“Sorry you feel that way, but we are still looking into the situation. Where did you drive to?”

“About one-thirty, we went out to Niwot. We found out that Pia Grazdani’s boss at Nano, Mariel Spallek, lived out there. We thought maybe she might be home and willing to answer some questions about Pia. We’re really kind of lost about what to do. But Mariel Spallek was not at home, so we went away, thinking we might return some evening.”

“You were out there around one-thirty,” said Samuels.

“Around then, yes,” said George, and offered no more. They had been at Niwot, but by one-thirty, he was in a cab on his way home.

“And you can confirm this,” Samuels said to Paul.

“Yes. I know the time, because I had to get to the hospital. I was late.”

“He drove in, I took a taxi. From Niwot.” George knew that if they checked, they would find that he had taken a taxi, but from a location that might require some explanation.

“Why did you take a taxi?”

“Paul had to get to work. I took a taxi from there rather than from the hospital. I was on my way back here.”

Samuels regarded the two men. He guessed they were being less than truthful, but in the grand scheme of things, did it matter that much. “So you rang the bell at Miss Spallek’s, and no one answered?”

“That’s right,” said George.

“Did you see anyone? Anyone that you might have thought didn’t belong in the neighborhood?”

“There was a car parked suspiciously on the same street.”

“Suspiciously how?”

“Well, not parked suspiciously, but parked in the street with two men sitting in it. It was just down the road from Mariel’s house. There were no other cars or people. It looked suspicious to us, and we talked about it.”

Paul nodded.

“Can you describe the car?”

“Dark blue,” said Paul. “Full-size sedan. American. Buick or something like that. I actually assumed it was a police car. It was kind of drab like that. No offense.”