Tandy crossed coltish legs and lit a cigarette. Marge was surprised. She had figured Tandy for a my-body-is-my-temple type. Then she remembered: One addiction substituting for another. Was it smoking now?

“Any speculation as to why she chose your parents?”

Tandy shrugged.

Decker walked into the interview room and closed the door. Tandy gave him a brief glance, then returned her gaze to her cigarette.

“What’s in store now? Good cop, bad cop?” She crushed her cigarette into the overflowing ashtray. “I’ve been here over an hour, and I haven’t told you what you want to hear. Why don’t you guys give it a rest?”

“Just want to ask you a few questions,” Decker said.

Tandy flicked an ash off the table. “Why don’t you two compare notes so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

Decker studied the young girl. At the moment, she seemed crazy like a fox. She was one of the most exotic-looking females Decker had ever seen—dark and sleek and feline. The perfect femme fatale.

“No need to repeat yourself.” Decker sat across from her and leaned his elbows on the table. “I’ve been watching you through the one-way mirror.”

Tandy’s eyes went to the reflective wall. “I was wondering why the mirror was so dark.”

“Now you know.” Actually, Decker had just walked into the station house not more than a minute ago, but he could surmise what Marge had talked about. They’d discussed the line of questioning as they split their assignments. It had taken Decker hours to finish up the paperwork on Henrietta and Geoffrey Roberts né Robles. While in custody, Hetty had secured a lawyer. Counsel was trying to spring Geoffrey on grounds of ill health. At last count, Hetty was in an interview room at the Pacific Substation, her attorney at her side.

Decker said to Tandy, “Do you want anything to drink? Maybe something to eat?”

Eat!

Tandy twitched nervously.

Eat! Eat!

The low one. The stupid one!

“Shut up!” she mumbled.

“Pardon?” Decker said.

Tandy twitched again. “Do I look hungry?”

A sore spot. He saw the twitch, saw the nervousness. Decker said, “Just a simple question.”

“Like you don’t have a reason for being nice,” Tandy muttered. “I know what you’re doing.”

Control.

“You’re trying to make me nervous,” Tandy stated. “It won’t work.”

Decker was impassive. Then he said, “Sure you don’t want something to eat?”

Control.

Eat!

Control!

CONTROL!

Tandy sighed. “Look, I really feel bad for what that poor girl went through. I know what it’s like to lose a child. But at least she got her baby back.”

“More than you got,” Marge said.

“You’re right about that,” Tandy said.

“It’s especially hard when it’s your own mother who takes your baby away from you,” Marge said.

Tandy snapped her head upward. “What else did Mommie Dearest tell you?”