She was walking across the bullpen to his office when a smallish, sweaty guy in his early twenties wearing a sweatshirt and bicycle shorts approached her. He looked so skittish that her hand involuntarily went to her holster.

Can I help you? she asked.

Yes maam, he said politely. I spoke to the front desk sergeant and he had me wait over in one of those chairs.

She looked over. He had indicated the spillover area where suspects and witnesses were held until they could be interviewed. Each chair had a metal bar across it that could attach to handcuffs if someone needed to be kept from moving about. It was rare for the general public to be allowed in the area.

Do you have a statement to give? she asked, confused. Didnt someone direct you to Detective Bray?

No maam, he said, pulling something out of the backpack dangling off his shoulder.

Careful, she warned, undoing the safety guard on the holster. Why dont you tell me what this is about before you start yanking stuff out of bags?

Im sorry, maam, he said. I didnt mean to startle you. Its just an envelope with some paperwork. May I?

Slowly, she told him.

He delicately removed what was indeed a thick manila envelope.

You are Jessie Hunt, correct? he asked.

Yeah, she answered as he handed her the envelope.

Youve been served.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

She read the papers in Deckers office while she waited for him to return.

The documents were from attorneys for Jasper Otis and they were endless: claims of harassment, trespassing, slander, intimidation, false imprisonment (that one was apparently related to the uneventful interrogation in his dining room), and stalking.

She couldnt help but notice how similar some of the legal allegations were to those made against the girls who claimed hed sexually assaulted them. Though the sheer volume of allegationstwenty-two in totalwas daunting, they werent having the effect she suspected was intended.

Rather than feeling intimidated, she was just pissed. Jasper Otis didnt seem to understand that he was using his power to bully someone who had literally faced down death multiple times. She didnt know how this would play out, but Jessie wasnt going to back down. If Otis had done his research, he would have known better.

Thats when Decker walked in.

Whats wrong? he asked, immediately sensing something was amiss.

Look at this, she told him, handing over the lawsuit.

She watched as he read it. His face turned into a frown that grew increasingly severe. But as he finished the last page, he broke into a wry grin.

I consider it a good thing, he said, handing it back to her.

She was stunned at his reaction.

Id love to hear how you came to that conclusion, she said.

He started to speak, then stopped himself.

Care to join me for a walk? he asked.

She nodded. Neither of them spoke until they were in the courtyard.