Marge hit her forehead. “Leek McKay. I told you that guy was a scumbag! If he’s gone because you played nice guy—”

“Don’t say it, don’t say it!” Decker ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve been doing nothing but fucking up lately!”

“Maybe it’s sleep deprivation.”

“It’s bad work.” Decker shook his head. “Marie’s missing. I’ve got no idea where she is. Tandy’s with Donna at the moment. She’s not going anywhere. I’ve got nothing on tap. Might as well go get me some evidence.”

Decker closed the door to the interview room and leaned against the wall next to Deputy D.A. Kurt Pomerantz. A moment later, a uniformed officer joined them both. Decker smiled at her. Nervously, she smiled back, her eyes focusing on a spot across the squad room. The blue was barely out of her teens, probably a rookie. Decker thought of Cindy. He hoped she’d gotten police work out of her system.

Pomerantz brushed his palm over his balding forehead and unbuttoned his jacket, exposing a sizable gut that came with beer-drinking and middle age. The deputy D.A. rocked on his feet as he talked. “I can tell you this much. Beltran’s going to ask for all charges dropped in exchange for McKay’s cooperation.”

“McKay was an accessory.”

“A phone call from the hospital to McKay does not a case make, Pete.”

“It was made right around the kidnapping, Kurt. Fits beautifully into our time frame.”

“It’s a lousy phone call, Pete. McKay’s a nurse. Maybe someone at the hospital wanted to consult with him.”

“He’s never worked for Sun Valley Pres. And who the hell would be calling him at midnight to consult?”

“Trace it to the nursery, your case’ll look better.”

“We’re trying. It takes time.” Decker paused. “We’ve also got bags of ash from Marie’s burnt Honda. If McKay put the body into the car, he left some evidence transfer. Now, at least I know what to look for.”

“Some evidence would be nice.”

Decker said, “I think McKay’ll bite. I think he’d love to get Tandy off his back. The girl had been blackmailing him for years to use his license. The girl is also psychotic—maybe even homicidal. I think he’s afraid of her. I think he’d love to see her locked up and out of his hair.”

Pomerantz said, “He’s not going to screw himself just to get her locked up.”

“It depends,” Decker said. “Maybe having her loose would be worse for him than doing a little community work.”

Pomerantz waited a beat. “True. I’ll do what I can to put the squeeze on Oscar, but he’s no dunce. You want a cup of coffee?”

Decker said, “I’ll get it. What do you take?”

“Cream, no sugar.”

Decker turned to the uniform. “Officer?”

“No, thank you, sir.”