“Monte stood there and ordered you to stash the gun.”

“He could’ve done it himself but he was into domination.”

“Ordering you around.”

“Constantly.”

“Must’ve been hard, Lara.”

“It was soul-eroding.”

“Same for carrying around the knowledge of what Monte did and not being able to tell anyone.”

“Everything I’ve done since the night he told me has been a form of self-defense, Lieutenant. When I met you, at the scene, I thought you might be someone who could help me but … taking that step … I should’ve done it sooner, I’m sorry. Thank God I finally did.”

“Let’s talk about that first time, Lara. How’d you come to work the Borodi scene?”

“I was up next. I’ve never been a big believer in coincidences but I’m starting to change my mind because lately my life’s full of them.”

“Like meeting up with Monte at the campsite.”

“Exactly. Like Monte bringing Des and Doreen into our lives. He must’ve been plotting revenge for years.”

“So you got called to the scene not knowing.”

“It was just another call, Lieutenant.”

“When Monte told you he murdered Des and Doreen, did he say where it happened?”

“I didn’t ask. Next morning, I take a call and it’s them. You can imagine. I nearly fainted.”

“When I met you, you seemed to be holding it together pretty well, Lara.”

“It took every ounce of energy to not start screaming, Lieutenant. The moment I was out of there I just fell apart.”

“Too scared to tell me what you knew.”

“I’m sorry, it’s obvious I should have, I was so freaked out, and then, later, when I thought about it, I figured I’d get in trouble for not coming forward right away, I was… I felt totally stuck.”

“I can understand that.”

“It’s obstruction, isn’t it?”

“Frankly, it could be, Lara. Whether or not John Nguyen—he’s the deputy D.A. in charge—decides to pursue that is up to him. If you continue to help, I have no trouble talking to John on your behalf.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Sure… coincidences—yeah, I’ve seen that in my own life. What some folks might call fate, karma, or just plain luck. What do psychologists call it, Dr. Delaware?”

“Yet another mystery of life.”

“Heh heh—okay, let’s move on. You show up at the scene, find out who the vics are, try to maintain.”

“My insides were churning.”

“Freaky coincidence… there is one sticking point. You made a special effort to take that call. We found out because we weren’t thinking in terms of coincidence and wondered how you came to work a scene with vics you knew. So we checked the work schedules here at the crypt. Confirmed it with Dave McClellan. You asked to switch with another C.I., Dan Paillard. Dan verifies it.”

Silence.

“Lara?”