Ike rolls his tongue around his cheek, his eyes moving on and off me. “Why you think that?”

“I’ve got reasons. What do you think?”

“I think all the evidence in the world against Ray Presley ain’t gonna get you no closer to Marston.”

“Why not?”

“’Cause Presley don’t know shit about the reason. You got to find the why of it.”

“Take me back to my car. You want me to fight your battles for you, but you don’t give me shit for help.”

He spins the wheel and turns the cruiser back toward Wal-Mart, his anger making his knuckles pale. “Marston fucked up my family,” he says through clenched teeth. “Fucked up my whole life. That’s all I’m gonna tell you. It’s got nothing to do with Del Payton, but I knew you could bring Marston down behind the Payton thing. That’s why I went that way. I want that bastard destroyed. In public. That’s what’ll hurt him the most. If it wasn’t for that, I’d have killed his ass a long time ago.”

I settle back on the seat and let my eyes go out of focus, which turns the oncoming headlights into slow white meteors. “Ike . . . I want you to swear on the soul of your mother that Marston ordered Del Payton’s death.”

He doesn’t hesitate. “On the soul of my mother. If it wasn’t for Leo Marston, Del Payton would be alive today.”

I guess that’s all the certainty I’m going to get.

When I get home, Caitlin’s Miata is parked in the driveway. She is standing in the garage, talking to Officer Ervin.

“What’s the matter?” I ask as she walks out to meet me.

“Dwight Stone just called me at the newspaper. He thinks his phone is tapped. He gave me the number of a pay phone and told me to get you to call him back. He said you should use a pay phone too. One far from your house.”

“Let’s go.”

I drive us up to the bypass, then north to Highway 61. There’s a pay phone at a convenience store, but I go a little farther to a grocery store parking lot, where there won’t be so much noise. Caitlin stands beside me as I dial the number.

“Yes?” Stone says in a gruff voice.

“It’s Penn Cage.”

“Listen to me, Cage. My phone is tapped. So are the phones at your father’s house and medical office. Probably the lines at the newspaper as well. You should also assume physical surveillance. I’m being watched right now.”

“Jesus. Someone just tried to kill Ray Presley.”

Caitlin tenses beside me, but I ignore her.

“How?” asks Stone.

“Poisoned his IV bag. He had a coronary, but he’s still ambulatory and mad as hell.”