“You can think all you want, Cory, but I know that counterfeit money didn’t walk out of your custody on its own. I’ll agree we don’t know the motive, but at this point we have to assume there was inside help of some kind.”

Bradshaw didn’t argue.

“And I made a mistake,” Ethel said. “As soon as I learned the money’s source, I should have sounded the alarm. Then maybe we could have set a proper trap, and Jesse wouldn’t have landed in the hospital. All of us know what happened, and Cory and Frank will take their investigations from here. I simply want us to help by collectively sharing what we know at this point. Douglas, Lisa, Jesse, and I had interactions with Jonathan. Maybe we can prompt each other’s memory by sharing any observations or conversations.” She looked at Bradshaw. “I’m interested if there might be something he said or did that ties in to any case files you have.”

“All right. I’m okay with this if Frank is.”

Mancini held up his half-eaten chocolate chip cookie. “My cooperation is easily bought.”

The tension in the room lessened.

“I’ll go first,” Ethel said. “Jonathan began rooming here ten years ago. I think he came out of the Philadelphia office and stayed for short-term assignments in DC. That’s been the pattern over the course of our friendship. Maybe he’s here for a few months every year or so. His most recent arrival was a little over four months ago, around the first of May.”

“For protective detail?” Mancini asked.

“Yes. He said he’d wrapped up an assignment and would be in the protective pool for several months. I must say with the benefit of hindsight, Jonathan seemed more reserved and withdrawn. I thought he missed his family in Richmond. I know he’s concerned about his son. Davie has a genetic disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, that’s a fancy name for imperfect bones that are very fragile, and I think Jonathan was worried about the boy’s future long-term. We discussed it one evening over a bottle of wine while everyone else was out. He hoped Davie’s condition could improve through physical therapy and genetic breakthroughs, but he admitted he wasn’t very optimistic. Davie would probably always be compromised by the severity of his condition, always with a walker if not a wheelchair, and susceptible to major injuries from minor accidents. Jonathan just hoped there was an area where Davie could thrive and enjoy a productive life.”

“Like what?” Bradshaw asked.