“Won’t it seem odd for a new student to arrive with one week’s notice?” She was stalling, delaying her commitment as long as possible.

But Sarge played along, giving her a minute to adjust to the reality and accept the inevitable. “We’ve got it covered. Your father’s been transferred here, and while he wraps up loose ends on the East Coast and makes arrangements to relocate, he’s sending you ahead rather than have you join the spring semester in progress.”

“From what I’ve heard about Ivy Hill’s price tag, this operation will require significant up-front money for tuition—unless you’re clueing in the administration to our presence.”

“We’re not—and we’ll tap the reserve fund for the tuition.”

She did a double take. “We have a reserve fund?”

“So says the lieutenant, and I’m not asking any questions. Finances are his problem. I just go after bad guys. So what’s the verdict?”

Her brief reprieve was up.

She exhaled . . . and gave up the fight. “I’ll do it.”

“Great!” Sarge pushed a bulging file folder across the desk. “Case notes to date. Bone up. And this”—he slid a much slimmer file in her direction—“is your cover. The minute you walk out the door, we’ll begin setting this up. We wanted to be certain you were on board first.”

She picked up the latter and flipped through the material. “A lot of work has been put into this.” She looked at him. “You knew I’d say yes, didn’t you?”

“I thought the odds were in our favor. You like challenges—and you don’t like puzzles with missing pieces. That’s why you’re an exceptional detective. I assumed this case would pique your interest enough to overcome your aversion to undercover work—and convince you you’re the right person for the job.”

“I’m the only person.”

“You’re also the right person. We want someone on this who will dig deep and ferret out the truth, and—pardon the cliché—you’re like a dog with a bone when you’re on a case.”

“I appreciate the compliment if not the analogy.” She gathered up the files.

“There is a bright side to this, you know. Going undercover at a cushy girls’ school will be a cakewalk compared to the trafficking gig.”

“That depends on what I find.”

“If there’s anything to be found. Our team on the street may end up solving this before you do.”

“Hold that thought.” She transferred the files to the crook of her arm and stood. “I’ll let you know if I have any questions after I get up to speed on all this. Any special instructions?”