“It just went in beginning of last week, but to be honest I shoulda waited. Custom glass and wood. It cost over ten grand. I ordered it on my account, and Mr. Jensen was supposed to reimburse me right away. I cashed the check, but it bounced. When I called Mr. Jensen, he said that it was some sort of mistake. That he just needed to move some money around, something about investments. I didn’t want to hold up the construction schedule, so I went ahead and installed the door. It happens, you know. These are big numbers. I’d never had any issue with their payments before, so I didn’t worry about it. I figured it would clear by Monday at the latest.

“You didn’t say anything about that to the officer yesterday.”

John looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the missus,” he said. “I already got my hands full with her.”

“You’ve had issues?” Murray asked.

“Eh, just here and there,” John walked it back. “She had us redo a few things that I didn’t necessarily agree with, but she’s the customer. Women like that, they’re sticklers; everything’s gotta be just so. I’m happy to do it—so long as my bills get paid.”

Detective Murray closed his notebook. “Thanks for your time,” he said, handing John his card. “If you could get me that list of your guys who worked on the house, I’d be grateful. Gotta cover all our bases.”

As Murray walked back to the car, he wondered whether he’d stumbled onto an actual conflict between the contractor and the Jensens, or if these were just run-of-the-mill construction issues. He’d been surprised to hear that the Jensens had bounced a check. Mrs. Jensen hadn’t mentioned it, but then again, it sounded like she might not know. Was John Williams merely annoyed at the delay, as he’d said, or was he angry enough to turn a blind eye while his guys threw a beer bash in the new house? And where was the garage door opener?

12

On Tuesday afternoon, Maja and Ted sat across the desk of Assistant District Attorney Jake Tillman, Maja feeling as if she was at a job interview for a position she didn’t actually want. Ted had suggested asking for a meeting, and she was a bit surprised when the DA agreed to see them so quickly. She was nervous going in, but Tillman was patient as he answered all of Ted’s questions. In fact, he seemed almost excited about the case. Maja got the impression that this was the most interesting thing that had happened in New Falls in a while. It was like they were starring in their own reality TV show, pitched as Cops meets MTV Cribs.