If Catfish Had Nine Lives(75)

            “Not really. You just weren’t a police officer when we were in high school. If you had been, I’d have been extra curious. If I remember correctly, I paid very close attention to all your football stuff. I even learned some of the plays.”

            “Yes, you did.” Cliff half smiled. He took a deep breath and then surveyed the campsite. Any reminiscing would have to take place later.

            As the sun was low on the horizon, some people were eating, some were chatting, some were reading to each other, and some were writing their poetry as they sat in camp chairs and scribbled on notepads. Cliff was probably building a mental grid, separating the groups with his cop eyes.

            “We’d like to have some answers, too. Other than determining that the weapon used to kill Norman was a .38 Special, we don’t have anything new, Betts. We’re trying to get more information on everyone here, but particularly Norman Bytheway, and we’re having a hard time finding much at all about him.”

            “No family in Kansas City?” I said.

            “Nope. We can’t find any family anywhere. His last name is unusual, but there are a few Bytheways in Missouri. We’ve got calls in to the ones we could find. But Norman might not have even been from Missouri. It could be a dead end.”

            “So, whoever his family is, they don’t know he’s dead yet?”

            Cliff shook his head. “Unless they killed him or they’re secretly here, part of the poetry group, or have paid attention to the news reports—but we expected a call or something after we released his name; got nothing. So as far as we know, none of his family knows anything.”

            “I think I remember Jake telling me that he was a part-time actor in Kansas City. He must have had another job, one that paid the bills.”

            “He must have, but we have yet to figure out where. There were no credit cards or checks in his possession. His driver’s license expired over a year ago and the address listed wasn’t current, or at least that’s what the people who answered the door there said.”

            “I can see letting a license expire. Those things get forgotten sometimes.”

            “They do, but the fact that we can’t find anything more about him is, of course, strange. Pretty much everybody leaves a trail these days.”

            “He wasn’t who he said he was?” I said.

            “That’s one thought, but even though the license expired, it did have his picture on it. We do think he was using his real name.”

            “I might have something helpful.”

            “That’d be great. I hope so.”

            I told him about Vivienne and about the supposed argument between her and Orly. I also went over everything Teddy had told me. I told him what Esther and Teddy had noticed about Vivienne and Teddy and Norman, and what Cody had observed. I even mentioned that Esther had commented about Jezzie and Orly arguing, and the reason Jezzie had just given me for the argument—or, as she put it, “discussion.”

            “That’s good stuff, Betts. I’ll find and talk to them all again.”

            I didn’t think it really was good stuff. I thought it was a bunch of different stuff that wasn’t fitting together and didn’t have much backing it up, but maybe it would lead to something.

            It looked like Cliff wouldn’t have to go far to talk to Jezzie. In tandem, we both noticed her hurrying in our direction. We were beside Cliff’s car, so we were back from the crowd. Jezzie kept looking behind her as she moved toward us.

            “Jez, you okay?” Cliff asked as he stepped protectively toward her.