" She's been in the water a long time." " Yeah." "She's only wearing one shoe." "You seen a lot of floaters in L.A.?" "It's not a floater." "She'd be more bloated." "I think I found something." " What do you need?" " Body bag." " You sure?" " Yes." "Drowned?" "I don't know." "This end was tied to a couple of cinder blocks." "I always keep my gear in the trunk." "You think maybe you shouldn't have untied it?" " Well, it kind of slipped off the blocks." " Was it tied or not?" "I've polluted the crime scene, haven't I, Jesse?" "Doc, I think maybe the forensics on this one might be a little over our heads." "Thank you." "You want to see if you can find the other shoe?" " Okay." " Good." "It's the kind of cheap rope you buy at a hardware store." "Not designed for the job at hand." "The end's frayed." " Means somebody cut it." " So the body was dumped?" "Unless she tied the weight around herself and jumped in." " Wanna make some overtime?" " Sure." "Walk the perimeter." " Looking for anything special?" " A clue would be good." " Such as?" " Anything that looks like a clue." "Anything that doesn't belong or that's out of place." "Belonged to a girl or a murderer." "Or Lillian Gish, for that matter." " And who's Lillian Gish?" " Never mind." "It's a big lake." "Take your time." "When in doubt, assume it's a clue." "When Officer D'Angelo arrived, you were punching out your wife in the parking lot." "I wasn't punching her out." " How many times he hit you, ma'am?" " He didn't hit me." "I saw him hit her a couple of times with the right fist." "Have you looked in the mirror, Mrs. Snyder?" "Come on, you never had a few drinks before?" "You never had an argument with anybody?" "This is the third time they've been in here, and she won't file a complaint." "That's three times we know about." "How many times you suppose it happened that we don't know?" "I didn't hit her." "Molly, take Mrs. Snyder to the Emergency Room." "Oh, no." "I'm okay." "I'll be fine." " Have them examine her whole body." " She ain't going!" "Mrs. Snyder, I'm going to put your husband in a holding cell till he's sober." "I ain't drunk." "And I ain't going in no holding cell and she ain't going to no hospital." "What's your first name, Mr. Snyder?" " Jerry." " Jerry." "I think we got you for assault, Jerry." "I didn't assault nobody." "We have the bruised and bloodied victim." "We have the eyewitness testimony of a police officer." "And I think we can find some bruising on your knuckles." " You can't arrest me." "I don't got no lawyer." " I'm not arresting you, Jerry." "I'm detaining you." "Pending charges." "Come on, Viv." "Let's walk here." "Jerry!" "Are you okay?" "Come on, let's get up." "Officer D'Angelo, escort Mr. Snyder to the holding cell." "You'll see him in a few hours." "Need help with your homework?" "Actually, Michelle is tutoring me." "She says no self-respecting mom would let her daughter graduate high school before she does." "You better hurry, Carole." " She's still not interested in college, though." " Well, I'll talk to her again." " You never went to college." " No." " But Portia Roberts did." " Who's Portia Roberts?" " My first girlfriend." " What's that got to do with college?" "Nothing." "But I think about her a lot." "You think if you went to college things would have turned out different with her?" "Probably not, but I would have gotten an education." "From her or from school?" "Both." "Got a hangover?" "I'm gonna pull those doors right off their hinges" " if you don't let me out of here." " I'll take that as a yes." "I'm supposed to let some small-town cop blindside me?" " Why not?" " I don't take that kind of crap." "We all take crap and we all like to pretend we don't." "What, you think I'm pretending?" "Nobody likes to face up to being a stupid drunk." " You calling me stupid?" " I think you're stupid when you're drunk." "You wanted me, Skipper?" "Mr. Snyder is leaving." "Could you process him out?" " lf you hadn't tripped me up." " But I did." " And I might again." " Cops aren't supposed to do that." "That's correct." "I would think the police department would have made a more successful attempt" " to bring her to her rightful home." " We found the owner." "We asked her where she lived, but she refused to answer." "Oh, sweetheart." "Oh, honey." "Officer Crane, would you please explain the circumstances of the arrest." "The arrest?" "She was roaming around the pike with no license." " No tags?" " No collar." " How'd you get her in the car?" " Donut." " And she spent the night at your house?" " She did." "If someone or something spends the night here, so does one of our officers." "We only have four people." " Please tell me your dog is neutered." " No, ma'am." "Oh, my God." " The dog was lonely." " Ain't we all?" "Not the way I hear it." "School ring." "I didn't want to handle it more than I had to so I dropped it right in the bag." " What about prints?" " Look at the surface." "No chance." "Maybe the stone, though." " I won't touch the stone." " Initials "H.R." on the inside." "I found it right here." " What are you looking for?" " Well, she probably weighed 100 pounds." "That's a lot of dead weight to carry, unless you're in pretty good shape." " So you figure he dragged her out?" " The rain will have washed everything out." "It was a big rain." "I found the other shoe!" "That's good work, Doc." "Kids come in here to smoke dope." "Guy pulls in, it's dark, probably already dead, most likely in the trunk, but he can't pick her up." "People see it in the movies all the time, but it's too much dead weight for most guys to handle, so drags her out, probably backwards down the hill." "It'll be slow-going." "But there is sort of a path." "Kids probably use it to go down to the lake." " The leaves are brown." " So it's been a while." " You think it might be hers, Jesse?" " Doesn't do us any good to think it's not." "Probably wasn't too calm when he was dragging her, so when the chain around her neck snagged, he just tugged her loose and kept dragging." "He would have wanted her to sink, so he would have weighted her." "Yeah, but not on shore." "He wouldn't want to weight her down until she was deep enough to let her sink." "It would have made dragging her out that much harder." "She only had on the one shoe when we found her." "What if he tied one end of the rope around her ankle, the other around the weight." "And after it was in the water, the body began to decompose, become more buoyant and, at the same time, less cohesive." "The rope dragged off, taking the shoe with it," " and up she came." " So we're looking at a murder." "It's a working theory." "What I don't understand is, if you can choose not to drink sometimes, why can't you choose not to drink all the time?" "You need help with this, Jesse." "Are you drinking right now?" " Yes." " Alone?" "No, with you, Jenn." "You don't have to start big." " And you know a guy." " Yes." " How do you know a guy?" " My psychiatrist recommended him." " You've been talking about me in therapy?" " Of course." "Seeing a shrink is not something cops and ballplayers are supposed to do." "I can make you an appointment." "If I go, I'll make the appointment." "Capt. Healey's in your office, Skipper." "I need you to check out all the missing persons reports for Paradise County." " How do you know the girl came from here?" " I don't." "Skipper, isn't it illegal to domicile dogs and humans next to each other?" " It is." "D'Angelo..." " I know." "The Skipper thing." "It's a habit." "The State Homicide Commander personally." " I told you, I live in the neighborhood." " Good excuse to come home early." "Absolutely not." "I called." "You were out to lunch." "I came home early." "She drowned." "We also found a lot of alcohol and carisoprodol in her blood." "Muscle relaxant." "Found traces of skin on the loop at the end of the rope and abrasions on her ankle." " DNA?" " lf we had someone to match it to." " Dental charts?" " lf we had someone to match it to." " Fingerprints?" " lf she hadn't been in the water so long." " How long?" " At least three weeks." "She probably didn't go swimming with a rope tied around her ankle." "Kid was probably about 14." " Pretty amateurish." " What's that?" "Killer didn't know his knots." "One end came loose, the other would have done the same sooner or later." "Guy who drugged her had plenty of time to think about this before he drowned her." "That's cold." "Anyway, I got a guy on all this." " Only one?" " You know how it works." "Slowly." "She was pregnant." "Excuse me." "Dr. Summers?" "Jesse Stone." "Oh, Mr. Stone." "Please, sit down." " You're with the Paradise Police?" " Yes." " And it's something about a murder?" " Yes." "We found the body of a young woman in a lake." " Gosh, how awful." " Especially for her." " Do you have anyone who's missing?" " Not that I know of." "Of course, we're not back for another couple of weeks," " so I'd have no way of knowing." " Isn't that a little late?" "We're college prep." "We're on quarters." "Why do you think that the girl was a student here?" "I wonder if you could help me find the owner of that ring." "Well, from its size, I'd say it belongs to a young man." "Most likely." ""H.R."" "Would I be sending one of my students to the electric chair if I answer?" "Well, there is no death penalty in Massachusetts." "And this may be more about identifying the victim than the perpetrator." "H.R. is William Royce." "His nickname's Hooker." "Hooker Royce is our all-American." "He's honor roll." "Three sports." "Captain in all of them." "All-state in baseball, scholarship to Duke." " And he's handsome and self-effacing." " How did you know?" "Might be sort of circular." "Probably wouldn't be the town hero if he were ugly." " Well, that's cynical." " I prefer observant." "And being observant would make you cynical, wouldn't it?" " You seem observant." " I try." " But you don't seem cynical." " Well, I'm in the hope business." " So you think you might be saving them?" " I have to think so." "Or hope so." "Otherwise, what have I done with my life?" "Bastard's been hitting me for years." "Why do you stay?" "I'm Catholic." "I'm not supposed to get divorced." " Have you talked to your priest?" " No." "I don't want nobody to know." " But you're talking with me." " Well, you already know." "He didn't used to hit me." "Is it booze?" "Yeah, he don't usually hit me unless he's drinking." "I don't want a divorce." "I'm 47 years old and I drunk too much for 20 years, and I'm fat and stupid and I look like hell." "I got no kids." "I got no money." "Got no education." "Last job I had was waitressing at a pancake house." "A rock and a hard place." "You married, Chief Stone?" "No." " You ever been married?" " Yes." "Maybe you could talk to him." "I could do that." "You and your husband ever been in counseling?" " You mean a shrink?" " Yeah." "No." "No, I'm not talking to nobody." "All shrinks are crazy anyhow." " So you used to be a cop?" " Until I gave it up to be a drunk." " What pushed your button?" " My boozer button?" " The precipitating event." " Booze." "I was a drinker of opportunity." "I got my hands on it, I drank it." "I was all right till my wife left me." "No, you weren't." "Even when you were sober, you were a drunk waiting to happen." "Just what did my wife tell you about me?" "Ex-wife." "She says you have a hyperactive sense of responsibility." "She says you feel the divorce was your fault, even though she was having the affair." "She thinks you also feel responsible that your friend Abby Taylor was murdered." "I am responsible." " You working on a murder case now?" " Yes." "That your fault, too?" "I sense a parable." "My wife left me because I was a drunk." " Booze kill the job, too?" " It did." " So how'd you get sober?" " I stopped drinking." "You're a drunk because you drink." "You don't drink, you're not a drunk." " You don't believe in addiction?" " Sure I do." "I was addicted." "I still am." "But that's just an explanation." "If you want to stop drinking, pal, you got to do more than explain it." "You're a cold bastard, aren't you?" "Getting sober is cold-bastard work." " I need a drink." " Me, too." "Trying to stay in shape?" "It'd be dumb not to." "Who are you?" "I'm Chief Stone, Paradise Police." "This is Officer Simpson." " What's going on?" " Found your class ring." "I didn't know it was lost." "How's that?" "I gave it to somebody." "Why do you wanna know?" "'Cause I'm the police chief." " So I have to tell you?" " Sooner or later." "Who'd you give it to?" "Billie Bishop." "You see, I'd broken up with my regular girlfriend and..." "And Billie was available?" "Billie was always available." " So how come the ring?" " I started to feel kind of sorry for her." "I mean, like, everybody was banging her, but nobody cared much about her, you know?" "I do now." "Everyone thought she was stupid, but she wasn't." "And you fell head over heels in love?" "What planet are you from?" "No, Paula and I, we patched it up." "I didn't care about the ring, so when I broke it off with Billie, just told her to keep it like a memento." "I mean, I can always get Paula something from Duke." "It seems fair to Paula." "How did Billie take it?" "It was funny." "It was like she expected it to happen." "Like it was no big deal." "You think you could tell me what this is all about?" "Think you'll make the Duke baseball team?" "Sure." "You gotta stay positive, right?" "I hope it's not Billie." "Gotta be somebody." "What can you tell me about her?" "Billie was the school pump." " Don't beat around the bush." " I know." "It's an awful thing to say, isn't it?" " We used to say it when we were kids." " We all did." "It says everything and nothing." "I'm more interested in everything." "Aside from a tendency towards frequent, indiscriminate sex, what kind of student was she?" "Not a good one." "She failed a number of courses, which, as you may know, in today's educational climate, is not easy." " But she wasn't stupid." " No." "But extremely passive, apathetic." "Never spoke in class." "Was she always that way?" "I don't know." " Val?" " Yes?" "Could you get me Billie Bishop's records from before she transferred." "Sure." " When did she transfer?" " Two years ago." "Anything wrong with the parents?" "Other than the fact that their daughter was a mess?" "They were upset about her grades." "Very status conscious." "Concerned about what other people think." "Thanks." "So how did the school hero end up with the town pump?" "There's that cynical thing again." "Well, it seems that Billie was an A student before she came here." "Excellent teacher recommendations." "I just assumed that I had inherited a problem student." "It's not exactly a ringing endorsement of someone in the hope business." "So something changed and it changed here." " Probably will make it." " What?" "The Duke baseball team." "Hooker Royce." "Probably he'll make it." "You're two inches low and one inch to the right." "I think the ring and the chain are connected." "Didn't the girls at your high school do that?" "Wear the boyfriend's ring on a chain around their neck?" "I can't remember." "The thing that bothers me is, wouldn't we have found the ring near where the chain broke?" "Not really." "Could've caught in her clothing." "It's not like the killer was leaving bread crumbs so we could find the body." "Guess we got ourselves a suspect." "He didn't do it." "Where did that last one come from?" "Try one more click to the left." "Well, he could have done it." "A guy who knows somebody's dead, doesn't talk that way about them." " So you don't want me to check him out?" " No." "Go ahead, you've got to." "See if he'll give you a DNA sample." "That'll do." " Mrs. Bishop?" " Yes." "I'm Chief Stone, Paradise Police." "This is Officer Simpson." "Ma'am." " May we come in?" " Sure." "Hank, there are policemen here." "Please, come in." "What seems to be the problem?" "I wonder if you could tell us where your daughter is." "Emily is at college." " What about Billie?" " Is this about the girl in the lake?" " Yes, ma'am, it is." " Oh, my God." " Is it Billie?" " We don't know that." "Oh, my God." "Our daughter's been gone some time." "There's no record of a missing person report being filed." " Why is that?" " Because he threw her out!" " Sandy." " He didn't want people to know." " He cares more about what people..." " That's enough!" "I keep very high standards in this house, and up until about a year ago, our daughter had no trouble meeting them." "But then it was like she went off the rails, grades in the toilet, drugs, sex." "Her friends kept spotting her in town, so I assumed that she was all right." " Obviously, that was..." " A mistake." "When's the last time anyone heard from her?" " About six weeks..." " Three weeks." " I promised her I wouldn't tell." " What did she say, Mrs. Bishop?" "She said that she was happy." "She was..." "Said not to worry." "Things were better this way." "Did she say where she was?" "No." "May I see Billie's room?" "Do you think the girl in the lake is Billie?" "I'm afraid I think it could be." "The girl in the lake is Elinor Bishop." "Nickname:" "Billie." " How do you know?" " I think I know." "I have no such person on the statewide missing persons list." "Yeah." "Well, the father was concerned what other people would think." "I'll try and get you some dental charts so you can make a positive." "That'll work." "See if you can speed it up." "The parents are really hurting." " How pregnant?" " Couple of months." " You think the fetal DNA will hold up?" " Sure, but DNA takes time." "It'll give us the father." " lf we had someone to match it to." " Right." "I just saw Mrs. Snyder at Stop  Shop." " She told me she's getting a divorce." " She tell him?" " She's trying to build up the nerve." " She say why?" "Well, she didn't quite put it this way, but it sounded like all those years he was punching her around, she used to think that if he'd only stop they could be happy." "She finally realized that even if he did stop, she still wouldn't like him." "Paradise Police Department." "Hold, please." "Dr. Summers for you." "I know you're off duty, but could you get me another cup of coffee?" "I think so." "Jesse Stone." "I've been doing a little research." "I had some things sent over from Billie's previous school." "And I think they might be of interest." "I think we should have dinner." " Your husband won't mind?" " There is no husband, Chief Stone." " When?" " Any time but Saturday." "That's Norman Shaw's annual fundraiser for the school." " The writer?" " And benefactor." " How about tonight?" " I'd love to." "36 to 222." "Come on, Bobby." "You know I can't go to lunch until you get this car out of here." "Yeah." " Service line 2." " We need to talk." "I don't want to talk with you, pal." " Why would you?" " Are you arresting me?" " Hell, no." " Then I don't have to go." "Sure you do." "Or we can talk about domestic violence right here." " Where are we?" " I don't know." "You hit your wife again and I'll kill you." "Understand that?" "You believe me?" "Get out of the car." "Close the door." " How am I supposed to make it back?" " Walk." "Think about it." "Son of a bitch!" " Hi." " Hi." " Come in." " Thank you." "So that's Billie's stuff." "Some from her old school, some I put together." "You'll see a very different girl." "She'd gotten an award in her English class just before she transferred." "Anyway, you'll see." "You know, I wish I'd done more." " I really don't know what else to say." " How about small talk?" " Okay." "Can I get you a drink?" " No." "Thank you." " Do you mind if I have one?" " No." "So did you attend college?" "No, I went from high school to professional baseball." " Did you ever play in the majors?" " I was a shortstop." "I tore up my shoulder." "Well, that would be a bad injury for a shortstop." " Fatal." "You follow baseball, Dr. Summers?" " Yes, very closely." " Do you mind living alone?" " No." " Do you?" " No, I don't mind living alone." "I mind being alone." " I feel funny talking to you like this." " It's okay, I'm the police chief." " We have reservations at The Gray Gull?" " Yes, we do." "Now, if we eat first, we're going to be both thinking about afterwards and how that's going to go," " and we won't be able to enjoy our dinner." " That is a problem." "So I think that we should have the afterwards first." "Then we'd be free to concentrate on a lovely dinner." " So this was a first date?" " It wasn't exactly a date." " So this was a first date?" " It wasn't exactly a date." "Sounds like a date to me." " And you wanted to drink with her." " Oh, yeah." " But you didn't." " No." " Why?" " I have no idea." "Why did you want to?" "Did you want a drink at 2:35 in the afternoon?" " I'm not that far gone." " I'll take that to mean no." "Why did you want to drink at 7:00 in the evening?" "What difference does it make?" "None, to me." "I don't know." "It was the end of the day." "She looked very good." "I mean, it was all ahead of us." "The romance of booze." " You think that's what makes me drink?" " No." "But it helps you want to." "This job in Paradise is my last stop." "I get off the bus here." "What we're doing here is a little like when we're working a case." "There are incidents." "We don't know how these incidents connect, but we register them, note the sequence and then we think about them." " I'm paying you 150 bucks an hour, right?" " 165." " Whatever." "It's my time, right?" " Right." "What makes a kid change?" " How old a kid?" " About 12." "Change how?" "Grades go in the tank, drugs, sex." "The long answer will cost you a lot of money." "What's the short answer?" "Most cases, the common profile involves molestation." "Not always." "More often than people want to admit." ""I was the shadow of the waxwing slain" ""By the false azure in the windowpane" ""I was the smudge of ashen fluff" ""And I lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky" ""And from the inside, too, I duplicate" ""Myself, my lamp, an apple on a plate" ""Uncurtaining the night I'd let dark glass Hang all the furniture above the grass" ""And how delightful when a fall of snow" ""Covered my glimpse of lawn..."" " Emily Bishop?" " Who wants to know?" "I'm Chief Stone." " Show me your badge." " I don't have one." " You don't have one?" " It's in a drawer." "Show her your badge, Suit." "He is the Chief." "So what happened to my sister?" "We think we found her floating in a lake." "You think?" "The body is hard to identify." "Well, I know it's gonna end up being her." " Didn't they mess her up." " Who?" "My parents." "Probably messed me up, too, but I got out in time." "When Billie ran away, do you know where she went?" " Someplace in Boston." " You know where?" " Some nun runs it." " She get along okay with Hooker?" "Hooker was nice to her." "Look, half the guys in the school were bopping her." " Probably some older guys, too." " Why do you say that?" "Any names?" "No." "She thought it made her popular." "I didn't want to hear about it." "Anything else that could help?" "I think I have a letter from her back in my room." " I think it says the shelter's name in it." " Can we get that?" "He had to be one hard-ass son of a bitch." "Where'd he think she was gonna end up?" " You okay?" " Yeah, sure." "They're not gonna get me." "I'm out of there." "I'm never going back." "Your father still pay your tuition?" "You think he wants his little girl to drop out of college?" "It's good to be able to count on something." "He owes it to me." "I'm going to take him for everything he's got if I can." "You got someone to talk to?" "A shrink?" "Might be good if you talked to him." "Are you sure you're a nun?" "Pretty sure." "What about the rest of the staff?" "It's pretty much a one-nun show." " When was Billie here?" " Beginning of the summer." " But she's not here now?" " No." "Would you tell me if she were?" "It would depend on who you were and why you wanted to know." "You know who I am." "A cop is a cop is a cop." "We think Billie was murdered." "Think?" "Know, but can't prove." "Condition of the body makes it hard." "So when was the last time she was here?" "About three weeks ago." "Do you know where she went when she left?" " Our girls tend to come and go." " When they got nowhere else to stay." "I like to think that we provide for their spiritual needs, as well as a place to sleep." "So she was getting some money, some of the time in exchange for something." "That'd be my guess." "Did you have any way of contacting her?" "She left a phone number." "She said it was only for an emergency." "And I was only to give it to her sister or somebody named Hooker." "Did you give it to either?" "Neither of them asked." "Did you ever call the number?" "That would be unethical." "May I have the number?" "That would be unethical." "She's dead." "I'll get it for you." "Jesse," "there's something you need to know." "Jesse, are you listening?" "Yes." "There's something you need to know." "I called the phone number you gave me." "It's a bit odd." "It's a company, Superior Promotions." "It deals with books." "Big books." "Bestsellers." "And it's owned by a town luminary, Norman Shaw." "The writer?" "And Vivian Snyder called." "Did she tell him?" "She's moved out." "Filed for divorce." "Good for her." "She can't win them all, but she might've won this one." "That's all I know." "I'm going home." "That's good police work." "Keep it up and you'll get a promotion." "Yeah, but the sexist bastards already made you Chief." "You believe Hank Bishop about why he didn't report her missing?" " I think so." " I don't." "He's a cold bastard." "He threw a 14-year-old out on the street." "Well, he didn't really throw her out." "She left." "But he made a big mistake, and I think he knows it." "A guy like that draws a line in the sand." "He can't go back." " So what do your instincts say?" " You mean my copiy intuition?" " Yeah." " Nothing." "Yeah, but you got a hunch." "No, I don't." "I don't have a clue." "I'm waiting to get one." " Jesse, what are we doing here?" " We're fighting crime." "I'm Norman Shaw." "Nice to meet you, sir." "Your officer here seems to think we need to talk." "Well, actually, he's not my officer, he's yours." "He works for the town." "Casuistry aside," " I need to speak to the man in charge." " That would be me." "Good." "I'm sure you can tell the officer that party patrol is hardly the best use of a policeman's time." " We've had a complaint, sir." " And that would be?" "Noise." "Punishable by death?" "It's a party, for God sakes." "The Lieutenant Governor's here, several state reps and a congressman." "My attorney is here." "Do I need to get him down here?" "Chills run up and down my spine." "It appears that cars are parked illegally." " You'll have to move them." " Cars?" "You want me to move cars." " Yes, I do." " Well, I'm not going to do that." "Officer Simpson, would you call Frankie's Tow and have them start hooking up?" "You can't tow all these cars." "And when you're finished, start interviewing the guests." " For what reason?" " Noise." "Obstructing access." "Listen, you don't want to ruin this party." " This is a charity event." " I don't wanna ruin your party." "But cars need to be moved." "Behavior needs to be modified." "We'll move the cars." "And we'll quiet down." "And I'll have your job." "Probably not." "What's casuistry mean?" "I don't know." "I think you couldn't stay away from me, and that's why you had to crash the party." "Exactly." "So why do we think it had something to do with Norman Shaw?" "Or someone on that list." "I don't know." "Maybe you're just paranoid." "Pretty impressive." "Lieutenant Governor, state reps..." "You know, if I were really paranoid," "I might think that your disruption cost me money." "And Norman Shaw is a local institution and a generous benefactor." "You're upset." "I'm a little upset." "It's nothing that can't be overcome." "Why are the Bishops crossed out?" "Well, what's a family fundraiser without a family?" "But the Bishop family always attended in the past." "Since they've been here." "Being a man of limited means, what can I do to compensate you for whatever loss the disruption caused?" "You could make love to me in a jail cell." "Not one of mine." " How about your office?" " Can't." " Because?" " Might embarrass the department." "A headmistress isn't supposed to do that kind of thing, either." "But the risk is part of the fun." "Lilly, this is what I am," "I'm divorced from the only woman I seem to be able to love." "I'm trying not to drink too much." "I can't play professional baseball like I'm supposed to." "All I can be is a cop in a small town and this is my last chance at that." " And you don't wanna jeopardize that." " I can't." "Not for fun." "But if it involves trapezes, bobsleds or hay balers, I'm your guy." "It's Billie Bishop." "Dental charts confirmed it." "We've approximated the time of death somewhere between the 8th and the 9th." "Killer didn't dump the body in the middle of the day." "That means the evening of the 8th or early on the 9th." "Lieutenant Governor." "Norman Shaw." " Impressive list of people." " You know anybody else on that list?" "Representative Kelly." "I know Leo Finn." "Who's Leo Finn?" "Solid citizen." "Runs drugs and gambling in the North End." " Prostitution?" " No way." "Prostitution would offend Leo's moral sensibilities." "What's your interest in Norman Shaw?" "I'm a big fan." "I see." "In your travels, there's something you should know." "Leo Finn has a gunsel." "He's always around." "He's a stone-cold killer." "Neither of them should be taken lightly." "Development Associates." " I'm Leo Finn." " Jesse Stone." "The parking czar." "I prefer Chief Stone." "I remember seeing you at the party." "Oh, good for you." "What brings you to Boston?" "And you are?" "This is my associate, Lovey Norris." "Nice to meet you, Lovey." "What exactly does Development Associates do?" " Development." " Of?" "Of our best interests." "How well do you know Norman Shaw?" "You tell me." "This isn't going very well, is it?" "I'm gonna be honest with you, Jesse." "Since we've known each other..." "Been close personal friends for, what, two or three minutes now." " Norman Shaw is a business associate." " Development?" " No." " Books?" " Our relationship is confidential." " Oh, you can tell me." "Just between friends." "Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be confidential now, would it?" "It was very nice meeting you." "Billie was lost to us a long time ago." "And when did you notice a change?" "Almost from the time we moved here." "And when was that?" "Two years ago." "Just before school started." "I should've reported her missing the day that she left." "Yes, sir, you should have." "What can I do to help?" "You could give us a DNA sample." "We think Billie must've been in contact with someone in Paradise after she ran away." "Who?" "We don't know." "Excuse me." "He could have given her just enough money to make sure she'd come back for more." "For what reason?" "I saw a book in Billie's room by Norman Shaw." "Could I have it?" "I'll get it for you." "So you attended Shaw's fundraiser every year?" "You're telling me it was Shaw?" "I didn't say that." "What's he like?" "Jesse..." "Very philanthropic." " Always nice to the kids." " Good for him." " Jesse!" " Suit, it's gonna have to wait." "It can't." "Put this on." "Snyder's in there with his wife." "I tried to go in, but the son of a bitch took a shot at me." " Carole got out in the chaos." " I got out..." "I got away when he shot Mr. Kim." " Did he kill him?" " I don't know." "He was on the floor and he was bleeding, but he was still moving." "Molly, you got a piece of paper?" " Four aisles?" " Yeah." "Carole, okay, now where did the shooting take place?" "Here." " Was Snyder holding his wife?" " Yeah." "Where?" " Here." " Any other people in the market?" " How many?" " I don't know." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "It's all right." " Jesse, we gotta go in." " I called the state police." "We can't wait." "We'll go in the back." " Well, what do you want me to do?" " Stay here with Carole." " That's all?" " lf Snyder comes out alone, kill him." "What do you want me to do?" "When the shooting starts, you'll know what to do." "Two in the chest." "One in the head." "Continue to engage until the threat is eliminated." "You stop right there!" "I said stop!" "I'm stopped." " You put your gun down." " No." "Put your gun down." " I'm glad you're here, Stone." " Why?" "Did you miss me?" "I got no life without her." "She ain't gonna leave me." "And I ain't gonna leave her." "Not ever." "Jerry, if you love her, let her go." "I'm gonna kill you and everybody in this place." "No, you're not." "Jerry, stop!" "He's down, Suit." "Mr. Simpson is stabilized." "He's in recovery." "The next 48 hours are critical." "And Mr. Kim?" "Mr. Kim was dead on arrival." "Mr. Simpson will be in recovery for some time." "Then we'll move him into Intensive Care." " We'll keep you up to date, Chief Stone." " Thank you, Doctor." "I'm staying." "There's something I gotta do." "Can you handle the station for a while, Tony?" "Sure thing, Skipper." "Page me if anything changes." "Obviously, I was way out of line." "This apology is long overdue." "I may need something in writing." "I'd be happy to do that, sir." "Look, your party was for a very good cause." "I just wish more people would take an interest in our youngsters." "I do what I can." "And the idea of having the young people attend with their parents," "I think, creates a great sense of community." "How long have you been doing this?" "About 10 years." "Since I moved here." "Good for you." " You know Billie Bishop?" " Excuse me?" "Hank and Sandy Bishop's kid?" "Well, I take an interest in all my young people." "Good for you." "Where were you on the night of September 8th?" " Excuse me?" " Where were you" " the night of September 8th?" " I heard what you said." "I want to know why you're asking me that." "'Cause I'm the police chief." "Well, I don't think that's any of your business." "On the contrary, I think it is." "Billie Bishop's dead." "We found a body floating in the lake." "You probably read about it." "Oh, come on, Norman, she's one of your young people." " What was the date?" " September 8th." "September 8th..." "I was with a business associate." " Who?" " Leo Finn." "Would he remember the meeting?" "Yes, I'm sure he would." "It was rather lengthy, we have creative differences." "He's the subject of my next book." "Between you and me, it's an exposé." "Chief Stone, I think this meeting's at an end." "When can I expect that apology?" "You can't." "Norman Shaw says you had a long meeting with him the night of the 8th." "What's he need an alibi for?" "You tell me." "I did call a meeting, but I canceled it." " Because you're fickle?" " Because he's a scumbag." "This have something to do with the confidential nature of your relationship?" "I don't want a guy like that writing my biography." " Why don't you have Lovey kill him?" " Why don't you kiss my ass?" "So a guy like what?" "All right, I'm not gonna cover for that son of a bitch." "Because?" "Because he molests kids." "He uses his fundraisers to meet them." " How do you know?" " Had Lovey keeping tabs on him." "He saw him go into this motel a couple of times with a kid." "You know her name?" "No, he does not know her name." "Was she about 14?" "Yes." "Can you talk?" "He can talk, but he's not going to testify." "You do your job." "You'll find out." " What's the name of the motel?" " That's all you're gonna get." ""In the morning, at 7:15, sitting in his office," ""he felt a little guilty and a little shaky." ""He tried coffee, but the coffee didn't help." ""At 9:10, a woman walked in." ""She was wearing big gold-hooped earrings and rings on four fingers." ""She had the kind of lips that made me want to mash them in for her."" "He's in a coma." "When?" "Doctor came in about an hour ago." "I thought he was asleep." "When my sister got sick, things got pretty scary when she got like this." "I'd just sit with her at the hospital." "Doctor told me to talk to her, read to her." "Said sometimes it would help people find their way back." "I don't know if it helped or not, but it sure made me feel better." "Did it work?" "She died." "I'm not gonna let that happen again." "Why don't you take a break, Molly?" "I'll be here." "Talk to him." "Let him know you're here." "I found this in the wheel well next to the spare tire." "Good." "I'll bet you the cut end matches the piece we found at the lake." "Think we could match the cinder blocks?" "I doubt it." "See if you can find the name of the motel that Shaw used." "Maybe the manager can remember him or Billie Bishop." "And interview everyone at Superior Promotions." "Billie used that number." "I called my attorney." "He's on his way here." "Said to stop everything until he arrives." " Did you show Norman the warrant?" " I did." "Anything in there about stopping everything till his lawyer gets here?" "I should have had your head on a platter last time." "I will not make the same mistake again." "You're under arrest for the murder of Billie Bishop." "My attorney will have me out in an hour." "You need to be a little more careful, Norman." "You could start a fire that way." " You can't do that." " Oh, sure I can." " Whose cigar is that, Officer D'Angelo?" " Norman Shaw's." "Child killers don't do well in prison." "You need to think about that." "Take him to County." "I would never hurt Billie." "You have the right to remain silent." "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." "You have the right to an attorney." "If you cannot afford an attorney..." "Jesse, it's not your fault." "No, but it's my responsibility." "How is he?" "No change." " Do you really think Norman killed her?" " I know it." "Well, you must have had other suspects." "What about Hank Bishop?" "Not all fathers are child molesters." "I didn't say that." "I know you didn't." "At a certain point it just became obvious." "Some cases are hard, some are easy." "This one was easy." "Everything started to point toward Shaw." "He was stupid." "He obviously panicked, didn't cover his tracks." "That makes you angry, doesn't it?" "I hate child molesters more than convicts do." "That's the part of you that doesn't always show." "It's the cold part of you, without sentiment, without mercy." "It's frightening." " People are more than one thing." " I know." "I know you feel compassion." "I know that you found Billie's killer partly because you felt somehow you owed it to her." "I did owe it to her." "I'm also employed to do that." "Well, maybe that part of you, the remorseless part." "The part that looks at the world with an icy stare." "Maybe that's why you can do what you're employed to do." "I'll be at the hospital." "Anthony's gotta get home." " We still have to work here sometime." " I know that." "I know you know." "I'll be over in a while." " Stupid." " What are you doing?" "Should've tied a bowline." "I phoned, got an answering machine." " You short-handed?" " Yes, we are." " We have to talk about Norman Shaw." " Norman Shaw." "He's home." "His attorney had him out in an hour." "That figures." "When the DNA comes back, it's not gonna be Hank Bishop." "It's not gonna be Hooker Royce." "It's not gonna be some kid in school." "It's gonna be Shaw." " How do you know?" " I just know." "Then we'll have him." "Well, not for murder, you won't." "The D.A.'s office is not going into court with two cinder blocks, a piece of rope and a bottle of pills." " He doesn't have an alibi." " Neither does half of Paradise." "He had a motive and he had the opportunity." " He's a sick son of a bitch." " Boy, he's a sick son of a bitch." " Says he was in love with the girl." " And you believe him?" "I didn't say that." "He knows she was pregnant." "He knows he's the father." " That's a motive." " Or not." "Look, he knows we'll have him when the DNA comes back." "He'll plead to the molestation." "A guy willing to do time like that has a certain credibility." "He killed Billie." "How do you know?" "If you can't come up with anything else, at least we'll have him for the molestation." "I'll get more." "Molly." "Go home and get some sleep." "I'm okay." "You can only do what you can do." "I went over to Lilly Summers' house to take her to dinner." "I'm not going to tell you." "I'll tell you if you wake up." "D.A.'s behaving like a horse's ass again." "Won't prosecute the murder." "Oh, that's right, you don't know." "We got him." "We got Shaw." "We found cinder blocks, pills and rope." "Of course, we couldn't have done any of this without the ring." "That's good police work, Suit." "Well..." "Listen to this." "What an ego." ""An avid yachtsman," ""Sargasso Sea is Norman Shaw's 28th book."" ""Avid yachtsman."" "Square knot turns into a slip knot when you pull the long end." "Up comes the body and we're off to the races." "Just stupid." "Made it so easy." "You called me?" "I appreciate you coming." "You too, Lovey." "Look, I know I owe you, Leo." "You gave me Shaw, but I need a little help here." "I'm just a small-town cop." "Mostly, I give out parking tickets." "I don't have enough to put this guy away for murder." " That's your problem." " Oh, I thought it was our problem, knowing how we hate child molesters." "So I don't get it, Leo." "You tell me the guy doesn't have an alibi, but you won't let Lovey give me the name of the motel." "I got an officer in the hospital." "I only got two other people." "Why won't you tell me the name of the motel?" "The Paradise Motel." "Okay." "Thank you." "I know it well, used to live there." "So why all the mystery, Leo?" "Because I don't like you." "I'm hurt." "A couple of more things?" " Fire away." " Nice phrasing." "See, I got some problems." "I mean, the only way an amateur like Shaw would drug and drown a kid would be if she threatened to expose him, but I got no proof of that." "In fact, she called her mom." "Said she was happy." " Oh, good for her." " She was pregnant, by the way." "Boy, this guy couldn't even tie a knot." "A pro like Lovey here would know how to dispose of a body." "You'd tie a bowline, wouldn't you, Lovey?" "Hey, you know how Shaw refers to his book?" "He calls it an exposé." "Does that sound like a biography to you?" "Sounds like a betrayal to me." "Well, to me it sounds like this meeting is over." "Come on, hear me out." "See, all this stuff started me thinking." "I mean, what if the killer wasn't stupid?" "What if he was really smart?" "What if the killer wanted the body discovered?" " Why would Shaw do that?" " I'm not talking about Shaw." "See, just between you and me, I think the mute over there whacks people." "But if you whack Norman Shaw, that's big news." "And his exposé gets published big-time." "But if a child molester gets convicted of murdering a kid, no publisher in the world would touch that book." "See, I think you did have that meeting with Shaw." "I think you set him up, then you set me up." "Dropped bread crumbs, led me around by the nose." "I think you're a sick son of a bitch and you killed a kid to solve your problem." "Kiss my ass." "I got him, Billie." ""Chapter One." ""Harry Leon 'Suitcase' Simpson" ""was born in the Broadville section of Atlanta" ""on a rainy evening, December 3rd, 1925." ""He would grow up to be a star in the Negro League" ""and then cross the color barrier right behind Jackie Robinson," ""then be traded so many times" ""he became known as 'Suitcase' Simpson." ""But all that was ahead" ""for the underweight child of Rosalee and Thomas Simpson," ""she a seamstress, he an employee of the Department of Public Works in Georgia," ""'Suitcase' Simpson began his major league career in 1951" ""with the Cleveland Indians." ""Over eight years in the majors," ""he also played for the A's, the Yankees, the White Sox and the Pirates." ""He also played first base and the outfield...""