“True. They know she went to Samuel’s and found the stalker photos, but they don’t know what else she learned there.”
“Or we could have gone to the grocery store where Kay shopped that last time. We told Glushenko to task Kowalski with that.”
“Right, so that could be it, too. By framing Courtney, they get her out of the way and they discredit her.”
“So who do you think is doing this, and why?”
Alex leaned over, lowering his voice. “Tim says there are white supremacists on the Buckley force. Like, neo-Nazis.”
“What?” Julia gasped.
“It’s not a big surprise if you grew up around here. The fed and the state mishandled the mine fire, so nobody trusts the government here. They never will. They lost their homes because of it, and their hometowns. They’ll feel betrayed forever.” Alex shook his head. “Believe me, I get it. I feel the same way.”
“So how does that get to be neo-Nazi? You’re not a neo-Nazi.”
“Some people pick up a gun, I picked up a shovel. I’m a scienceguy. For a better answer, you’d have to ask a shrink.” Alex shrugged. “All I know is Pennsylvania has the second most active neo-Nazi groups north of the Mason-Dixon line. We’re home to the Keystone United, a group of neo-Nazis founded in Harrisburg, the state capital. They have branches in Carlisle, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Pittsburgh. Philly, too.”
Julia recoiled. “They have branches, like a bank?”
“Yeah, they marched in Harrisburg a few years ago. They carried red and black flags, the Nazi colors, with an American pitbull in the center.” Alex moved a strand of long hair from a furrowed brow. “Keystone United is Pennsylvania’s biggest neo-Nazi group and they’re growing. I don’t know if the Buckley cops are Keystone United or any other group.”
Julia shuddered. “Who do you think is a neo-Nazi? Is Glushenko?”
“Tim doesn’t know for sure and he can’t prove anything. I always hated Glushenko, and the feeling is mutual. He jokes about me being a Marxist, like he knows what it means.”
“Do you think that’s another reason they framed Courtney, because she’s Black?”
“I don’t know that, but it could be a factor.”
“What about Kay? Did you think race was a factor with her?”
“Maybe, but if so, why now?”
“Then the main reason is the missing piece from the basket, it has to be.” Julia tried to sort her thoughts, grateful for a sounding board. “So we’re really saying that the Buckley police killed Kay and are framing Courtney?”
“If they didn’t kill Kay, I can’t explain why they’d plant a gun on Courtney. So either they did it, or they know who did it and areprotecting them.” Alex’s blue eyes hardened. “Tim was one of the arresting officers. Even he thinks the case is bogus.”
“Why’d he arrest her then?”
“He had no choice. Weaverton has to offer mutual aid when Buckley asks for the assist. Their only role is to help execute the arrest warrant. I called a lawyer I know to see if he’d represent her.”
“We got Bennie Rosato,” Julia told him, filling him in.
“That’s good. Also I came to tell you that I went to Samuel’s house this morning. He still wasn’t there. His car is gone but the horse is back, so he came back and swapped.”
“So he took his car. That suggests he wanted to go farther, right?”
Alex nodded begrudgingly. “There’s more. I went inside, and the photographs of Kay are gone, too.”
“Shit.” Julia tried to understand how Samuel fit in. “He was stalking Kay and he just removed the proof. That’s hiding evidence. He has to be trying to get away with murder. Somehow, he was in cahoots with the police.”
“That’s not possible.” Alex pursed his lips. “I told you, he’s in cahoots with nobody, least of all the Buckley cops. He hates cops. He’s Wavy Gravy, for God’s sake.”
“Why do you keep defending him?” Julia asked, mystified. “He’s running away for a reason. He might be gone for good.”
“But I know him. He’d never hurt Kay. He’d never hurt anything.” Alex shook his head. “Any stray animal we find on the clean-ups, he takes to the wildlife rescue, hours away.”
Julia couldn’t process it fast enough. “I don’t have all the answers, but I still think he’s involved. But I admit, an unrequited crush doesn’t square with my theory about the missing object.”
