But the tide had turned, and Hal Buckley had left Jake hanging out to dry. It was one thing for the DA’s office to go easy on a house party, especially since the victims were from out of town, and unlikely to stir up much local protest. For the police to have missed an assault, however, was a much different issue. Hal may have been more interested in playing golf than grinding out indictments, but he wasn’t stupid. This would generate real attention and outrage, and Jake and Detective Murray would look like the bozos who had been so busy justifying trespassing tickets that they missed the assault of a teenage girl. They’d have to come down hard now, and explain why they hadn’t before. Jake, it seemed, was their convenient explanation.

It took Jake a few minutes to find Alisha Shah’s contact info, and while the phone rang, he crossed his fingers that she still had the same number. They’d dated for a few months in college, and he’d followed her career covering local politics in the Philadelphia Inquirer. She had a knack for crafting stories that showed the human side of city policy debates.

She picked up and answered in a brisk, professional voice. “Alisha Shah, who’s speaking?”

“Alisha, it’s Jake. Jake Tillman.” He suddenly wasn’t sure that she would even remember him. It had been awhile.

“Jake!” she cried out, her voice more relaxed. “It’s been ages! How are you? Are you still in town?”

“I’m okay,” he replied. “I’m living in the suburbs. No wife or kids, though.” Why did he say that?

“Me neither,” she said. “So, what can I help you with? Hopefully not the wife or kids thing,” she added, and they both laughed.

“Actually,” Jake said, “I think I might have a story for you. Do you have a minute?”

“I always have time for a story,” she said. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”

Jake paused. He was having second thoughts. This is not how you handle setbacks at work, he told himself. He knew that, but he didn’t care. He got up, closed his office door, and turned on the rotating fan that he used on hot days. “This will have to be off the record,” he told her. “It’s about work.”

“Well, now I’m intrigued. Did I hear you’re at the DA’s office?”

“That's right, in Hart County. And we’ve got a case that deserves a little more attention. I’m not telling tales out of school—all of the facts are in the court documents—but I’m not sure anyone’s understood the story here.”

“That’s where I come in,” Alisha said. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”