Page 372 of Sticks and Stones
He.
Could.
Tell.
Someone was ridiculous, and they hadn’t even started questioning him yet.
Both men pulled back their coats, and that gave the gentleman, and that was a term used lightly, a better look at what was on their hips.
Guns and badges.
He stopped yelling.
Now, he was watching them move closer, and he was pretty sure he looked like he wanted to go back inside and escape.
“Twitchy, isn’t he?” Ethan asked, seeing the man’s face.
Gene was glad he wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“Uh-huh. Don’t get shot,” he said, just in case.
As they approached, he stood there with his sweater clutched around him as the wind blew.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Gene and Ethan pulled their badges so the man could see they weren’t just cops.
They were Feds.
“Professor Harrison Dunne?” Gene asked.
The man nodded.
“Yes?”
They explained why they were there, and the whole time, it was clear he didn’t want them inside. It was cold as balls out there, and the wind was out of control.
But instead of an invite, he was playing sentry to that door.
The question was why?
“We’ve taken over a case from the local police, and we’re just reinterviewing anyone who is tied to it. Your name came up, and we’re here to talk to you.”
He looked confused.
“I don’t know what kind of case I would be tied to,” he admitted.
Ethan asked.
“Can we come in? This might take a few minutes, and you look like you’re cold,” he offered, switching it up to get the man to invite them inside.
“Oh. Sure,” he said.
The man backed up, giving them access to his home, and the inside was just as nice as the outside.
Someone liked things.
FINER.
