And before that quote was one of his father’s lists. This one was titled: A REVISED list of Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer novels, ranked in order of preference.

He didn’t hear the front door open, but Alice’s voice was suddenly in the house. “Anybody home?”

Harry startled, then stood up, putting the notebook down, and stepping out into the hallway. Alice was there, between Detective Dixon, wearing what looked like the same tan suit he’d had on the first time Harry had met him, and another man, much shorter, in a dark suit. Strange scenarios were passing through Harry’s mind. Was Alice being arrested? Was there more bad news?

But then Detective Dixon, in a calm voice, said, “Hello, Harry. Alice came by the station this morning, and I thought I’d bring her home. She’s a little upset.”

“Is everything okay?”

Alice turned and entered the living room. Detective Dixon stepped forward. “Harry, this is my colleague, Detective Vogel.”

Harry nodded in the other detective’s direction. He had a wide face and thick, dark eyebrows that almost touched above the bridge of a squat nose. “What’s going on?” Harry asked.

“Sam, why don’t you sit with Mrs. Ackerson a moment while I talk with Harry.”

Detective Vogel nodded and followed Alice into the living room while Dixon grasped Harry’s shoulder in one of his big hands and said in a lowered voice: “Alice came to the station today with some new information. She said your father was involved with a young woman here in town. Do you know anything about that?”

“What do you mean, ‘involved’?” Harry asked.

“Does the name Annie Callahan mean anything to you?”

Harry, completely expecting the detective to say Grace’s name, said nothing for a moment. “You knew her?” the detective asked.

“No, sorry, I didn’t. I don’t. Who is she?”

“Are you sure? She worked briefly at your father’s bookstore?”

“Up here? In Maine?”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, I didn’t know her.”

“What about the name Lou Callahan? Ever heard that name?”

Harry shook his head.

“Okay, thanks. That’s all I needed to know. Your stepmother told us today that your father had been involved, romantically, with an employee at the store. That’s Annie Callahan. She thinks either she or her husband might have had something to do with your father’s death.”

“Why is she just telling you this now?”

“Partly because of you, Harry. That’s what she said, that she wanted to protect you from finding out that information. She’s pretty upset.” Just as Detective Dixon was saying those words, the other detective—Harry had already forgotten his name—reappeared in the doorway to the living room, and said, “She’s asking to see Harry. You all set here?”

“We’re all set,” the detective said, placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder and leading him toward Alice.

Chapter 17

Now