“Yes, I’m sure,” she said, standing up and taking his hand. “And I’m not pregnant anymore.”

Chapter 60

60

David Rutledge looked at the first copy of his magazine’s new issue and thought the Virginia shoot had turned out very well. As he scanned the piece he felt a pang of conscience. He had not done the right thing, and he regretted it. What had he been thinking?

He picked up the phone and dialed 411. A minute or so later he was talking to the sheriff of Albemarle County.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Rutledge? Are you related to Tim Rutledge?”

“Yes, I am,” David replied. “He’s my cousin.”

“Is there anything you can tell me about his whereabouts?”

“Yes. He’s in New York.”

“How do you know that?”

“He called me from a bar near my home in the city, and I met him for a drink.”

“And when was this?”

“The night before last.”

“And why didn’t you call me immediately?”

“I don’t think I was seeing the situation clearly; I reacted as a family member, and not as a citizen. I’m sorry for that.”

“Do you have any idea where he is now?”

“From our conversation I believe he might have moved into a hotel somewhere uptown.”

“I don’t know your geography there,” the sheriff said. “What do you mean by ‘uptown’?”

“Uptown from where I live. I live downtown.”

“That doesn’t help me a lot. Do you have an address?”

“No. He asked to stay at my place, but I declined to have him do that. He asked me to recommend a hotel, and I declined to do that, too. My impression was that he wanted to be uptown somewhere.”

“Perhaps near where Mr. Stone Barrington lives?”

“Perhaps; that name didn’t come up. He did say he had something to do in the city, though.”

“And what might that be?”

“He wouldn’t say.”

“Our theory of this case is that he shot Mrs. Barrington because he was jealous, a jilted lover. Apparently, Mr. Rutledge and Mrs. Barrington had some sort of relationship before she was married, while he was working on her house.”

“I see. I didn’t know anything about that relationship. Before the housewarming I hadn’t seen Tim since last summer.”

“Do you know how Mr. Rutledge traveled to New York?”

“No, I don’t.”

“He didn’t say anything about having a car?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“All right, Mr. Rutledge, thank you for your help in this matter. Will you please call me immediately if you see or hear from your cousin again? You might be saving a life.”

“Yes, I will.”

“And if you do speak to him, try to find out where he’s staying.”

“All right.” The sheriff hung up, and so did David.

Stone was at his desk when Dino called. “How you doing?” he asked.

“I’m okay, I guess.”