"What about his alibi?"

"Right now we don't know if he actually flew anyplace. We're going to check on his trip details. Otherwise, his alibi's not bad. He didn't have much time to go back to Towson's. And he needed a couple of hours to get to the Orlando airport."

"I'll get you the warrant. It'll take a little time, but you'll have it today.

Goddard collected his papers and headed outside to his vehicle. His phone beeped. It was the chief, "Thought you'd like this. We're tailing Barner, he's not headed home, he's going over the bridge."

"Stay close. If he stops on the bridge move in immediately. Don't let him toss the weapon."

After a few minutes, the chief came back on. "He didn't stop. He drove directly to Loraine Dellin's house."

"You're kidding. How about that, is he still there?"

"Just got there. I'll tell you when he leaves."

Goddard swung his unmarked vehicle into traffic and hit the siren. "I'm going to try and catch him there, catch them together, see how they explain it. Interesting, he's going to see Loraine. He had on a suit when he left here so it's not a service call. If I hadn't scared him with the talk about having a gun and running out of town, where would he have gone after the funeral?"

"Home to change clothes," the chief answered.

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"Exactly. But he didn't. He ran straight to her."

A minute later the chief was on the phone again, "Well, you missed him. He just pulled away from her house."

"Okay, keep on him." Goddard switched off the siren and slowed. Loraine, Loraine, what are you up to? What's the connection between an upscale woman who lives on the barrier island, and a scraping-to-get-along bug killer? Has to be money.

Word came from the unit tailing Barner that he was now at his house. Goddard drove there. The officer who had tailed Barner said he'd been inside about ten minutes. Goddard radioed for two blue and whites and went to the door. "Where you been, Sonny?"

"Don't have to talk to you anymore."

"Is that what Mrs. Dellin told you? Did she also tell you I need a search warrant to come inside?"

"I knew that."

"Why did you just run to Mrs. Dellin? Are you tight with her like you are with Tammy? Why were you over there?"

"Came back from Vegas broke. She owes me for my services, hasn't paid in a while. Thought maybe I could collect something."

"Did she pay you?"

"No, cried that she didn't have it. Told me to bill her. Jesus, what does she think I've been doing for the last three months? Like I don't need the money and the rich bitch does."




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