“Maybe music, maybe drugs, and maybe both,” Marge said. “Arlington admits selling drugs. Maybe he was a runner for the industry and that’s how he met Rudy.”

“But where’s the connection to Little?”

“Little knew Darnell was pushing. Maybe Little was going to expose the operation, leaving Rudy without his main supplier. So Banks had Little whacked.”

“Arlington was already gone when Little was whacked. Surely Rudy could have found another source.”

Marge mulled over the words. “Okay, how about this? Darnell was the pusher at North Valley, which is why he didn’t drop out of school. Let’s say Darnell got busted. Little managed to hush up the bust and get Darnell out of the picture. But then let’s say a few months later, Rudy takes over Darnell’s former turf and starts selling. Little finds out and gets in the way of Rudy’s operation.”

“That’s a leap—from buyer to seller.”

“Not really,” Marge said. “From what we’ve found out, Rudy’s pretty damn entrepreneurial.”

“Okay. For argument’s sake, let’s say you’re right. That would explain a connection between Banks and Arlington. How does Primo Ekerling fit in?”

“Maybe Ekerling and Banks were in it together. Maybe eventually conscience caught up with Ekerling. He hated Banks. Maybe he finally decided to do the right thing and report Rudy. So Rudy whacked him as well.”

“Fifteen years later?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Nor does it explain why Cal Vitton decided to commit suicide right after you called him up to ask about the Little case.”

Decker said, “While you were gone, Oliver’s been working on Little’s financials.”

“And?”

“He owned a lot of toys—a Mercedes, a small boat, a trailer, a camper…plus, he had a little money in the bank and there was a college fund for each of the boys. That might have come from insurance…or from other sources.”

“Ah…” She digested the new information. “So you’re thinking that maybe Little was running drugs?”

“We have no indication that he was anything but a straight shooter.”

“But we do know that his wife developed a big gambling problem after he died…meaning she probably had a little gambling problem before he died. Maybe Little needed some disposable income. A few hundred here or there can add up, especially since the income is unreported.”

“Who would he be selling to?” Decker asked. “I’m sure Little was smart enough not to foul his own nest.”

“Maybe Little got drugs from Darnell and sold them to Banks and his punk musician crowd. That’s why when Darnell was busted, Ben Little went to bat for him.”

Decker began to draw some diagrams. “Okay. This is what we have. We have a clear connection between Arlington and Little. And it feels like there’s some kind of connection between Arlington and Banks.”