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“Of course,” Clarisse said.
They sat in the kitchen after Gibson had poured out the fresh coffees. Both women took it black.
Clarisse took a few sips and then stared down into the depths of her drink while Gibson studied her.
“You look familiar to me for some reason,” she said. “Did we meet somewhere, sometime?”
“Do you want to talk about the past, or the present and then our futures?”
Gibson sat back and stared at her. “Youcalled this meeting.”
“What do you know about Wilson Sullivan?”
“I know he’s a detective with the Virginia State Police.”
“Is that all?” said Clarisse.
“Do I need to know more?”
“Knowing less is never a good thing. Is he aware of the treasure?”
“I did talk to him about that, yes. He didn’t seem all that interested.”
“I think he’s very interested. I believe that’s why he was at Stormfield tonight, looking for it. Why else would he have been there?”
“When I was a detective, I worked crazy hours. I would get a theory and want to test it.”
“What theory needed testing at Stormfield? Daniel Pottinger was Harry Langhorne. Shortly before his death he was visited by a man while a woman waited outside in the car. Sullivan knew this but didn’t tell you. Langhorne was poisoned and found in a secret room with a strange phrase on the wall written, you think, by two people.”
“Would that be the man and the woman who had visited Stormfield? You know who they are, don’t you?”
“I have my theories.”
“And who are you really?” asked Gibson.
“Do you have a theory?”
“Two, actually. Either Francine Langhorne, or someone with the initials—”
“—RE. Yes, I know. You mentioned that before. What I really need for you to do is find out more about Sullivan.”
“I can check into some things. But you could have asked me over the phone. Why come here and show yourself to me?”
“I don’tshowmyself to anyone. Tomorrow I will look nothing like this.”
“How about Doug Langhorne? Any idea where he might be?”
“He might be the man who visited Harry Langhorne right before he died.”
“And the woman in the car might be Francine Langhorne? So are you saying that leaves you out of the running to be her?”
“Think what you want.”
“I have little kids to take care of.”
“I know that.”
“Do you have someone to take care of, like maybe a parent?”
