“They wanted the best person for the job,” Tarpin interrupted. “I’m the best.” Laughter erupted from his broad chest. “So you’re thinking I murdered Merv because I didn’t like his politics? The Baldwins knew about my associating with PEI. Merv even proofread a couple of articles I wrote for their official newsletter. We were at political ends of the spectrum—them and me. I respected his right to believe what he wanted to believe; he respected mine.” Finally some emotion had entered the Marine’s eyes. “If you’d like to get on with solving the case, that would be nice.”

“I just don’t picture you having much in common with those PEI clowns.”

“National PEI is composed of over two thousand members. Suddenly you’ve met them all?”

“Two thousand members?”

A slow smile came to Tarpin’s lips. “Surprised?”

“Actually, yes, I am.” Decker shook his head. “I hope they’re less marginal than the mouthpieces in the local front office.”

Tarpin was quiet.

“What’s his name?” Decker scanned his notes in mock confusion. “Darrell Holt. What do you think of him?”

“You met Darrell?”

“Yep,” Decker lied.

Tarpin looked across the valleys. Picked up a stone and threw it down the mountainside. “Darrell ain’t no dummy. He went to Berkeley. They don’t let stupid people into college.”

Having gone to college, Decker knew that that was definitely debatable. “What about his girlfriend? Don’t tell me she went to Berkeley. She doesn’t even look eighteen.”

“I don’t know Darrell’s girlfriend.”

“Erin Kershan?”

“Nope. Don’t know her.”

No one spoke for a moment. Decker remarked, “I’m just thinking why Darrell Holt would pick the most radical of all UCs to go to. It hardly fits his politics.”

“That’s because you didn’t know Darrell in his younger days.”

“And you did?”

“Yes, sir. Kinky hair down to his shoulders, unwashed, unkempt, spouting that radical, racial gibberish. His dad put him in Dr. Merv’s camp about seven years ago. But the boy quit therapy, then went off to college. You can’t change a light bulb if it don’t want to be changed. But like I said, Darrell had some smarts. He came to reason on his own.”

Decker was astounded. “So Darrell went to Baldwin’s nature camp.” He tapped his pencil against his notebook. “Is that how you two met?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you were active in PEI at that time, Mr. Tarpin?”

“Correct.”

“Did you introduce Darrell to PEI?”

“No, sir, I don’t use the nature camp to recruit membership for my beliefs.”

Uh-huh, Decker thought. “So Darrell just fell into the group by happenstance?”

“Happenstance? That means by accident, don’t it? I think Darrell went into the group because he was interested in what we had to say.”

“But you never mentioned the PEI to him?”