“There’s nothing here. We have to question him,” Tilly sighed.

Theo gulped. One of her words had been a euphemism; he could feel it.

“See, this is why I hate all these new rules. Working with the phone company instead of the phone company working for us. They still haven’t sent the May records!” Rick complained.

The conversation was miles above Theo’s head, but he willed his every molecule to listen, seeking even the slightest hint of what was coming next.

“This drive has been a waste, but we really don’t need to apprehend them today. They are on the move, but so what? It’s the summer. Kids go out,” Tilly said.

“But he lied. A second time. And in the back of my very comfortable vehicle, of all places. No teen is naturally that bold. Something’s up.”

Theo felt his bowels tighten.

“Maybe, Rick, but he’s not going to budge, and I’m not going to make him. At least not in the middle of the park. What if they really are just going to do some more tags? Are we supposed to just roll up and take them in because we’re pretty sure they’re involved? This case can’t have any weaknesses.”

“If some shit goes down tonight and we didn’t at least try to find out what it was, we’ll have more problems than a weak case!”

Theo focused on his aching wrists. His lack of comprehension was too taxing, each gap in his understanding too bottomless to draw any conclusion but death.

“We have tried. We asked and he lied, and we have no more leads, so now we’re waiting for the phone records to come through. If we move now, all we have is surveillance footage from a system that isn’t even supposed to exist that shows them driving near McPherson. Even a flunky pre-law student from University of Phoenix could get that dropped.”

“Tilly, we’re the fucking feds! Everybody lies to us!” Rick insisted.

“We’re also cybercrime specialists. Data first,” Tilly calmly whispered. “Admissible data,” she added.

Theo relaxed, settling into the supple leather of the back seat, relishing its softness. They needed him, desperately. He was in control. New paths began to open up, the future unfurling, death retrieving its anchor and retreating into the horizon. But the leather wasn’t that soft.