'And you haven't thought about whether you're good for her?' Spencer said incredulously.

'You know,' said Albert acidly, 'I guess I stopped thinking about it when I realized I wasn't good for anybody.' His voice was dry and scratchy.

'Anybody? You mean not good for Kristina.'

'Look! We were both broke, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and she wanted stability, a career, a decent life. We just wanted completely different things.'

'You were both broke? Well, you got that wrong, didn't you?'

'Obviously,' said Albert sarcastically.

'She never told you she was going to inherit any money?'

'No, she did not.'

'Don't you think that's strange? Your lover doesn't tell you she's going to become a millionaire?'

'Yes, I think it's very strange. But she didn't.'

'I wonder why not.'

'I don't know. Why don't you ask her?'

Spencer eyed Albert coldly. He pulled out Kristina's note and shoved it in Albert's face. 'Tell me, does this make any sense to you?'

Albert backed away to try to read it. 'What is this?' he said.

'I don't know. Kristina left her safety deposit box contents to you. Too bad for you she was killed and everything in it is now evidence for the state. What does this mean?'

'How the hell do I know?'

'She makes you will your own destruction. What is she talking about?'

'Haven't a clue.'

'Did she put special emphasis on "will" the way she wrote it?'

Glancing at the note again, Albert said, 'I really have no idea.'

'Kristina made a point of writing this to you on the back of an old letter. She dated it look.' November 23, 1993, the date read. 'She addressed it to you and she pleaded that these words not apply to you. What does it mean?'

'Detective, how do I know?' Albert laughed thinly. 'Kristina was an odd person sometimes.'

'Yes, "odd" would be one way to describe her. "Dead" would be another.'

Albert lowered his head. 'Yes. Dead.'

Spencer stuffed the note back into his jacket pocket. Albert said, 'Can I have that?'

'Certainly not. She makes you will your own destruction. I want these words to make sense to me.'

'Me too,' said Albert.

Spencer became quiet and waited. Albert said nothing. Something else was bugging Spencer. 'Tell me again how you met her,' he asked.

'I told you, we had a class together.'

'Class together,' Spencer repeated. He became acutely aware of his chattering teeth. 'When was that?'

'In our first semester, I told you.'

Nodding, Spencer said, 'Dartmouth. Nice college. Expensive, though. And you've got no family. How are you paying for this?'

'Scholarships, grants, loans.'

Spencer stroked his face thoughtfully. 'How is a philosophy major going to repay Dartmouth eighty grand?'

'I don't think I owe them eighty grand.'

'No, you most certainly don't,' said Spencer, and hoped that Albert heard the sarcasm in his voice. 'How much do you owe them?'

'I don't know.'

'Probably a lot?'

'Probably.'

'Well, that money from Kristina '

'What money from Kristina?' Albert interrupted rudely.

'Let me finish. That money from Kristina's accounts your share would've come to over three million dollars. Would've nicely covered your debts. Don't you think?'

'Yes. I didn't want her money, though.'

'I see. You're proud. Is that a recent thing?'

'What are you talking about?'

'What am I talking about? Do I look like an idiot to you?'

'No,' said Albert, staring hard at Spencer.

'No, I think you take me for a real idiot.'

'This is getting out of hand.'

Coming closer to Albert, Spencer said through gritted teeth, 'She paid your tuition, Albert. She paid it, and you don't owe the college a damn penny.'

Albert didn't reply. The wind howled off the Vermont hills. The dog was lying in the snow, chewing on a stick. It was very quiet. No wonder she liked to come here, Spencer thought. But with him?

'What if ... she did?' Albert said finally. 'What if she did? There is no law against that.'

'No, but there is one against lying to a police officer.'

Silence.

'You think I'm an idiot?' said Spencer.

'No!'

Spencer said, raising his voice, 'Albert, she paid for your tuition the very first year you were at Dartmouth.'

'So?'

'Albert,' Spencer said slowly, 'she paid for your freshman tuition. How could she have paid for it if you only met in the freshman year?'

Albert didn't answer. Then he raised his eyes and stared at Spencer, who felt a chill run down his back. He was sure it had nothing to do with the weather. All of a sudden Spencer understood that he could die any moment, right now, right here, in the middle of the snow-covered mountains, and Aristotle sure as hell wouldn't be digging him up with his paws.

How could he have been so careless and come to a deserted place with someone he didn't know? He came without backup, without any knowledge of what or who he was dealing with. Spencer realized that while he was certainly going through the motions of an investigation, he was not taking any of Kristina's friends seriously.

Albert must have read his mind, because his cold brown eyes got colder as he said, 'Don't worry, now. I didn't kill her and I won't hurt you.' He paused. 'Did you get scared there? Did you think that if I was backed into a corner, I might just strike out at you?' He laughed loudly. 'Don't worry, Detective O'Malley. I'm not in any corner I do not want to be in. You're right, we did know each other briefly before we came to Dartmouth. I can tell you all about it, but I don't see how it has anything to do with Kristina's death.'

'That's not for you to ask or decide, Albert,' said Spencer.

'You're right. What do I know? I'm only a philosophy major.'

You're a liar, too, thought Spencer. 'Let's go,' he said roughly.

Albert started to walk to the car and then stopped. 'Wait a minute,' he said. 'Hold on. I'll be right back.'

'You're not going anywhere.'

'Wait. I just have to get something.'

'No, Albert. You won't.'

'I'll be right back,' he said, and started to walk toward the house.

In an instant, Spencer was in front of him. 'Albert. I said no, and I mean it. No. I don't know what you're going to get up there, and you aren't getting it.'

Albert stared him down, not moving away, not flinching, not blinking. 'Detective O'Malley, I want to get her coat,' he said patiently, slowly, his black eyes flashing. 'Kristina left her coat here and I want to get it for her. Come with me, if you want.'

'Albert, don't make me arrest you. I'll gladly have you spend the night in jail.'

But the words didn't have the same effect on Albert that they had had on Jim. Albert wasn't going into a career in politics. Albert didn't look as if he cared if he spent a night in jail, and his words bore Spencer out. 'Detective,' said Albert, 'a night in jail for Kristina's coat. It's a deal.'

Spencer stepped closer, pulling out his Magnum and pointing it at Albert's face. 'Don't move,' he said menacingly. 'Turn around and walk back to my car, and get in. Don't take another step.'

Albert did not back away, his steely expression fearless. 'Or what, detective? Are you going to kill me?'

'Turn around and walk back, Albert,' Spencer said through gritted teeth.

Albert smiled a wide-toothed, friendly smile. He and Spencer were standing four feet away from each other. Albert continued to smile. Then in one instant, his left leg flew up, knocking the Magnum out of Spencer's hands. The gun landed ten feet away.

Albert never stopped smiling. T have a black belt in karate,' he said.

Spencer stepped forward and punched Albert hard in the solar plexus, sending him down on the ground. Standing over him, Spencer grabbed Albert's arm and twisted it behind his back. 'And I'm an officer of the law, you son of a bitch, and you will not threaten me, do you hear?'

Albert only panted in reply. Spencer yanked him up and, still twisting his arm up high, walked Albert quickly to the car, throwing him in the backseat. Then Spencer radioed Ray Fell to come right away.

Spencer picked up his gun and stood near the Impala, pointing the cocked Magnum at Albert.

At first they didn't speak. Albert just sat in the back, not looking at Spencer.

Through the car door, Spencer heard Albert's voice. 'Good move, Detective O'Malley, but of course, if someone wanted you dead, you'd be dead already.'

Spencer did not skip a beat, though his heart did. 'And you'd be on your way to the chair, Mr Maplethorpe.'

Albert leaned to the window, flashing his white-toothed smile. 'Who says I'd get caught?'

After thirty minutes of Spencer's standing out in the cold, Ray Fell finally came. Even Ray's car lumbered, but Spencer was glad to see him. Spencer told Ray to cock his gun and point it at Albert, and if Albert moved, to shoot him. Then he went in the house and searched every room, until he found what he was looking for in the walk-in closet in one of the bedrooms. It was the only thing in any of the closets. An old maroon cashmere coat. Spencer examined it closely there was nothing in it.

He put the coat to his face. It smelled faintly of musk and soap. Spencer realized the coat smelled like Kristina. He put it to his face again and closed his eyes. He thought of not giving it to Albert, of keeping it for himself. He deeply breathed in the musk and the soap. It would've been safe to let Albert take it, but Spencer hadn't known that. Albert could've been hiding an Uzi in one of the closets, for all Spencer knew.

Spencer brought Albert back to the Hanover police station and, after reading him his Miranda rights, threw him in the small cell.

An hour passed. Spencer asked Albert if he wanted to make a call. Albert didn't answer at first and then said, 'Look, I don't want any trouble.'

'Good,' said Spencer. "Cause you already got plenty.'

'I haven't done anything wrong.'

'Oh, yeah? Menacing a police officer? Hindering police investigation? You're lucky I don't bring you up on assault.'

Albert looked at Spencer through the bars of the cell. 'Lucky, detective?'

Spencer was so angry he accidentally knocked over a small table lamp when he bolted from the bench.

He called Will at home at eight o'clock in the evening and told him what had happened. 'You're crazy,' said Will. 'How could you go there all alone?'

'I didn't go there alone,' replied Spencer. 'I went there with Albert, hoping to have a nice chat.'

'I see. Is that why you now have him all locked up?'

'No, I now have him locked up for resisting me.'

'What are you hoping to prove? It's Saturday night. The courts are closed, he can't get bail, he's got no money for a lawyer '