“ ‘I’m a good person.’ ”

“ ‘I’m a good person because Daney was behind it and Troy was his henchman and I was in the wrong place at the right time.’ Cherish could’ve even presented it to him that way.”

“If he bought it, why didn’t he open up?”

“Eight years in jail, being beaten and stabbed and left to fend for himself, had taught him to be wary. Nevertheless, the idea Cherish planted took root and it terrified him: He’d be living under the roof of the devil who’d ruined his life. That’s why he was so anxious when he was released to the Daneys.”

“Then why’d he go there in the first place?”

“He had no immediate alternatives. No family, no resources, no grasp of what the world outside prison was like. He also had to be careful not to set off Drew’s suspicions with a sudden shift in plans. But I’ll bet he intended to get out of there as soon as possible. As soon as he could get someone to listen.”

“You.”

“Cherish’s eagerness could have made him even more wary. Lauritz Montez had defended him by the numbers. He sure wouldn’t view the D.A. or the police as sympathetic. That left me.”

“Modesty, modesty,” he said. “So he gives the Daneys a phony story, walks away, somehow makes it over the hill, calls you from Westwood.”

“I don’t think he made it over the hill alone. He couldn’t keep his anxiety under control and Drew did catch on that something was wrong. Drew was out of the house when Rand left. He could’ve been nearby, watching Rand. Or he called in and Cherish told him Rand had gone to the construction site. That fed Drew’s suspicions because he knew the site was closed Saturday except for cleanup. He went after Rand, spotted him, picked him up in the Jeep.”

“And took him into the city? Why?”

“To allay Rand’s fears,” I said. “Rand’s shuffling along, disoriented, looking for a pay phone, or just trying to clear his head. Daney cruises by, all smiles, says hop in, let’s grab a bite. Caught off guard, Rand would’ve felt forced to comply, so as not to appear nervous. Daney drove over the hill and disarmed Rand further with small talk. Dropped him off at the entrance to Westside Pavilion with some pocket change, told him to have a good time, he’d pick him up later. No one from the mall remembers Rand, he may never have gone in. This was a dull, confused kid who’d grown up behind bars. It would have been like dropping him on Mars.”

“Why would Daney go to all that trouble? Why not drive him somewhere secluded and kill him right off?”