“Want to tell me why you’re afraid of Leland Walker?” he asked.
She sat on the bench. “Want to tell me why I should?”
“Because of another woman, a little younger than you, the victim of a hit-and-run that killed her best friend and almost cost her a leg,” he said.
She looked away and chewed her fingernail. “When?”
“Twelve years ago,” he said.
She looked at him. “Twelve years?”
He nodded. “It took this long for the details to catch somebody’s attention.”
“And by somebody, I’m guessing you mean you,” she said.
“That’s right.”
“Twelve years…” She shook her head. “I didn’t even know Leland twelve years ago. You want my advice?”
“Sure.”
“Leave it alone,” she said. “It’s water under the bridge, and trust me when I say it’s not worth it.”
“What if I can’t let it go?” he asked.
She leaned back against the bench, her shoulders dropping with resignation. “What makes you think Leland was involved?”
“A lot of anomalies in the police report,” he said.
She studied him. “You’re a cop?”
“Was,” he said. “My interest in this case is personal.”
“What kind of anomalies?” She was sharp, seamlessly bouncing from one part of their conversation to another.
“The case was closed soon after it was opened even though there were no leads. And speaking of leads, the accident happened on Allston, which is — ”
“I know Allston,” she said.
“So you know it’s busy,” he said. “Maybe not quite as busy at two in the morning when the accident happened as it is during the day, but busy enough.”
She sighed. “And let me guess: no witnesses.”
“No witnesses,” he confirmed.
“What else?” she asked.
He hesitated. He shouldn’t share the details of the file with someone he didn’t know, a civilian with connections to Leland Walker. But now that they were sitting together, he saw that her initial fear was tinged with something that looked a hell of a lot like anger.
“One of the cops on the case has been fast-tracked ever since the accident. Rumor is he might run for mayor. The other cop retired shortly after they closed the case, but he died of cancer not long after.”
It’s okay. I deserve this.
Her laughter had a bleak note. “What a surprise.”
“Care to elaborate?”
She looked around. “I’d rather not.”