It had been an interesting case for sure and maybe not over for me yet after bracing Reagan and threatening him. At least I knew for sure where the danger was coming from now. That thought bounced around and wouldn't come to rest; something just didn't jell.

I grabbed a coffee from my old machine and climbed out onto the fire escape. The sun was warm but not too hot to enjoy and I settled in my favourite position with the slats against my back. The coffee soothed the jaw and I stared up at the sky, thinking.

My theory appeared in my head like a bulleted chart.

+ Reagan was behind the arms trafficking, arranging the source

+ The Street Riders were the go betweens, picking up and delivering

+ The dealers took delivery and payment was through electronic money transfer to someplace Reagan had set up

I sipped my coffee and thought about that. Was it conceivable that Reagan could block access to certain money transfers as classified? Maybe, he was the Fed in charge of that case. A horn honked and a I watched a pedestrian run a few steps to the sidewalk and pump a fist at the driver.

+ Alice Comfort showed up on Reagan's radar when she hired me to find Harland Roe and he realized she had been gathering information for years.

+ When I did find him Reagan devised a hasty plan to pretend he was protecting Harland and to shut me out - the Confidential Informant. Unfortunately Harland screwed that up by contacting me and the meeting at the Tokyo Grill was an elaborate act to fool both Roe and me. Including Jones had been a clever touch of authenticity.

The sun felt great and I nodded with satisfaction at my deductions as I finished my coffee and squirmed into a more comfortable position.

+ Unfortunately for Reagan he underestimated Alice and my own determination to help her find some closure hence the need to eliminate Harland. His hope was that she would just fold her tent and go away.

My eyes popped open and I sat up as my thoughts went down a different path and I found myself in new and very complicated territory. The attack on Alice and then me, followed by the visit to her mother by . . . who exactly? Dysart and Meadows had said it was likely muscle from the arms dealer. Why would they even get involved? They wouldn't.

+ Dysart! He tried to get the information from Alice through me and when that didn't work he tried direct and failed. And the hit on Harland was a set up. He did kill Harland and then somehow timed his exit with my arrival to give him an alibi. How? I was followed again!

I went back inside and made some notes and called Meadows.

********

He suggested we meet again away from his office and naturally I suggested the same place. Verna looked very surprised and immediately brought coffee, lingering to say hello and do a little prying.

"Another business meeting . . . a lunch business meeting." I smiled up at her.

"Detective, salad again?"

"Please and nice of you to remember."

"Yeah, nice. Thai Bites for me, please."

"That'll be your epitaph one day, Hart. Here lies Thai Bites, Richard Hart."

"And sooner than later if the service gets any slower!"

Verna laughed and sauntered away with a wink at Meadows.

I gave him an edited version of my theory, suggesting that I think Jones was following me and reporting to Reagan. Jones was just a sucker being used.

"So you believe it was all Reagan. He hired Dysart for the hit and the subsequent attacks on you and Alice."

"Yep, and the thugs at her mom's too. How about the info she gave you, could you connect them with any arms dealer suspects?"

"Nope, just hired muscle. Could have been anybody."

"C'mon, it was Reagan and you know it."

"To make your theory fit."

"Damn right! And it's a solid theory too. Tell me it isn't."

"What about Dysart? Why would he come back and sock you then just leave?"

"He knows we talk. It was just to establish another red herring. I was supposed to believe him and dismiss him to you too."

"Maybe not. Turns out he has a brother in the Riders."

I sat back, nodding smugly. "I knew there had to be a reason for his interest in getting Alice's material. I bet he was afraid Reagan wouldn't care about collateral damage if things went south."

Verna appeared to take the dishes and bring Meadows a glass of milk. They shared beaming grins.

"May I have another coffee, please?"

"Oh, sure. I thought you had enough."

"I have." I muttered at her retreating back.

"Quite a girl you have there, Hart."

"Isn't she." I kicked myself for acting like a child. "So what do you think?"

"I said I thinks she's quite--"

"Not Verna. My theory."

"Has merit. I think Jones was being used too. Probably wooed with visions of a federal position at some point." My look was sour. "My problem is Reagan has the case now, not me."

"Can't you pass this up the ladder at all? Doesn't Alice's material raise any flags?"

"Not without some physical proof. Theories just buy unwanted notes in my personal file."

Verna returned with my coffee and the bill. I glared up at her and she smiled. "Nice to see you again, Detective."

"You as well, Miss Scott."

"I'll get this," I said grumpily.

"Thanks, Hart."

"Yeah. So now what?"

"Well unless your miserable turn at being my CI bears some fruit there isn't much I can do."

"Well I'll know you're there the next time I get beaten up or shot."

"There you go. Good attitude, Hart and thanks again for lunch."

I stopped at the cash to pay and asked Verna if I could take her home after work. She expressed some concern about me causing more trouble and I had to jolly her along in front of other eavesdropping customers. In the end she agreed. I would test my theory on the inscrutable Verna insight.

********

Arriving at the diner I saw Verna climb into a black SUV and it took off. I slowed and looked in the diner windows. Harry was busy behind the counter and I didn't see any sign of Meadows' work around.

"What the hell!" I floored it and chased after the SUV. I caught up a few stop lights away and stayed behind, watching. There didn't seem to be any indication of flight and so I followed discretely behind.

It wasn't long before I recognized the route and the area; Street Rider territory. Night came on quickly and as I watched, the SUV lights suddenly vanished. I accelerated and came to a tee intersection - MacCarthur. Which way? I had a bad feeling and I chose the direction toward Alice's mother's house.

Sure enough the SUV was in the driveway and there were lights in the living room. I parked and jogged across a neighbour's lawn and up the side of the porch, inching around to get a peek in the window.

"Why don't you go inside and join the party, Hart?"

I nearly fainted as the voice sounded next to my ear and before I could turn I felt the nudge of hard metal in my back.

"Morris? I was thinking of you today."

"What a coincidence."

He nudged me up the steps and in the front door. Reagan stood by the wall opposite the three women seated in front of him.

"Hello, Hart. Morris bet me you would take this direction. I said the Rider's camp. You cost me five dollars."

"You knew I was following. Was that Jones again?"

"Jones is quite in the dark about the whole thing. Morris waited behind at the diner until he was sure then got here ahead of you. Don't tax your brain, we contacted Miss Scott here and told her we would be picking her up in your stead - you had suffered an accident involving our case."

I glanced at Verna but here eyes were locked on Reagan and it wasn't with that sexy green tint either.

"Well I'm all better so we can leave now and we'll be fine."

"Riotous, Hart. You should do stand up . . . or better still, lie down."

"Okay Reagan so what now."

"Now we finish what should never have gone this far." He looked over my shoulder at Morris and nodded. My head exploded again and I collapsed forward, knocking a series of photographs off the sideboard that clattered down around me.