Sophia was standing behind a counter display of cell phones that formed a loose U shape around her. Behind the U was a half-open door that Gurney could see led to a messy office. He could hear a man’s voice on the phone but couldn’t make out the words.

“He never brought them back?”

“Never. On video man got bullet in the brain. You know what money TV gives for that?”

“Your video showed the man getting shot in the cemetery across the river?”

“Sure. Camera out front sees everything. Hi-def. Even background. Best quality. All function is automatic. Cost plenty.”

“The cop who took—”

The door behind her opened wider and the hairy man came out into the counter area.

His expression was deepening the lines of suspicion and resentment that shaped his features.

“Nobody took nothing,” he said. “Who are you?”

Gurney gave the man a flat stare. “Special investigator looking into the state police handling of the Spalter case. Did you have any direct contact with a detective by the name of Mick Klemper?”

The man’s expression remained steady. Too steady, too long. Then he shook his head slowly. “Got no memory of that.”

“Was Mick Klemper the ‘big fucking bastard cop’ that the lady here says took your security videos and never returned them?”

He gave her a look of exaggerated confusion. “What the fuck you talking about?”

She returned his look with an exaggerated shrug. “Cops didn’t take nothing?” She smiled innocently at Gurney. “So I guess they didn’t. Wrong again. Very often. Maybe had too much drink. Harry knows, remembers better than me. Right, Harry?”

Hairy Harry grinned at Gurney, his eyes like gleaming black marbles. “See? Like I said: Nobody took nothing. You go now. Unless you want to buy a TV. Big screen. Internet-ready. Good prices.”

Gurney grinned back. “I’ll think about that. What would a good price be?”

Harry turned his palms up. “Depends. Supply and demand. Life so much fucking auction, you know this what I mean? But good price anyways for you. Always good prices for policemans.”

Down the avenue, upon closer inspection, the store with the balloon display didn’t seem to be in business after all. The slanting sun had illuminated the window in a way that made it seem full of bright lights. And the coverage of the single security camera at the River Kings pizzeria was limited to a ten-foot square around the cash register. So unless the killer had been hungry, there wasn’t anything to be learned there.