Evan pressed. “Add it to the vendor card used in the service corridor before the blackout.”
Silence.
“The marina gate code used the morning Cass was attacked.”
More silence.
“The second mortgage. The vendor debt. The suppliers cutting him off.”
Harker leaned back in his chair.
It creaked.
“You’ve got an anonymous tip pointing at a woman who didn’t know the ornaments existed until nine days before the showcase.”
Still nothing.
“You’ve got a shell company, a boat rental, a marina code, a vendor card and matching handwriting pointing at a man who’d been planning this for months.”
Harker studied him. “You’ve become very invested in this.”
The words weren’t hostile. Just observant.
Evan appreciated that. He was tired of pretending otherwise. “Yes.”
“Why?”
The professional answer was easy. Resort security. Public safety. Community responsibility. All true. None complete.
He looked at the detective. “Because I’ve spent two weeks watching the wrong person take the hit for this.”
Harker waited.
Evan continued, “Every time new evidence showed up, it landed on her desk.”
The detective said nothing.
“Every rumor.”
Nothing.
“Every suspicion.”
Still waiting.
“And every time she got back up and kept working.”
Harker waited for a long moment. “That’s not what I asked.”
“No?”
“No, and you know it.”
The room went quiet.
Finally, Evan said, “Because she’s innocent.”
Harker’s eyebrow lifted.
