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a.m.—after the boat fire. If this didn’t persuade Hale, I didn’t know what would. I had Artemis print off the appropriate evidence and headed down to the police station.
    When I announced my intentions to the desk clerk, she told me that Sergeant Hale was busy. Would I like to talk to Detective Royce? Royce had seemed nicer than Hale that morning, so maybe it was a lucky break for me.
    The desk clerk made a call and I waited in the lobby, clutching the print-outs in my hand as I listened to the trill of phones and the clacking of keys.
    Finally, the door opened and Tony Royce appeared. He looked more tired than he had that morning, a shadow of stubble already forming on his chin as if he’d been roused early by the police call and hadn’t had a chance to shave.
    He stuck out his hand. “Callie, right?”
    “Everyone calls me Cal.”
    “Okay, Cal, what can I do for you?
    I held up the papers. “I did a little research this morning, since I still had Evangeline’s money. I just felt like it was the least I could do.”
    “And …” His brow furrowed.
    I was afraid he was going to lecture me like Hale would have, but I plunged in anyway. I shoved the papers toward him and he took them. “It looks like Evangeline’s husband upped her insurance policy just a couple of days ago. He stands to get money from the boat insurance and he’s booked two tickets to Star Island.”
    Tony’s eyes flicked to the paper, then he glanced behind him and pulled me over to the corner. “Hale seems to think this was an accident, but I have to admit, the more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. He’s talking to the husband right now and seems to be buying his story of being away for the night.”
    “Really?” I studied Tony’s face, picking my words carefully. “Do you think Hale is trying to throw the case?”
    Tony shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. But Hale is close to retirement and maybe he doesn’t want to work a big murder case.”
    “Do you think this evidence will change his mind?”
    Tony fanned the papers out in his hand and studied them. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I mean it’s not really much to go on. People do change the amounts on their life insurance policies … though the timing is suspicious.”
    “And when you combine that with the purchase of the tickets, don’t you think it bears looking into?”
    “It does. I’ll see what I can do. I don’t know if Hale will like that this information came from you. I sense that the two of you don’t get along.”
    I pressed my lips together, not wanting to give out too much of my personal business. Apparently, Tony already knew about my parents, but he didn’t need to know I was investigating my Mom's death on the side. The less people that knew that, the better off I was. “Yeah, I guess you could say we have a little bit of history.”
    A flicker of something in Tony’s gray eyes made me feel uneasy. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Did he know something about my parents, or was it sympathy? Maybe he just felt bad for me because I had a history with Hale. Whatever it was, it unnerved me and I took a step backward.
    My curiosity got the better of me and I couldn’t help but ask, “So what is the husband saying? What’s your read on him?”
    Tony shrugged. “He says he and the wife had a fight last night. He went to their cabin upstate. Alone.”
    “How convenient. This is getting more and more sticky.”
    “Yeah, but there’s still nothing concrete. No eyewitnesses, no physical evidence.” His brow creased as he studied the papers I’d given him. “Though there is something very interesting here.”
    “What’s that?”
    “If he bought these tickets after his wife was already dead, who was the other ticket for?”
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    T ony’s question reminded me of the affair Evangeline had suspected her husband was having with their domestic helper. Where was the domestic? I hadn’t seen anyone being interviewed at the house, but I