Ill take the bus home, Hannah said as Jessie pulled into the school driveway to drop her off. I dont want you to have to stop in the middle of the case to get me.

Ill be home by dinnertime, Jessie said, intent on making that promise a reality, no matter what. What are we having?

Its a little something I like to call leftover surprise.

Well, they cant all be winners, Jessie allowed.

Hey, wait until youve tasted it before you talk smack, Hannah said as she hopped out.

With Ryan safe at home with Nurse Patty and in good spirits when theyd left, both of them felt comfortable with a little teasing banter. Hannah was about to close the door when she seemed to think of something else.

Now if I find this sexual slavery dude on campus, should I call you or Captain Decker?

Very funny, Jessie said, pulling out of the driveway.

She didnt say it, but Hannahs comment sent her into a spiral of thoughts about just how girls like Marla ended up in a fancy Pacific Palisades house, servicing the basest desires of men who used them and then tossed them away. She was tempted to call Decker to get an update but forced herself not to. He might not even have briefed Gaylene Parker yet. She had to give it a little time.

Instead, as she worked her way along the choked rush-hour streets, making the seventy-minute drive back to Otis Estate, where she planned to meet Karen Bray, she called Jamil Winslow. As she had anticipated, he was in and answered on the first ring.

Winslow, Research.

Hey, Jamil, hows your Monday morning treating you? she asked.

Busy, Ms. Hunt, very busy. I already have a few updates if youre interested.

Im always interested in what you have to share, she replied.

Okay, how about we start with the victims husband, Beto Estrada. You wanted to see if we could independently confirm his claim that he was home all night.

Right, she confirmed. Any luck?

Some, he said. Based on a check of his GPS data, his phone never left the house after five p.m. and his car never moved from the driveway. But as we both know, thats not definitive proof of anything on its own. So I checked the cottage. Estrada is renting it from a management company. They use motion-activated security cameras on the exterior of all their properties. I dont know if Estrada was aware of that. In any case, I got them to send me the footage from Saturday night.

Dont keep me in suspense, Jamil.

It shows the same thing. There was no movement outside the cottage after five. So, either he was home all night or hes one stealthy middle-aged guy.