“I can put in a word.” She doubted there was much she could do. Two years clean was impressive, but drugs were a hurdle she doubted the department would overlook. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

“Can’t work in the café forever.”

Hard not to respect ambition. “Fair enough. I’ll make calls if that helps.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Avery shrugged, but there was a lightness about her Jordan had not seen in a while. “How did the victims die?”

Jordan sat back, slowly picked up her fork, and then detailed some of the facts.

Avery’s gaze was unflinching, but the color in her face faded a little. “Do you think they’ll ever be identified?”

“I don’t know. I hope so. I’ll send an email tonight to the medical examiner and tell her about Tammy Fox.”

“What about the ranger? You going to tell him?”

She thought about standing at that press briefing, feeling more like window dressing than a cop. This was not the first case taken from a detective and turned over to the state. But it was a first for her, and it pissed her off.

“If Dr. McIntyre can match Tammy Fox to either Jane Doe, then the doc will tell Spencer. If there’s no match, it doesn’t matter.”

“I thought you were a team player?” Avery asked.

“This isn’t a game of kickball, and I’m not begging anyone to let me play on their side.”

Avery regarded her with curiosity. “This doesn’t sound like you. Why does this case bother you so much?” Before Jordan could answer, Avery cocked her head. “It’s personal because of what happened to me.”

“Cases aren’t supposed to get personal, but as you’ll find out if you become a cop, they sometimes do.” Jordan rose and grabbed a second soda from the refrigerator. “Do you think back to that night?”

“Sure. More often than I should.” Avery set down her fork and sat back. “I was feeling so good about myself that night. I hadn’t used in months. I thought this was the time I would get and stay clean. And then Walker showed up. He always has a way of making you feel foolish if you don’t do what he wants. He gave me the drugs, and I put them in my pocket. I had no intention of using them.”

“And I found them. And we got into a hell of a fight.”

“I took off, found Walker, and the next thing I know, I’m on the floor of that apartment, and he’s tying me up.”

“Did he shove the plastic in your mouth?”

“I don’t know. I passed out. When I woke up, I couldn’t breathe.”

“Had Walker done anything like this before to you?”