Amelia kept her voice steady. “Are you willing to say that in an affidavit?”
Ortiz laughed once, quietly and without humor. “Counselor, I have grandchildren. I like quiet mornings. I like fishing. I don’t like reporters in my driveway.”
“Gavin Cole was twenty-two minutes from death.”
The old detective looked down at his hands.
The coffee shop hissed and murmured around them.
Finally, Ortiz said, “I’ll tell you what I can prove. Not what I suspect.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
“No.” His eyes met hers. “It isn’t. But it’s all I can give.”
By the end of the day, Amelia had three new leads.
Lyle Danton’s questionable alibi.
A retired detective willing to admit concerns.
And Chloe’s memory of Mrs. Avery speaking to a man with a raven tattoo.
But the strongest lead came unexpectedly from Gavin himself.
During their afternoon call, he remembered something small.
