Trout shook his head. “I don’t see the relevance.”

In the doorway Daker yawned.

“The relevance is obvious,” said Gurney. “The Osama bin Ladens of the world do not become pilots and fly planes into skyscrapers. The psychological components that create one do not create the other. Either the so-called Good Shepherd is more than one person or the unifying inferences you’ve made about his motives and personality structure are wrong.”

Trout exhaled a loud sigh. “Very interesting. But you know what I find most interesting? Your comment about the gun—or guns. It reveals access to restricted information.” He sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers thoughtfully under his chin. “That’s a problem. A problem for you, being in possession of it, and a problem—perhaps a career-ending one—for whoever leaked it to you. Let me ask you a straightforward question: Do you have any other information from restricted federal law-enforcement files, pertaining to this case or to any other case?”

“Good Lord, Trout, don’t be absurd.”

The sinews in the man’s neck tightened, but he said nothing.

Gurney went on. “I came here to talk about a potentially huge misunderstanding of a huge murder case. Do you really want to reduce this to a pissing contest over a hypothetical bureaucratic violation?”

Holdenfield raised her right hand in the traditional traffic-cop “Stop” gesture. “Could I make a suggestion here? Could we take this down a notch? We’re here to discuss facts, evidence, reasonable interpretations. The emotional component is getting in the way. Maybe we could just—”

“You’re absolutely right,” said Trout with a tight smile. “I think we should let Mr. Gurney—Dave—have his say, put everything on the table. If there’s a problem with our interpretation of the evidence, let’s get to the bottom of it. Dave? I’m sure you have more to tell us. Please go ahead.”

Trout’s eagerness to get him to incriminate himself with a prosecutable admission of receiving stolen files was so transparent that Gurney came close to laughing in the man’s face.

Trout added, “Maybe for the past ten years I’ve been too close to all of this. You’re coming at it with fresh eyes. Tell me, what am I missing?”

“How about the fact that you’ve built a very big hypothesis on very few data points?”

“That’s what the art of constructing an investigative premise is all about.”

“It’s also what schizophrenic delusions are all about.”

“Dave …” Holdenfield’s cautionary hand rose from her lap.