“It’s totally about your age, sex, inexperience, and notoriety.”

“They can go fuck themselves,” she said.

“Yes, they can and so can you. What’s more important to you right now? Getting the search warrant or taking a stand on sexism, ageism, cronyism, and all the nasty isms in this big, cruel world?”

The answer was obvious.

“Get the warrant,” Eve said. “I’ll start the surveillance on Coyle.”

“Good call,” Duncan said.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

It was five forty-five and dark out, so it felt a lot later than it actually was. It didn’t help that Eve had only taken a short nap over the past two days.

She was parked in the Explorer on Deering Avenue in Canoga Park, facing the Mr. Plunger offices, a low-lying cinderblock box in the center of a cracked asphalt parking lot. The narrow street was in the center of an industrial neighborhood in the northwestern edge of the San Fernando Valley that had blossomed around a railroad line that was now long gone, replaced by a dedicated high-speed bus lane. The businesses on Deering included an electrical supply store, several collision repair shops, a roofing company, and a hardwood floor showroom.

A few Mr. Plunger trucks, impossible to miss with their giant plungers on top, had come and gone during her watch but Coyle’s Corolla was still parked in the lot, so if he’d come back, he was still in the building.

Biddle was parked farther south, at the intersection of Deering and Saticoy, ready to trade off with Eve in tailing Coyle.

Garvey was already staked out in the empty for-sale mobile home across from Coyle’s place. Eve had gotten the lockbox code for it from the Realtor before she left the station.

Now all that was left for Eve to do was wait for Coyle and drink more Red Bull to fight the creeping fatigue that was threatening to knock her out. She was wearing her cycling gear and her bike was loaded in the back, all of which helped her look like a civilian if anyone happened to notice her sitting there.

Eve used the time to ponder the case. The evidence suggested that Coyle was already in the house on Wednesday morning when Tanya arrived. How did he get in? Perhaps with a stolen key. Or he’d unlocked or disabled a door or window when he was there doing a plumbing repair.

Why was he in the house? Perhaps it was a burglary and Tanya walked in on him. So he killed her . . . and while he was cutting her up, the kids came home, and he was forced to kill them, too.

But that scenario didn’t explain why he brought a knife with him. Was it simply for protection in case someone was inside? Or perhaps it wasn’t a burglary at all. Maybe he was waiting in the house for Tanya to come home so he could rape her. But if that was his intention, why did he stab her in the kitchen? Was it to guarantee that she wouldn’t be physically able to fight him off when he dragged her to the bedroom? Did she put up a fight anyway? Was that why he was so furious when he stabbed her to death?