When she finished, Steinberg said, I did a little more checking up on Bolitar. Did you know he and his friend Win used to do some work with the feds?There were rumors, she said . I spoke to Joan Thurston. Thurston was the U. S. Attorney for the State of New Jersey. A lot of it is hush-hush, I guess, but in sum, everyone thinks Win is several fries short of a Happy Meal but that Bolitar is pretty straight . That's the vibe I got too, Loren said . You believe his story?Overall, yeah, I guess I do. It's just too crazy. Plus, as he sort of pointed out himself, would a guy with his experience be dumb enough to leave so many clues behind?You think he's being framed?Loren made a face. That doesn't jibe much either. Aimee Biel called him herself. She'd have to be in on it, I guess . Steinberg folded his hands on his desk. His sleeves were rolled up. His forearms were big and covered with enough hair to count as fur. Then odds are, what, she's a runaway?Odds are, Loren said . A nd the fact that she used the same ATM as Katie Rochester?She shrugged. I don't think it's a coincidence . Maybe they know each other . Not according to either set of parents . That doesn't mean anything, Steinberg said. Parents don't know bupkus about their kids. Trust me here, I had teenage daughters. The moms and dads who claim they know everything about their kids usually know the least. He shifted in his chair. Nothing found in the search of Bolitar's home or car?They're still going through it, Loren said. But what can they find? We know she was in the house and in the car . The locals handled the search?She nodded . Then let's let the locals handle the rest of it. We really don't even have a case yet anyway the girl is of age, right?Right . Good, then it's settled. Give it to the locals. I want you concentrating on these homicides in East Orange . Steinberg told her more about the case. She listened and tried to focus. This was a biggie, no doubt about it. A double murder. Maybe a major hit man back in the area. It was the kind of case she loved. It would take up all her time. She knew that. And she knew the odds. Aimee Biel had withdrawn cash before she called Myron. That meant that she had probably not been abducted, that she was probably just fine and that either way, Loren Muse really shouldn't be involved anymore . They say worrying and grief makes you age, but with Claire Biel it was almost the opposite. Her skin was drawn tight around her cheekbones so tight the blood seemed to stop flowing. There were no lines on her face. She was pale and almost skeletal . Myron flashed back to an ordinary memory. Study hall, senior year.