He studied the window’s latches and interior frame, and that’s when he saw a single deep cut on an exterior part of the frame. A thin, bright groove sparkled across the metal near the latch, far shinier than the surrounding metal. Cole touched the handle, and the window slid effortlessly open. Once the window was open, he saw a deep dimple in the frame. Cole closed the window. He stared at it for a few seconds, then called Joe Pike.

“Did you check the kitchen window?”

“Yes. All the windows.”

“The window over the sink.”

“You found something?”

“Someone forced it open. I’m looking at it. There’s a scratch on the frame where the screwdriver slipped, and the frame is bent by the latch. None of this was here this morning?”

“No.”

“The latch is broken. The window slides free.”

“Not this morning.”

“Which means this didn’t happen until three or four hours after Jared saw Mendoza.”

“Find anything in the house?”

“Nada. No sign they were taken. No sign they went on a trip. Nothing.”

“I understand.”

“I don’t.”

“Understand later. I just left Button. You don’t have much time.”

Cole put away his phone and stared at the window. Maybe he did not find evidence of a crime because someone had already found it. Maybe there had been many signs of a struggle, but someone cleaned the crime scene.

Cole returned to the front entry and was about to let himself out when he noticed the empty bookcase. Steve Brown showed prudence by storing his valuable items. Maybe his books and computers weren’t the only things he decided to hide.

Cole ran his fingers along the top of the bookcase and found a weathered key. He tried it in the front door, and found that it fit the deadbolt perfectly. Brown had stashed his spare key inside while he was gone instead of leaving it outside where a passing burglar might find it. A smart move made by someone who knew all the tricks because he had written so many cop shows.

Cole let himself out. He used the key to lock the deadbolt, then hid it behind the fence.

Cole cracked open the front gate, made sure no one was watching, then pulled off the vinyl gloves and let himself out. He took a single deep breath, released it, and let the tension he carried out with it. He had seen with fresh eyes, and now everything was different, and maybe everything Pike feared was true.