Page 48 of Never Flinch

“Somebody named Telescope?” Tom asks. “Really?”

“Probably a nickname,” Izzy says. “And Billy F. to differentiate him from some other Billy.”

Elderson: “We feel like if we find this guy Briggs, we find the killer. The problem is the goddam anonymity shit.”

“I might be able to do something about that,” Izzy says.Or Holly can.

8

Kate McKay was—on the phone, at least—every bit as charming as Holly thought she might be, and that night Holly is packing for Iowa City and points east. She’s quite excited and has downloaded abook calledEssentials for Bodyguardsto her Kindle. Flipping through the chapters, she thinks it could have been calledBodyguarding for Dummies.

She’s debating on whether to pack another pants suit or a pair of jeans when her phone rings. It’s Izzy. She tells Holly about the visit she and Tom made to the Rafferty house. “I don’t want you to go breaking anyone’s anonymity, Hols, but can you meet with this John Ackerly? Ask him if he knows someone in the Program named Briggs?”

“Can’t. I’m leaving town tomorrow. It’s nuts, but it looks like I’m going to be doing bodyguarding duty. For Kate McKay.”

“Shutup!”

Holly doesn’t. She tells Izzy how it happened andwhyit happened, which is basically political.

“Her PA, Corrie Anderson, read up on me a little, and decided I might be the right woman for the job.Womanbeing the main requirement. I talked to Ms. McKay—Kate—and she seems pleasant enough.”

“Ordinarily you don’t get to be famous by being pleasant, Holly.”

“I know that,” Holly says. “I can put up with a little attitude, because the payday is a good one.”

“As if you need it.”

“It’s also a change,” Holly says defensively. “It will be interesting.”

“Yes, especially if the woman stalking her shoots her.”

“Thatwouldbe a drawback,” Holly says.

“Maybe you could at least give John Ackerly a call?”

Holly is better at saying no than she used to be. Not much, but a little. And she doesn’t want to get dragged any deeper into police business. “I’m kind of out straight, Izzy. Can’t you—”

“Interview him? The County Mounties already have, because he found the body. Tom and I could re-interview, but it’s technically a county case. And then there’s the anonymity issue. I thought he might be more willing to talk to you.”

“I have an idea. Jerome knows him. I introduced them. They hit it off. John went to Jerome’s book launch party. He gave Jerome a fake tommy gun he got on eBay. You just want to know if John’s been to meetings with somebody calling himself Bill W., or somebody named Briggs, correct?”

“We believe BriggsisBill W. The county detective in charge of the case asked Ackerly about the name, but he said it didn’t ring any bells.”

“You think if Jerome asked John, he might be more willing to share?”

“Unlikely, I’d rather it was you, but possible. The problem is this thing about first names only in recovery meetings. Or nicknames, in some cases.”

“Briggs is more commonly alastname,” Holly muses. “Of course, there was Briggs Cunningham. He was a captain in the America’s Cup race. Also a race car driver.”

“Only you would know that, Gibney.”

“I’m a crossword puzzle junkie. Would you like Jerome to drop by the bar where John works? I could call Jerome tomorrow on my way to the airport.”

“Ackerly works in abar?”

“I told you. He says it doesn’t bother him.”

“Okay, ask Jerome to talk to me, then Ackerly. Now both Robinson sibs know about my case. Oy vey.”

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