The lieutenant nodded at him knowingly. He was holding something close to his vest, and Keegan could tell he was tempted to spill it. It was an old newsman instinct he hadn’t yet lost.

“Just be careful of the girl down there,” Moore finally said. “She’s up to something.” He turned towards the door.

“Like I said, I barely know her.”

The lieutenant stopped and then turned back. The motion was slow and deliberate. He worked his jaw back and forth. It was a look Keegan recognized from the old days, when he was trying to decide how much he wanted on the record. “You keep saying that,” he said. “It’s like you’re trying to convince somebody.” He looked over at the door and then back again, mulling something over. Then he turned squarely to Keegan, feet planted. “I’m just trying to help you out here, Jimmy,” he said. His voice was low and even. “Don’t let that one down there mix you up in anything. She’s very attractive, but she’s poison. You need to trust me on that.”

Keegan blinked twice. “I’m not mixed up in anything,” he said. “What’s your problem with her, anyway?”

Moore tucked the revolver pouch under one arm and dug his hands in his trouser pockets, feet spread apart. He shook his head and smiled. He was about to spill it, whatever it was, Keegan could tell. “We got a couple of rookie detectives working down on Third Street now,” he said, keeping a close eye on Keegan’s reaction. “They just started in vice. They were beat cops when you were on the paper, so you wouldn’t know them.” He jingled coins in his pocket. It was a small, grating habit he’d picked up. “But they sure as hell know you.”

“What does that mean?”

“They were at the Regency a few nights ago,” he said. “Sitting at the bar, taking the edge off, the way we used to do back in the day.”

The lieutenant paused. Keegan waited.

“They saw you come in with some young knockout,” Moore said. “Mop of curly dark hair. Well dressed. They said you took a booth in a dark corner. Very romantic, they thought.”

Keegan was about to object, but the lieutenant waved his words away.

“Don’t talk, Jimmy,” the lieutenant said. The tone of his voice didn’t allow for rebuttal. “For now, just listen. There was a photo of Eve in the paper today. I’m sure you saw it. I showed it to them, and they’re pretty damn sure she was the girl you were with.”

“They’re mistaken,” Keegan said.

“Don’t talk,” he said. “Your girlfriend’s also got a motive.”

“And what would that be?”