It was an obvious power play, but Micah wasn’t in the mood for games, so he cut right to the chase. “Is this about Nico’s case?” he asked. “Has there been a breakthrough?”

Jensen’s frown deepened. “It’s come to my attention that you’ve been calling Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez and giving them daily updates on their son’s case.”

Micah blinked.

Whatever he thought Jensen wanted to talk about, it hadn’t been that. “Well… yeah. Nico was their only son. I want to make sure they know we’re doing all we can to bring his killer to justice.”

Jensen nodded slowly. “That’s great, and we are doing that. You’re doing that. But you realize that there are certain aspects of Nico’s case that need to remain under wraps, even from Nico’s family, to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”

Micah stiffened. He didn’t appreciate being spoken to like he was an idiot. “You say that like I’ve told them anything compromising. My reports to them are all different variations of assuring them that we’re doing our best and that their son’s case remains our top priority.” Micah frowned. “What else could I have told them? They already know we’re investigating his association with spankbankboys.com. Unless… unless you’re concerned I might tell them we think Nico might have been another victim of the Hooker Hunter?”

A muscle in Jensen’s jaw ticked, giving him away.

Micah couldn’t believe this. “Don’t worry. I’ve kept mum about the fact the serial killer we supposedly captured a month ago might still be out there.” He didn’t even try to disguise the bitterness in his voice.

Jensen crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed with his tone. “That’s good, since there’s no evidence whatsoever to support that particular theory of yours.”

“No evidence?” Micah repeated incredulously. “You’ve conceded that Nico was probably killed because of his association with that website. Sure, webcamming might not be prostituting in the classic sense of the word, but it’s still sex work. That, combined with the chloroform found in his system and the marks around his wrists and ankles – not to mention, the manner in which his body was found – I, for one, think the connection is obvious.”

It was part of why Micah was so annoyed having to conduct all these out-of-state phone interviews. In his mind, there was a sizable chance Nico had been killed by the Hooker Hunter, who was obviously a New York native.

“You’re stretching,” Jensen refuted, “taking the evidence and trying to make it fit your theory. If Nico’s murder was the work of the Hooker Hunter, then where’s his next victim? He never went more than a month between slayings when he was at large.”

“You say that like you want there to be another victim,” Micah snapped.