Problem was, I wasn’t sure where to start. The answer came to me lumbering through the parking lot of the diner when I drove past. Land, hitching up his pants and heading inside for a predawn cup of joe. And, judging from his ever-growing belly, probably a piece of cherry pie to go with it.

I swung into the lot, pulled to a stop right in front of him, and leaned across the passenger seat to roll down the window.

“Jesus, Eve,” Land said, bending down to look at me, one arm braced on the roof of my car. “About took off the tips of my toes.”

“Sorry,” I said, and he rolled his eyes at my dismissive tone. “I was wondering if you’ve heard anything new about the case?”

“Nothing we’re ready to share just yet.”

“What does that mean?”

Land sighed. “We’re working it as hard as we can, Eve.” I heard the frustration in his tone and the sincerity, too. It shocked me a little. Sometimes I forgot that Land might actually care about who killed Junie and Izzy beyond wanting to clear it off his books. “Wish I had more to tell you, I really do.”

“What about Matt?” I asked, throwing out my bait to see what I might catch.

Land jerked back a little, scowl on his face. “Matt? You mean the one dumb enough to mess around with Izzy Logan and then get himself blown to bits?”

A tiny pulse started ticking in my stomach. “Yeah,” I said, careful.

“He didn’t have nothing to do with the murders,” Land said, leaning closer now. “I sure do wish I’d had a chance to talk to him about his sniffing around Izzy. I woulda made sure he never pulled something like that again. But he was working a shift at the strip joint when the girls died. Half a dozen witnesses, at least. He had an alibi as tight as those pants he wore.”

The pulse in my stomach ballooned and bottomed out, leaving a hollow pit behind. What had Cal said when I’d asked him about talking to Matt? He tried denying it at first, but we kept pressing him. Cal and Land talking to Matt about his relationship with Izzy. But here Land was, knowing nothing about it. It was such a small, stupid lie. And yet I couldn’t think of any reason Cal would tell it unless it was hiding something bigger and uglier.

“You been thinking Matt was the one who killed the girls?” Land asked. “I can see where you might jump to that conclusion after the business with him and Izzy. But like I said, it wasn’t him.”

“I guess I thought maybe he was involved. Knew something. That’s why I was asking.” I was rambling, words butting up against each other, and I forced myself to take a breath and relax. “Seems like a lot of people dying around here recently. I made a leap I probably shouldn’t have, that’s all.” I tried on a smile. “That’s what happens when you can’t sleep. You lie there overthinking everything.”