I get your predicament, Gaylene. I dont envy it. But Ive got a mess of my own, including a murder victim found at the home of that same powerful man, who knows Im looking at him for the crime. Ive also got a source who thinks, rightly, that his life might be in danger because the evidence he gave me was almost immediately stolen, likely at the behest of that same powerful man. So Ive kind of got a target on my back. Maybe we could prioritize here. Decker said hes looking into the leak, which means you can set that aside. And if you let Internal Affairs handle Detective Shores death, youll be free to focus on the claims made in that audio file.

Parker shook her head.

Decker doesnt trust IA right now, she countered. Thats why he has me looking into Shore, because we were both Vice. I knew him. I know the guys in that unit and how they think. But I have to tread carefully. So its taking longer than Id like.

Okay, then hand over the Marla component to me and Ill look into it.

You have time for that? Parker challenged. I thought you were conducting a murder investigation.

The question stung in a way Parker hadnt intended. Jessie didnt have time. Jasper Otis was walking free. Beto Estrada was in danger. Milly Estrada was dead in a freezer, her murder unsolved.

And there was her own life too: a new job starting up next week, a boyfriend trying to reclaim his life, and a sister just trying to keep her head above water. All that was already on the back burner at this moment and she was going to take on another responsibility?

And yet some part of her knew theyd understand. If she told them that she had a chance to stop the sex trafficking of teenage girls, but doing so required her to be here now, theyd support her. She was sure of it.

Ill make time.

The other detective shrugged.

Fine, she said, handing over a small piece of paper. I looked up these files this morning. They include every mention of our mogul friend in any case in the last ten years. I also pulled all the files that allege sex crimes against an HPI.

HPI? Jessie repeated.

High profile individual, Parker said. We use the term in reports so we dont have to open the can of worms that comes from mentioning names before were ready to charge. It protects us and allows us to do back searches without drawing attention.

How do you distinguish among HPIs? Jessie asked.