“Where?”

“It’s a who, not a where. Seamus Kyle. Tell me about him.”

Cody’s lack of a poker face betrayed him. As he opened his mouth to deny all knowledge, Willy slowly opened his jacket and made to remove his gun again.

“What’re you doing?” Cody asked, interrupting his own response.

“Getting ready for you to be stupid again. Seamus Kyle. Talk.”

“You can’t do that if you’re a cop.”

“I’m an unusual cop. You said it yourself. I do all sorts of things I’m not supposed to.”

The gun came all the way out.

Cody’s eyes were glued to it as he asked, “What d’you wanna know? About Seamus?”

“Everything.”

“Hey there,” Sammie said softly, making room in the bed for Willy to slide in beside her. “How did it go?”

Willy kissed her ear. “Usual. Running gunfight ending with a high-speed car crash.”

“That’s sweet,” she responded. “Your family appreciates your cutting back.”

Willy slipped his hand under her T-shirt and fitted his knees behind hers, soaking up the sensation of her against him.

She placed her hand on top of his and snuggled in, sighing. “So you found him?”

“Yep. Made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

“About Seamus?”

“Yup.”

“How ’bout Shaw? Anything there?”

“Nope. Cody never heard of him.”

Sammie readjusted, bringing her knees up and smoothly removing her pajama bottoms. Willy was already naked under the covers.

“That’s better,” she said, curling up again. “So, what did he say about Seamus?”

“That he made him nervous. Cody called him a dangerous man.”

“Really,” she stated. “That’s good for us, or at least it fits what we’ve been thinking.”

She moved her free hand back and rested it on his hip. “He know where he might’ve gone?”

Responding to her caress, he began to slowly explore with his own hand, feeling her heartbeat pick up in return.

“Not in so many words,” he whispered. “But he did say Seamus needed more product this time ’cause he was heading north for a while.”

“Cool,” she replied, moving slightly to allow him more room. “We should be able to figure that out.”

“Yup,” he agreed, before following her lead.

“North?” Lester asked, leaning back in his chair. “As in New Hampshire north?”

“Don’t know,” Willy admitted. “That’s the impression Cody was left with, not that he’s God’s gift to insight. Still, it’s not a stretch.”

“How so?”

They were alone in the office, Sam delivering Emma to school.

“Human nature,” Willy explained. “You don’t run for the dark side of the moon when things get hot, far from everything and everybody you know. You just leave town and hunker down. Where better than your own state’s barely populated north country? Who’s gonna know? And up there especially, who’s gonna ask? You know what they say about most folks living that far in the woods—skittish, sketchy, and scary.”

“You should talk,” Lester replied.

“The question remains,” Willy went on. “How do we find the son of a bitch?”