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Hoyt?”
    â€œThat’s one possibility, but there’s another.”
    Leroy Dennis carried the shoe box full of money to the evidence room while Anthony made the call. James Allen answered the phone and Anthony asked to speak to Senator Crease.
    â€œI’m afraid she’s resting, Detective. She does not wish to be disturbed.”
    â€œI can appreciate that, Mr. Allen, but this is an urgent police matter and I have to talk to her.”
    Two minutes later, Ellen Crease picked up the phone.
    â€œI’m glad I got you,” Anthony said. “I wasn’t sure you’d be staying at your house.”
    â€œI’m using the guest room tonight,” Crease said. She sounded exhausted. “Tomorrow is the funeral. Then I’m going out to eastern Oregon to campaign.”
    â€œOh,” Anthony said, surprised that she was going back on the campaign trail so soon after her husband’s murder.
    Crease could hear the note of censure in Anthony’s tone.
    â€œLook, Lou, everything I see in this house reminds me of Lamar. If I don’t get out of here and keep busy, I’ll go crazy.”
    â€œI understand.”
    â€œDid you call just to see how I’m doing?”
    â€œThat and one other thing. A few hours ago, we identified Martin Jablonski as the man who broke into your house. Does that name mean anything to you?”
    â€œNo. Should it?”
    â€œProbably not. He was a real bad guy. Multiple arrests and convictions. Home burglaries accompanied by assaults. We thought we had ourselves a simple solution to what happened at your house. Then we discovered almost ten thousand dollars in cash in a shoe box in Jablonski’s closet. His wife says someone gave it to him, but he wouldn’t tell her why. We think Jablonski may have been paid to break into your estate.”
    â€œBut why …?” Crease started, stopping when the obvious answer occurred to her. “Lamar? You think this Jablonski was paid to kill Lamar?”
    â€œWe have no concrete evidence that is what happened. I just found the money an hour ago. It could be completely unconnected to the break-in.”
    â€œBut you don’t think so.”
    â€œThe timing bothers me. The fact that he broke in when the weather was so bad.”
    â€œThank you for letting me know about this, Lou. I appreciate it.”
    â€œThis wasn’t just a courtesy call. If Jablonski was paid to make a hit, Lamar may not have been the intended victim.”
    There was dead air for a moment. “You’re suggesting that I might have … that Jablonski was sent to kill me?”
    â€œI don’t know. But I’m not taking chances. There’s going to be a patrol car parked outside the estate while you’re in Portland. You’re going to have an around-the-clock guard until we sort this out. I suggest that you arrange your own security when you’re out of the city.”
    â€œI don’t believe this.”
    â€œI could be wrong. I just don’t want to take any chances.”
    â€œThanks, Lou. I’m not going to forget this.”
    â€œYeah, well, let’s hope I’m way off base. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you could work up a list of people who might want you or Lamar out of the way bad enough to pay someone to kill you. It could be a business thing, something personal. If there’s even a possibility, write it down and let me look into it. I’ll be discreet.”
    â€œI’ll work on it right away.” Crease sounded nervous, distant. “And thanks again.”
    Anthony hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He hoped he was wrong about the money. He hoped it was for drugs or a payoff for something Jablonski had already done, but he didn’t think so.

4

[1]
    It was still raining when Richard Quinn left for work on the morning after Lamar Hoyt’s murder. Not the monster rain of the night before, but a