Maybe Stalker was the killer, but maybe not. Calli had to be sure she had the right person. The place to start would be DC where Zena had stayed before deciding to confront the Highwayman, but first she would take Stalker to Tennpenny tower and leave her in the custody of the Guard unit there. This would give her a chance to continue her investigation without worrying about the Rangers doing away with her suspect.

She would go from there to Arhome to leave the horse and pick up her bike. It would make it easier to get around. There wasn't much left in his house that would be worth going back for though she would have to take care of it eventually.

Her first stop was the Black Stone, where Zena had been partying the night before the murder.

"Hey, Chuck", Calli greeted the evening bartender. She had been coming here for years, though was careful to vary the time and day so she was on no easily discernable schedule. Anyone waiting for her to show up could easily wait for weeks.

"Calli", he acknowledged, wiping desultorily at the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"How about some information? What do you know about a woman who calls herself Stalker? Tall, short brown hair, brown eyes, scars on her face looks like she got in a few knife fights", Calli said. She produced a picture she had made of the woman.

"Yeah, she used to come in here. I barred her a couple of weeks ago after she started a fight. One of my bouncers got a nasty cut on his forearm. It cost me a few caps to get it treated over at the Citadel Clinic. I haven't seen her around here since. Why are you asking about her? You looking for her? I'm afraid I can't help you there", he said.

"No, actually I know where she's at. I think she might be involved in that killing last week. I'm sure you've heard about the murder of that young Ranger Zena Letty. I heard Zena was in here on Saturday night with her boyfriend", she said.

"Let me think", he frowned, wrinkling his brow. "I do remember hearing about that the next day. Yeah, she was in with Jerrod. I've seen them together most every weekend these last few months. They didn't seem to be getting on all that well. Maybe she found out he's into dealing drugs."

"She didn't know that?", Calli asked, surprised. "I thought they were living together."

"I expect there was a lot he kept from her", Chuck snorted. "She didn't strike me like a user. Most I ever saw she got a little tipsy, but she never did more than a couple hard drinks or beers. Anyway we weren't all that busy that night so I kinda amused myself watching the customers. I saw Jerrod helping her out around, oh, 10 or so, I'd say. It seemed kinda early but then she did look off, like she was high or getting sick or something."

"I see. They didn't come back later?", she asked.

"I didn't see them", he shrugged. "But we got busy later and I wouldn't have noticed."

"And Stalker wasn't in here at all that weekend?", she asked.

"No, I had already barred her. She wouldn't be allowed in", he agreed.

"Did you happen to notice if Stalker and Zena seemed to know each other?", Calli asked.

"Not that I noticed but Friday and Saturday nights are usually pretty busy. I don't see everything that goes on in the place. Hell, they could've been lovers for all I know", he said, chuckling at his own wit.

Calli grinned in appreciation. "Can you tell me anything else about Stalker? Did she come in with anyone or meet anyone regularly? A partner, maybe?"

"I don't think so. She always seemed to be alone. She'd come in, have a few drinks, do some betting sometimes. Occasionally she'd leave with one of the mercenaries but it seemed pretty casual. I can't think of anyone she left with regularly", he said. "But I didn't really know her, you know. She coulda had a whole gang somewhere for all I know."

"You've been a big help", Calli said. 'As long as I'm here how about a Black Stone special?"

Chuck grinned. "Sure thing", he said, picking up a vodka bottle.

"Say", Calli said, watching him mix the strong concoction. "Did Jerrod deal here often?"

"Most Saturday nights, mostly here at the bar. He doesn't buy much and he's a lousy tipper", he groused, handing her the drink. "He mostly uses the bar for his deals."

"What about Fridays?", Calli asked. "Seems to me that would be a good time for a dealer to be here with the young people dancing and the band and all."

"Sometimes, yeah, but not always. Usually it was Saturday", he said, tossing her caps in the register.

Calli nodded, saluting him with her glass. Some of the patrons of the Black Stone were pretty rough characters, but others came here for the dancing and entertainment on weekends. It was a favorite hanging out spot for the rich young people as well as locals and less wealthy youngsters like Joanna and Brenda. The mix did tend to attract drug dealers and pimps. Chuck and his bouncers had their work cut out for them keeping the peace and assuring the safety of the patrons.

The Black Stone was close to the hotel where Kandy lived so Calli decided to check on her. She was Daniel's friend and she wanted to make sure she was doing all right as well as ask her some questions.

Kandy looked up at the knock on her door. Clients didn't usually knock. She rose and went to peek out the door. She hesitated before opening it to admit Calli.

"What do you want?", she asked tightly.

"A 'Hey, good to see you, Calli', would be nice.", Calli responded dryly. She observed the bleary eyes, slouched posture and wan, pasty appearance. Kandy didn't look well.

Kandy sat down heavily, her mouth tight.

"Where's Daniel?", she asked, not bothering to conceal her dislike of the warrior.

"Where the Rangers can't reach him", Calli said. "I'm trying to sort this out, Kandy. Did you see Daniel that Saturday?"

Kandy narrowed her eyes as though trying to decide how much she should trust her with. "Yeah", she said finally. "He stopped in for a while. He wasn't here long."

"How did he seem?", Calli asked. She didn't miss the sullen way the blonde looked at her. She wasn't surprised. After all she had won the affections and trust of the Highwayman. Until her, Kandy was the only one Daniel had trusted.

"Under the weather, actually. He said he wasn't feeling very well and he looked like he might be getting sick. He said he was going to pick up some supplies and go home. Maybe that's why he killed that girl. Maybe he wasn't himself and just lost control. I don't know, Calli, I didn't think he'd hurt anyone. He just wanted to survive like the rest of us", she sniffed. "I really miss him."

Calli observed her silently. "I'm sorry, Kandy", she said softly. "I'm sure he misses you too."

Well, she thought as she left the sulky blonde, at least Kandy had backed up his story about being sick. Not that she had doubted his word but it was nice to have confirmation.

She knew she should meet up with Hawk and start upholding her end of the business but she wasn't going to. The head security guard at Rivet City had sent word around that she had a message for Calli, and she wanted to go there anyway to follow up on Daniel's statement that the old lady there had a 'thing' for him.

Calli strode into the head security officer's room and looked around. Jesse Sims had been voted into the position not over 4 years ago, but had done a good job in directing the Rivet City security forces. She still kept a picture of Harkness on the wall even though she had never met the man. It would be difficult for anyone to live up to his reputation but Jesse tried. Calli liked the woman.

"Hey", she greeted her. "it's nice to see you but I doubt you asked me here for a social call. What's up?"

"You put out word to keep an eye out for someone trying to sell certain items. There was a trader inquiring in the Museum what the proprietor would be willing to pay for an old statue of some man in a suit and tall hat. I thought you'd like to know", Jesse informed her.

"Damn right I would. Which trader was it?" she asked. She knew most of them and helped several of them get their start.

"Old Ben", she said. "Justin just told me about it this morning. He's still negotiating with him and said he might buy it if he'll come down in price. Ben doesn't have the statue but he can acquire it if he can make a profit. Do you want me to hold him if he comes back?", Jesse asked.

"No, I'll find him" Calli said worriedly. "I have to find out who he talked to. I'm afraid the thief's going to unload my property before I have a chance to recover it."

"He stole from you?", Jesse asked with raised brows. That would take some balls, or else the guy must be incredibly stupid.

"Yes", she said grimly. "I let a friend 'borrow' it and this damn fool stole it along with a number of other valuable items. I'm just surprised he's trying to sell it so soon. He has to know I have feelers out for it."

Jesse shook her head. "Old Ben came from the Megaton-Tennpenny route, so I expect he's headed into DC toward the Citadel, unless he's still over at River Port. That's not likely since he was here several days ago, so I expect he'll be in DC for the weekend if you want to catch him. You know how Justin holes up in that museum; he just found out that you were looking for that statue."

"I'll just give Justin a quick visit since I'm here", she smiled. She did get along with the old museum keeper. She had known his father and done some work for him back when scavenging was her main livelihood.

Justin was fat, jolly and almost the polar opposite of his father. He greeted Calli enthusiastically. "Hey, Calli, Sherriff Sims told ya, didn' she?", he babbled. "About the statue. Maybe I can get it, right?"

"Now, Justin, you know it belongs to me. It's one of my favorite trophies. Tell me, what did Old Ben have to say about it? Did he tell you who has it for sale?", she asked.

"Now, that wouldn't be real smart, would it? He wouldn't tell me anything about the guy. He's probably afraid I'd try to find him and cut him out", he sniffed. "He just described the statue and said the guy would contact Ben in DC this weekend to see if he was interested. That's why Ben wanted to know if I'd meet his price so he'd know whether to buy it or not."

She chatted with the garrulous caretaker for a while. He picked up an astonishing amount of information for someone who spent most of his time in a museum. He waxed eloquent on the subject of the Highwayman, old Widow Reston's regard for him, and the murder of the young Ranger, but he didn't add anything new.

Maybe she could catch old Ben in DC over the weekend and question him. As long as she was here she might as well talk to old Widow Reston. Dan had said she was one of the Highwayman's more ardent admirers and it seemed like that was no secret so she would probably be happy to talk about him. Maybe she could tell her something about him from a 'victim's' point of view.