“You falsified your credentials,” Marge said. “That’s illegal.”

“So I won’t work as a nurse anymore. Can I go now? Or are you going to charge me with impersonating a nurse?”

Decker was quiet. She fit the profile of a baby kidnapper—an unbalanced person who longed for a child. To wit: the pseudocyesis. But he had nothing on her. On her parents, yes. On Marie, yes. But nothing on her!

Maybe she didn’t have anything to do with the kidnapping.

It was a little thing that bugged him. That one unanswered question. How did Tandy find out about her father’s affair with Marie?

Surely, Marie didn’t tell her. Why would she do that?

And she couldn’t have come across something in Marie’s apartment that clued her in. Decker had scoured the place. Nothing about Marie’s past except some old books. No letters, no photographs in her desk—

Her desk!

The key under it.

The frigging lockbox!

He stood, gave a quick glance to Marge, then smoothed his mustache. “You know your apartment is being searched. We pulled the warrant.”

Tandy shrugged. “Go ahead. You won’t find anything.”

Decker leaned against the back wall. “Sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

Tandy twitched.

Kill him!

Shut up! Just go away!

The voice receded.

“No, I don’t want anything to eat!”

“No need for the hostility,” Decker said.

“I’m not being hostile,” Tandy retorted. “I think I’m being very friendly, considering the circumstances.”

“You ever been to Marie’s apartment before, Tandy?”

“Of course I have.”

“When was the last time you were there…in Marie’s apartment?”

Tandy shrugged. “Maybe a year ago.”

“You weren’t there…let’s say…four days ago?”

“No.”

“What if I were to tell you I had witnesses who said they saw you there?”

“I’d say they were lying.” Tandy’s eyes were hot and angry. They met Decker’s straight on. “You have no witnesses. ’Cause I wasn’t there.”

“You haven’t been in Marie’s apartment lately?”

“No!”

“You didn’t come in and maybe rewind her phone messages?”

“No!”

“Tandy, would you take a lie-detector test for me then?”

Kill! Kill!

“Fuck you!” Tandy said out loud.

Decker was surprised by her vehemence. The girl blushed.

“Not you…never mind.” Tandy twitched. “What do you want from me?”

“Sure you haven’t been in her apar—”

“I already told you—no!”

“Which means if we search your condo, we’re not going to find anything belonging to Marie. After all, last time you saw her was a year or two ago, right?”

That got her. Tandy turned pale.

Kill him!

The high one.

Kill him! Kill him!

Evil!

SHUT UP!

“Tandy?” Decker said.

She twitched and blinked. Her body became a series of small spasms. “Marie gave me lots of stuff. She liked me…loved me.”