“Phil and I don’t want to wait for this report. Not to mention, finding a usable print on a bloody pen is a long shot. But that’s okay. One of my favorite interrogation strategies is bluffing. And between Harmony’s testimony and Neil’s theories, we are good to go.

“Arriving back at the motel, we don’t waste any time. We discover Shaggy sitting in the back office, clutching a mug of coffee that, based on smell alone, is spiked with way more than cream and sugar. He’s sweaty, clearly agitated and trying not to show it. Like a lot of players watching their house of cards go up in smoke, he decides his best defense is a strong offense.

“Right out of the gate, he states his demands: The police officers need to go. Ambulance, ME, everyone. We’re hurting his business, we’re infringing upon his rights. Take the security footage, bag the bedding, rip up the carpet, remove whatever we want, but get the hell out. Now, now, now!

“We let him talk. True to Phil’s assessment, Shaggy’s wound a little tight. Overgrown brown hair, thick brow, hollowed-out cheeks. Man’s probably not just supplying illegal narcotics but also using. And with all these cops around, he’s behind on his nightly fix. Meaning the more we drag things out, the more strung out our new favorite suspect is about to become.

“We ask stupid questions. Why not? We’re detectives, we deserve to have some fun. I ask about childhood pets, favorite brand of coffee. What does he think of Dancing with the Stars, and are Bostonians the worst drivers in the world, which has been my theory for a while, or are they truly worse in his homeland of Hungary?

“He chugs his coffee. Practically licks the mug to get out the last remnant of vodka. And then, when the mug starts shaking uncontrollably in his hands, we go in for the kill.

“We know what he did. Everything he did. How he set up Wrobleski with illegal narcotics. How he’d arranged to have Harmony already waiting for Wrobleski in the room, Oxy in hand. Except, how could he have anticipated Wrobleski’s true fetish? Come on, a guy who wants to amputate a healthy limb?

“Of course Harmony freaked out and fled from the room. Which left Shaggy on the hook. He’s got a crazy, mutilated businessman summoning ambulances and cops to his property. For a guy with Shaggy’s interests, no way that’s going to end well. Which is why when he went to the room and discovered Wrobleski begging nine-one-one for rescue, Shaggy disconnected the call, then loosened the man’s tourniquet, letting Wrobleski’s own actions take care of the rest. Better for the EMTs to recover a dead body than one able to testify six months later at a criminal trial.

“Shaggy denies everything. Of course he does. With his hands trembling and his eyes darting everywhere, he’s all no, no, no. He did nothing, he knows nothing. Whole thing, very unfortunate, very tragic, but not his fault. Definitely not his fault.”