But D.D. wasn’t going to be put off that easily. She took a seat directly across from him, resting her elbows on her knees, all casual curiosity. While from the kitchen came the sound of cupboard doors being opened, closed, drawers being pulled out and pushed in. He suspected the computer was already gone. The iPod seized from his nightstand drawer. Maybe they’d taken his clock radio, too. Every thing came with data chips these days, and any data chip could be rigged to store any kind of data. There’d been a major case just last year where a business exec had stored tons of incriminating financial docs on his son’s Xbox.

Jason had understood the terms of the search warrant just fine. He’d simply liked making the pretty blonde sergeant work for it.

“You said Sandy and her father were estranged,” D.D. stated now.

“True.”

“Why?”

“That would be Sandy’s story to tell.”

“Well, she doesn’t currently seem to be available, so perhaps you could help me out.”

He had to think about it. “I think if you asked the old man, he’d say his daughter was young, headstrong, and reckless when she met me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“And I think, as a seasoned investigator, you might wonder what had happened to make her so reckless and wild.”

“He beat her?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Call her bad names?” D.D. arched a brow.

“I think it’s more like the mom beat the living shit out of her, and he never raised a hand to stop her. The mom died, so Sandy doesn’t have to hate her anymore. The old man, on the other hand …”

“She’s never forgiven him?”

He shrugged. “Again, you’d have to ask her.”

“Why do you have jams in your windows, Jason?”

He looked at her. “Because the world is filled with monsters, and we don’t want them getting our daughter.”

“Seems extreme.”

“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”

She smiled a little. It added crinkles to the corners of her eyes, revealing her age, but also making her seem suddenly softer. More approachable. She was a skilled interrogator, he realized. And he was tired, making it seem like a better and better idea to tell her everything. Lay all his problems at the feet of smart, beautiful Sergeant Warren. Let her sort out the mess.

“When was the last time Sandy talked to her father?” D.D. asked.

“Day she left town with me.”

“She never called him? Not once since moving to Boston?”

“Nope.”

“Not your wedding, not the birth of your daughter.”

“Nope.”

D.D. narrowed her eyes. “So why is he here now?”

“Claims he saw word of Sandy’s disappearance on the news and skedaddled for the airport.”

“I see. His estranged daughter has gone missing, so now he pays a visit?”