“I did have an idea.”

“About what?”

“About the call. I guess you’d call it a premonition. But I didn’t know for sure. I wasn’t even certain he’d actually killed them, he’s been talking about it for so long I kind of brushed the whole issue off. Then, when I got to the crypt and a Westside call came in, I got a really sick feeling and asked to trade with Dan.”

“Because …”

“Just what you said, I was feeling out of control, just wanted to get a handle on it. I guess part of me was hoping it wouldn’t turn out to be them. That Monte really had lied and the nightmare would end. I’d decided to leave him, anyway.”

“So you intentionally traded to work the scene.”

“I know it was wrong—not saying anything to you. If they want to charge me with obstruction, I can’t stop them. But given what Monte’s done compared with what I’ve done, I don’t think there’s any question who you’ll want to believe.”

“We sure do, Lara.”

“Pardon?”

“Want to believe you.” He opened the case; closed it. “Um, I just glanced at my notes and there’s another problem, let’s resolve that, too. I’m talking the date.”

“Of what?”

“When you asked Dan to trade. It wasn’t the morning of the murder, it was the day before. So if you traded specifically to get control … you can see what I’m getting at.”

“Who told you that date?”

“Dan did.”

“Then he’d have to be wrong.”

“Normally I’d say that’s possible, no one’s memory is perfect, especially for small stuff like that. But Dan changed the log right after, dated, signed his name to the change. He may be wrong but to John Nguyen—and a jury—that’s evidence.”

Silence.

“Lara?”

“I don’t know what to say, Lieutenant.”

“Let’s put it aside for the moment, maybe you’ll figure out a solution—”

“Wow. My brain feels kind of scrambled. The psychologist who tested me said it happens under stress. I’m sure you’ve seen that, Dr. Delaware?”

“Of course.”

“What are you scrambled about, Lara?”

“The sequence. The reason I traded Dan—the first reason, wanting more experience—was the right one.”

“Not the part about psychological control?”

“That’s also true but it came later—an afterthought, you know? When the call came in, I couldn’t be sure it was going to be them but I was scared. Because they lived on the Westside—both of them, in Santa Monica—”

“Des on California. Where did Doreen live? We still haven’t found out.”

“Somewhere on the Westside, she never said. So it made sense the Westside was where they’d—where Monte would do it.”

“Close to home.”

“Don’t geographical profilers say that? Crimes occur in comfort zones?”