Murray had always prided himself on his sense for people’s strengths and failings. His father had gone into police work because he liked the power: the gun, the authority, the chain of command. But Murray had followed in his father’s footsteps because he liked solving puzzles and figuring out what motivated a particular crime or criminal. As a detective, Murray was constantly confronted with all kinds of facts: important and irrelevant, contradictory and consistent, and easily proven or taken on faith. It was the same with people. He’d put away charismatic businessmen who committed hit-and-runs, and helped clear good-for-nothing drunks who really were sleeping one off when a beating occurred. The key to the job was the ability to sift through information and find new patterns to fit changing facts and impressions. And yet, the simplest explanation wasn’t always the right one. It was a balancing act that required a sense for how to slot the facts in the right way, without distorting the truth to fit them.

Murray looked at the picture of the girl again. “The girl who owns the phone—does she work at Alejandro’s?”

Dr. Johnson seemed surprised by the question. “Yes, that’s Rosa’s father’s restaurant.”

A framework of facts began to come together, despite Murray’s resistance to the idea. Jake often ate at Al’s—Murray had been there with him several times. He searched his memory, but nothing odd about those meals occurred to him. But there was something. Of course. It was the first day that they’d come to the high school to speak with students. Jake had waved to a girl in the computer lab. That must have been Rosa. He could check that, to some extent, but he felt fairly sure Rosa wasn’t among the students who were charged. Murray swallowed. What he knew of Jake was that he was a solid, hardworking guy. Murray would hold his judgment, but he was going to have to investigate.

Dr. Johnson was looking at his watch and clearing his throat. He was ready to move on. There was a knock at the door, and the secretary poked her head in. “Rosie Mendoza is here,” she said. “Should I send her in?”

Dr. Johnson and Ms. Grady looked at Detective Murray. “Yes,” Murray said. “And can you please call her father? I’d like him to accompany her to the station with me.”

40

They had no choice, Hal Buckley and Chief Whitman agreed. It was upsetting that it was one of their own, of course, but that made it even more important to play this one conservatively. Jake Tillman would have to be put on leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. Afterward, he could quietly resign. He’d never really be able to come back to work. Not after this, even if it did turn out to be some sort of mistake, which, they agreed privately, was unlikely.