Santa Barbara County—which had a larger population—had a sheriff-coroner and a morgue with a forensic pathologist who performed autopsies, a sergeant supervisor, three coroner’s investigators, and an administrative assistant. With Oak Knoll growing—and the murder rate rising—a movement was already underway to institute a similar office in their county.

Not that the death of Marissa Fordham was a mystery. Both cause of death and manner of death were obvious. But a forensic pathologist would collect evidence from the body, trace evidence such as hairs and fabric fibers. A rape kit would be performed looking for foreign pubic hairs, semen, signs of sexual assault—after they extracted the butcher’s knife from her vagina.

Campbell and Trammell had interviewed Gina Kemmer, Marissa Fordham’s friend from the boutique called Girl.

“She freaked out when we gave her the news,” Trammell said. “Total meltdown.”

“We asked her about the vic’s love life,” Campbell said. “She said Fordham dated casually, there was no one serious, and she doesn’t know who the little girl’s father is.”

“She’s lying,” Trammell said. “She’s bad at it. She ran to the john right after.”

“Bring her in,” Dixon said. “We need to have a more serious conversation with her. Vince, maybe you would sit in?”

“Happy to.”

“I’ll tell her to wear her Depends,” Trammell said.

“What about the professor?” Dixon asked. “Do we have any background yet?”

“I made a couple of phone calls, called in a couple of favors,” Vince said. “We should hear something later today, tomorrow at the latest. But I think you should also take a closer look at his associate, Nasser. He’s very protective of his boss. And he didn’t like the victim. He all but accused her of being a whore.”

“You think he was jealous?” Hamilton asked. “Like a gay thing?”

“No, not a gay thing. Nasser is a doctor in his own right. He could be teaching at any top university in the country,” Vince said. “He chose to come to McAster to be Zahn’s underling. Zahn is Nasser’s mentor. Nasser is Zahn’s protector. He didn’t like Zahn’s obsession with Marissa Fordham. She was a distraction, the object of Zahn’s obsessive-compulsive attention.”

“Jeez,” Mendez said, half joking. “I just thought the guy was a jerk.”

“You don’t know everything, Junior,” Leone said with an edge in his voice.

“No, I don’t.”

“Good that you realize that. Remember it next time before you make a bad decision.”

Mendez ducked his head.

Dixon went to the whiteboard, marker in hand. “Who were her boyfriends?”

“Don Quinn, Mark Foster,” Hicks said.

Campbell glanced at his notes. “Add Roy Thatcher and Bob Copetti.”

“I think we should add Steve Morgan to that list,” Mendez said. “He knew her, he worked with her, he spent time with her, he cheated on his wife before.”