"How about joint custody. Shared visitation. One week on, one week off."

"Maybe," I said. "You shouldn't have been in such a hurry."

"At least I had the good sense not to shred my tax returns. I could be in jail for life, however much of it I got left."

"What about your clothes?"

"Those went last week. I'll have to scour the Goodwill thrift store and buy 'em back."

"Oh ye of little faith. Dolan swore you'd be fine. You should have listened to him."

"What does he know? The man's a mess. Didn't I tell you he was heading for another heart attack? Talk about a time bomb."

"I know. I told him the same thing, but there was no stopping him. What about you, are you really feeling okay?"

"Terrific. Full of beans. I'm determined to come down. Don't know how I'll get there, but I'll find a way."

"The doctor's letting you drive?"

"Of course. It's no business of hers. Problem is, I sold my car and let my license lapse."

"Oh, no."

"Well, I didn't want to take the test again. I was sure I'd be dead."

"What about the lease on your house ?"

"Shit, I'd forgotten about that. Healthy, but homeless. What a turn of events. By the way, did Dolan tell you what happened here?"

"We never had a chance to talk."

"Triple homicide this morning – woman, her boyfriend, and her kid shot to death. The ex-husband's fled into the backcountry, where he's hiding out. All the SO guys have been pulled into the search. This guy's a wilderness expert, a paramilitary type. No telling how long it's going to take to flush him out. Forensics is still at the crime scene, which means they won't get to us again until they wrap that up. Could be days."

"So why hang around down here? Once Dolan's out, I can drive us home in his car and that'll save you the trip."

"No way. I'm bored to tears up here. I got cabin fever so bad, I'm about to go insane. Besides, if you two come home, we'll just have to turn around and go back again."

"Assuming there's a link between the Mustang and Jane Doe," I said.

"Trust me, it's there and Dolan thinks so, too. You been in business as long as we have, you develop a feel for these things. We're getting close."