HE WAS JUST about to lock up when Marge and Oliver came through the door of the squad room. Decker flagged them down and beckoned them into his office, plunking himself back down on his desk chair and rubbing his eyes. “Sit.”

The detectives sat.

He turned to Marge. “I got an allowance for the trip to Ohio.”

“Great.”

Decker’s tired eyes drifted to Oliver’s. “If the trip’s necessary, I’ll send both of you. Don’t call up Arlington yet. We have other business first. Ryan Goldberg’s missing.”

“Who’s he?” Oliver asked.

“The guitarist of the Doodoo Sluts. The one who had a psychotic break.”

Marge said, “I’m sorry he’s missing, but is he relevant to our case?”

“He is, and I found out this afternoon just how relevant. Not only did Melinda Little screw Rudy Banks, she fucked the whole damn band.”

“Oh my!” Marge said. “Busy gal our Melinda is.”

“I talked to Liam O’Dell—the drummer for the group. He was a font of information.” He recounted his afternoon with Mad Irish.

“How’d you even find O’Dell?” Oliver wanted to know.

“By accident. Liam’s involved in a lawsuit with Banks. I met him at Banks’s place when he was trying to track Rudy down just like I was doing. O’Dell remembered a Melinda who seemed to fit Melinda Little’s description, although he didn’t remember her surname.”

“Maybe she was using her maiden name,” Marge said.

“That’s a thought.” Decker looked at his detectives. “So there’s your source of independent information about Melinda Little and Rudy Banks. Arrange another interview with Melinda. Let’s concentrate on her before we spend money tracking down Arlington.” He raked his hands through his hair. “I want some answers. I’m tired of this fucking investigation dragging on and taking people like Ryan Goldberg down with it.”

“Maybe he’s involved and he’s running,” Marge suggested.

“I’ve talked to Ryan. The guy doesn’t have enough brain matter left to plan his dinner, let alone a murder.”

“But he wasn’t always like that, Pete,” Marge said. “He was in love with Melinda, and people do weird things when they’re in love.”

Decker blew out air. “You’re right. I’ve been surprised before.”

Oliver held back a smile. “So Melinda Little was a groupie?”

“Sounds more like Melinda Little was a woman desperate for money.”

“How believable is O’Dell?” Marge asked.

“He’s got nothing to gain by lying.” Decker thought a moment. “I believe that they all screwed her, but Ryan Goldberg was the only one unbalanced enough to fall in love with her. He gave her money, and when the rest of the band found out about his largesse, they turned off the cash tap. Eventually she stopped coming around.”

Oliver was already taking notes. “When did all this happen?”