Read Online More Perfect Union (9780061760228) by Judith A. Jance - Free Book Online

neither.”
    â€œHe found someone else?”
    Corbett nodded. “That little Linda ain’t no bigger ’an a minute, but she’d make two or three of those Katherine types easy. I’d pick Linda over Katy any day of the week.”
    â€œLinda’s the girlfriend?”
    He nodded.
    â€œDo you know her last name?”
    â€œDecker. Linda Decker. I told those other guys all about her just this morning. Don’t you work together?”
    For a change, a plausible lie came right to my lips. “One of the two detectives is pretty new on the job,” I said casually.
    Corbett gave me a sharp look then nodded sagely. “And you’re backstoppin’ him to make sure he don’t miss nothin’?”
    â€œThat’s right,” I answered. My logical-sounding reply not only placated Red Corbett, it gave me some real pleasure. In actual fact, it wasn’t that far from the truth, but Detective Paul Kramer would shit a brick if he ever got wind of it. “Tell me what you can about this Linda Decker,” I urged.
    Corbett eyed me uneasily. “She’s a nice girl. Don’t you go gettin’ no funny ideas about her. The way I understand it, Logan met her in an apprenticeship class down at his union hall. He was teaching welding. She needed to be a certified welder in order to work as an ironworker.” Corbett stopped short and looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “You got any idea why a cute little gal like that would want to work at a job like ironworking? I mean it’s hard work, and dangerous too, walking them beams way up in the air and such.”
    â€œI can’t imagine,” I said, although I suspectedthat money had something to do with it.
    â€œAnyways,” Corbett continued. “They met there in that class. He came by here that night to have a beer and tell me all about this lady he had met. You’da thought it was love at first sight, I swear to God. He was grinnin’ from ear to ear like the cat that swallowed the canary. And it went on from there. She was real nice to him, helped him work on his boat on weekends. And he idolized those two little kids of hers. He would have been a good father. Katy refused to have any kids, you know. Just out and out refused.
    â€œSo like I was sayin’, Linda and Logan got along great. My wife and I looked after the kids a few times for them when they went out. You forget how hard it is to find a baby-sitter once you don’t have to use ’em anymore. The wife and I figured they’d wind up married sooner or later—I mean, as soon as the divorce was final. I was real sorry when they broke up.”
    â€œWhen did that happen?”
    He shrugged. “Not long ago, I guess. Week before last maybe. Linda came over and they had a hell of a row. I heard ’em yellin’ back and forth. As long as they’d been together, I’d never heard ’em exchange so much as a cross word. When they left, Linda’s kids was both cryin’ fit to kill.”
    â€œDid he say what the fight was about?”
    â€œNot really. He was real upset about it. I figured it had something to do with work, but henever said what. All he told me was that sometimes a man has to do what’s right no matter what.”
    â€œAnd Linda Decker hasn’t come back around?”
    â€œNo. Not even after the article about the fire was in the paper. That kinda surprised me. I expected to see her. I mean, they’d had a fight and all, but I woulda swore she’d care about what happened to him. Course, she mighta been out of town and just didn’t hear about it. That could be it.”
    â€œSo you haven’t seen her at all?”
    â€œNope. Not since the night they had that fight.”
    â€œDo you know if anyone from the department has talked to her?”
    Corbett shook his head and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. “I doubt it. You know how it is.