As she turned to leave, the deputy on duty called me. I approached the desk, Diesel in tow.

“Come on back. I’ll show you the way.” The deputy let us through the security gate before escorting us part of the way down a corridor. “Deputy Berry’s in the last room on the left, sir.”

I thanked him, and Diesel and I moved on toward the room he indicated.

I paused at the open door and knocked. Kanesha Berry looked up from a computer and frowned when she spotted Diesel with me. She stood. “Come in, Mr. Harris. Please have a seat.” She indicated a chair in front of her desk.

The office, about ten by ten, held two desks, bookshelves, a few chairs, and stacks of paper. Kanesha’s desk appeared orderly, in contrast to the haphazard piles on her office mate’s desk.

I pulled another chair next to mine for Diesel, and the cat and I sat. On the way over from the library I speculated why Kanesha had waited so long to question me when she’d had several opportunities already. This morning, of course, she had been effectively routed by her mother, because I doubted she had come to my house simply to tell me to avoid the news media.

“What can I do for you, Deputy?” I squirmed a bit in the hard chair, probably chosen for its discomfort factor. Beside me Diesel sat up and watched Kanesha, his head almost level with my own.

Kanesha seemed not to be able to take her eyes off the cat for a moment. Then she shook her head and focused on me.

“When we questioned you at the hotel, why didn’t you tell us Justin Wardlaw was with you?”

I had to choose my words with care, because I didn’t want to give her the impression I suspected Justin of killing Godfrey. “Justin had a pretty rough time of it yesterday. I don’t know how much he might have told you about the events of the day, but I was concerned. I thought he needed a little time to get himself together before talking to anyone.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.” Kanesha’s jaws clenched for a moment. “You were obstructing an investigation. You do realize that?”

She was definitely pissed.

“Yes, I suppose so,” I said. “But I did what I did for the boy’s sake. If you have to charge me with something, go right ahead.”

“Believe me, I’m very tempted.” She paused. “I’m not happy about it, but I’ve got to live with it. You, Justin, and Mrs. Wardlaw had time enough to collude on your stories by the time Bates and I got to your house last night. I’m not happy about that either, but if I find out one of you lied to me about anything—any thing—I will come down hard on you.”