moved to Atlanta to start a new life. But snails are snails, and calling them escargot doesn’t change the fact. Now, you want to tell me something I can use to nail that son of a bitch Minette before Klugh makes a deal and cuts you out?”

Chapter Forty-One
Misplaced trust

    H arris refilled both his and Payton’s coffee cups and leaned back in his chair. As Harris spoke, the sheriff drank and listened.
    “I’d come home to visit, armed with a master’s in journalism and a few rejections for jobs I’d applied to. Bad time back then. The job market was tight. I had no intention of staying in Regal Falls, but the owner of the Banner —you remember Mr. Grimes?”
    Payton nodded.
    “He was getting on and offered me a job. I figured it’d be a good place to get some hands-on experience before I moved up to the big time. Before long, Grimes handed over more and more