“Oh, that’s just whiskey talk.”

“That’s what I’ve always figured, too. But it’s not like Snake has been bragging about this all his life. The first time he claimed it to anyone but an Eagle was only three years ago. But he told Morehouse a long time before that. After Glenn called me back, I did a quick read-up on the James Earl Ray case. Dr. King’s own family doesn’t believe Ray killed him. And I took a look at some of the crime scene evidence before you came over. There’s a real possibility that King was shot from the roof of the nearby Fred P. Gattis Building.”

“Jesus, Henry. And?”

“Well … Memphis is only six hours from Natchez by car—two by air. Snake was a crop duster. He could have flown up there and back with no one the wiser. And he was a trained sniper.”

I’m shaking my head even before he finishes speaking. “All circumstantial. Do you have anything concrete?”

“Nobody knows where Snake was that day. He didn’t report to work at Triton, but nobody made a fuss because Frank’s funeral had been the previous Sunday. Everybody figured he was laid up drunk somewhere.”

“Have you asked the FBI about Snake’s claims?”

Henry shakes his head. “They wouldn’t tell me anything even if they knew. And if they don’t know, they’d think I’m a nut job.”

“You’re right.”

“So? What do you think?”

“I think this is a distraction. And it’s unprovable. Even if Snake confessed, you’d never know whether he was telling the truth or just trying to get on TV. Besides, my gut says the time window is too short. For two gunmen to have been there implies a conspiracy. Snake couldn’t have thrust himself into a conspiracy in four or five days, no matter how angry he was. The alternative is coincidence, and I hate coincidence.”

Henry looks like he wants to let go of the idea, but can’t quite do it. “What if Snake had hoped to lure King down to Jimmy’s funeral as well as Kennedy? When it all went bad, he decided to take revenge on the closest target of opportunity.”

I shake my head. “Look, you’ve made real progress on terrible murders whose victims deserve justice. Focusing on the King assassination at this point is like hunting for unicorns. Snake Knox killed quite a few people in his time, and you’re going to nail him for one or more of those murders. That’s good enough.”

Henry holds my gaze for a few seconds longer, then nods as though he’s taken my words to heart.

As I check my watch, my cell phone pings with a text message from Walker Dennis:

Cruiser wating outside w deputy in it. u guys coming out or what?