August frowned. “He’s not any trouble.”

Archie’s heart quickened. “You’ve seen him? Are you sure?”

“He comes around for the goldfish,” August Hughes said. “The older kids, they come to the park and spend a fortune throwing darts at balloons to get those fish. Jump all around when they win one. You’d think they’d gotten themselves a trip to Paris, the way they bounce around. Ten minutes later, they couldn’t care less. I find those bags on the Ferris wheel, in the bathroom, on benches. The kid asked if he could have them. I don’t care. They don’t belong to anyone. They only live a few weeks.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Archie asked.

“He came by the park every couple of days last summer. Haven’t seen him since the park closed for the season back in October.”

Patrick Lifton had been in Portland at least sixth months.

“Did he ever tell you his name, where he lived? Anything?”

“Said his name was Sam. Other than that, nothing. He was quiet.”

“Did you ever see him with anyone?”

“No. He was always alone. But most of the kids I see are. They find their way. Parents want them out of their hair. He okay?”

“Is it the kid from the news?” Philip Hughes asked again.

“We’re going to need your clothes from that night. And your fingerprints, and a DNA sample.”

“Anything,” the son said.

“You committed a Class C felony. There’s prison time. Up to five years.”

Philip gave his father’s hand a squeeze.

“I’m ready for what I’ve got coming,” the old man said.

“He’s eighty-five,” Philip said.

“We haven’t made an arrest yet.”

Philip glanced at his father and then back at Archie. “What are you saying?”

“Thanks for coming in,” Archie said.

The old man hesitated. “We can go?”

“I’ll have a detective escort you home,” Archie said. “To pick up those clothes, and do a DNA swab.” Archie turned back to Philip. “He stays in town. Available if we need him.” Archie took out a card and handed it to August Hughes. “You see this kid, you call me.”

August Hughes took the card and put it in his pocket. Then he glanced over at the moaning fridge. “You need a new bearing on your condenser fan,” he said.

Chapter 31

CHAPTER

31

Susan put together a bare-bones outline of the facts of the case for The New York Times on Archie’s computer—he’d made her leave the room while he typed in his password. Someone else would get quotes. And a third person would make it all sound good. The three of them would share a byline.