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“To do that I have to get the facts right. Lies do not help me.”
“Who do you think is lying to you?”
“Pretty much everybody,” replied Devine.
She rose. “I have to get to work.”
He stood. “I do too. And let me just be straight with you. I will get to the truth. I don’t care how many obstacles are thrown in the way.”
She looked at him with a mixture of sadness and defiance. “I wish you luck.”
Devine ran into Fred Bing as he left. He looked busy and preoccupied, but he stopped and said, “Mr. Devine, did you need something?”
“I already spoke to your sister.”
“Was she helpful?”
“Not particularly.”
Bing did not look surprised by the response, which intrigued Devine.
“CanIhelp?” asked Bing.
“Do you know Earl Palmer?”
“Earl, oh yes. Everyone knows Earl. I heard he found Jenny’s body.”
Maybe or maybe not, thought Devine. “You said before you didn’t know she was in town this time. So when was the last time you saw Jenny?”
Bing thought for a few moments, running his hand through his hair. “Maybe last year, or the year before. I assumed she was busy with whatever she was doing.”
“And what do you think she was doing?”
“Serving her country in some capacity. The actual details of what she did have made for some lively discussions at the local watering holes up here, I can tell you that.”
“Dak said that the remote workers have really turned the prospects of the town around.”
“They’ve certainly helped.” He grinned wryly. “Although most of the recent influx are too young to have much need of my services. Yet.”
“Do you have any thoughts on who might have killed her?”
Bing leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his slender chest. “I think I just assumed that it had something to do with her work. I mean, why would anyone up here want to kill her? She wasn’t really part of our lives anymore. The only real connection was her brother and sister and all that property.”
“Property that some may want to develop. And pay a pretty penny for it.”
Bing looked surprised. “Really? Who told you that?”
“Does it matter?”
“I guess not,” said Bing, looking confused and, to Devine’s mind, nervous.
“I assume you handled Mrs. Palmer’s funeral arrangements?”
“Yes, yes we did. It was terrible. Bertie’s death stunned all of us. And the fact that no one was held accountable? It just makes it even more horrible.”
“And I understand her son and daughter-in-law died in a house fire?”
“Yes. That was about, let me think, fifteen years ago now.”
