"Leonard, are you all right?" Klein asked softly when he saw his teammate fall silent.
"Ah, of course."
"Well... wasn't I trying to help clear your name?"
"I wondered whether someone had maliciously reported you. While investigating that possibility, I found some connections between you and this Lorne Dysenk, so I wanted to look into it."
"But I didn't find anything useful, so I came to ask you."
Leonard mixed truth with lies. He really did want to help prove Klein's innocence, but he also wanted to uncover his secrets.
Half-truths made it easy to conceal one's intentions.
Connections... there certainly are some, though Lorne has quite a few connections to my sister, too. Also... Leonard, you're really terrible at making excuses.
"Is that so..."
Klein said little else, merely nodding innocently. Of course he could tell something was off about Leonard's story, but he didn't point it out.
At least, judging from Leonard's behavior so far, he had only learned Lorne Dysenk's name and had not contacted him.
So even though the report letter had most likely come from Lorne Dysenk, Klein had no intention of providing any useful information.
Otherwise, Leonard would surely seek Lorne out and press him for answers. That would not only fail to prove Klein's innocence, but make an already tangled situation even worse.
When Klein showed little reaction, Leonard gave a couple of laughs to hide his embarrassment. They exchanged a few pleasantries, then waved goodbye.
"Old Man, what do you think? Should I go find this Lorne Dysenk?" Leonard quietly asked the neighbor inside him.
"No need. That man probably isn't an enemy."
After a moment, Pallez adopted the earnest tone of a senior offering guidance.
"Rein in your curiosity. Don't create unnecessary complications."
Acting on the principle of striking while