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“But?”
“The way he talked about the case made me uneasy. Kind of sounded like they never gave a shit to solve it. I remember hitting a lot of roadblocks back then. I remember a lot going down and this case getting pushed to the side. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. But after talking to Crawford, it seems maybe that was on purpose.”
“And you want to see if Captain Stockton affirms your suspicions.”
“Bingo.”
“Do I need to know anything about him before going in there?”
“He was a hardass when he was on the force. Real serious type. Not much for the hijinks a lot of us rookies got up to back in the day. But he was a good one. Always did his job. Stayed active in the community even after his retirement. I haven’t actually talked to him in years, though, so we could be walking into a hornet’s nest.”
“Wonderful.”
“Just follow my lead.” David started walking up the driveway, and Cassie followed close behind. “I’ll do most of the talking. I want you to keep your eye out for anything weird.”
“My specialty.”
David didn’t answer. He pressed his index finger against the doorbell. A muffled ring came from inside. A dog barked. A man spoke. The barking ceased. Then the handle twisted, and the door swung open.
The man on the other side matched the description Cassie had created in her head. He was in his eighties, with shockingly white hair and a mustache to match. He was just a few inches shorter than David, only because he had a slight hunch. And even though he carried a cane, he still looked solid. His eyes were sharp.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” The man stuck out his hand. “David Klein.”
“Sir.” David shook his hand, then gestured to Cassie. “This is my colleague, Cassie Quinn.”
“The officers are getting prettier, aren’t they? How do you concentrate with this one around?”
Cassie couldn’t help the grimace that found its way to her face, but she stopped herself from cringing when he reached out to shake her hand.
“Oh, no, I’m not an officer, sir. Just a friend.”
“A consultant for the department.” David’s voice was firm but kind. “We’re here on official business. You got a minute?”
“I’m not in any sort of trouble, am I?” His voice was light, but his eyes were hard.
“No, sir. None. I just wanted to pick your brain about an old case.”
“All right, all right, come on in. I’ll see if I can help you out. Make sure you take your shoes off.”
David let Cassie enter before him, and she slipped off her flats at the door. After a long hallway covered in pictures of Captain Stockton in uniform, they entered a living room where a German Shepherd was sitting at attention on a soft dog bed. It smelled like cigars and disinfectant.
“Colonel, barracks.”
Without hesitation, the German Shepherd got up and trotted down the hallway, ignoring the new guests. He left through a door, and Cassie could hear his footsteps as he bounded upstairs and headed off to what she assumed was his bed on the second floor.
Stockton settled into a well-worn recliner and leaned his cane against an end table. He pointed to a love seat across from him. “You two can sit there.” He checked his watch. “I may be old, but I’m not dead. Time is of the essence, Klein.”
“I understand, sir. I’ll get right to the point. Did you hear about the dead body found under the Harry S. Truman Parkway?”
“I did.”
David waited for him to elaborate, but the other man just stared him down. “Did you hear how the man died?”
“I did.”
Another pause. “Do you think it’s related to the crimes we investigated in the nineties, sir?”
“Isn’t it your job to figure that out?”
