"It's not that far. Stop whining and drive."

9

They trod the steps to the broad expanse of split-wood deck, neatly shoveled, a wrought-iron table leg peeping from beneath a lashed-down blue plastic tarp in one corner. She knocked, far too conscious of Jim Chopin standing directly behind her.

They waited. He must have heard them coming up the river road.

The door opened. "Hello, John," Jim said.

"Jim," John said. He looked down. "Kate. You're back. Come on in." He stepped back and pulled the door wide. "Get you a drink? Or some coffee?"

"Coffee'd be fine," Jim said.

John served it up in the same carafe on the same black lacquer tray, this time with a plate of Oreo cookies. "Got a sweet tooth," he explained, and took a handful for himself before he sat down. Mutt sat next to Kate's chair. She had not greeted Letourneau. He had not saluted her. "What can I do you for, Jim?"

"It's about Dina Willner."

Letourneau didn't start or pale. "That a fact. And why would you think I would have anything to tell you about Dina Willner?"

Kate, watching Jim, saw the split second it took him to make up his mind. "Maybe because you were married to her."

"Mmm." Letourneau ate another cookie with studied nonchalance, but Kate, watching him now, got the impression that he was anything but unconcerned. "So we were. For about three seconds once, a long time ago."

"Twenty-five years ago, to be exact."

Letourneau's eyes moved restlessly beneath heavy lids. "If you say so."

"The marriage certificate at Dina's house says so."

"Ah. Surprised she kept that. Dina never was one to collect souvenirs."

"Tell me about it."

"No," Letourneau said coolly.

"No?" Jim said.

"No," Letourneau repeated, and stood up. "If that's all, I'll say good night."

"John." Jim sat where he was.

For the first time that evening, John Letourneau's voice rose. "I thought you had whoever killed her locked up in Tok."

"I thought I did."

Letourneau stiffened. "You thought you did? You mean you don't think he did it?"

"There are some loose ends."

There weren't, or not any that would stand up in court, Kate thought, and wondered again why she and Jim were there.

"Well, this isn't one of them. My marriage to Dina had nothing to do with her death."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Jim wasn't the self-effacing type, but he could put on a pretty good show when he thought it might get him information he wouldn't get any other way.

The moment hung in the balance. It could have gone either way. Seconds ticked by.

Letourneau sighed and sat down again. Rate walked over and refilled her mug, grabbing up a couple of cookies while she was at it. She wandered over to the window and stared out on the moonlit expanse of river, frozen hard and, due to the stresses and strains exerted by the subsurface current, anything but smooth. It was covered with snow machine tracks, swooping and winding around bergs and pinnacles. An open lead streamed gently, then vanished as she watched, the ice closing it off again.