“Rivas and Holland are in the city, arresting Victor Banerjee and the other suspect from the park photos. My guess is, those guys’ll turn on Thackrey once they’re in cuffs. We just need to wait for the call before we go back to Dry Creek to pick up Thackrey. I have an arrest warrant for Thackrey and a search warrant for his house. We might actually meet Truro’s deadline after all.”

“Can I go with you?” Eden asked.

“Not much to do. We put him in cuffs, read him his rights. He asks for a lawyer.”

The unit with Cipriani and Albright drove out of the parking lot.

Eden turned to Mahler. “So this is it? It’s over? The thing with Partridge and the girls two years ago?”

Mahler looked at her. “We get Partridge, it’s over.”

“You told me Wednesday night all the public wants is that it doesn’t happen again. Putting Partridge away does that, right? He won’t kill another girl.”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“Stuff like this doesn’t go away. You have homicides in a small town, people don’t forget.”

“You mean the family?”

“The family, the community, the officers involved.”

Eden watched Mahler. “But our finding the guy makes it less painful, doesn’t it?”

Mahler looked out the window. “Doesn’t bring back the girls. But, yeah, things change. Over time, memories definitely change.”

They were both quiet.

“I keep thinking—” Eden said. “Lorin Albright lived with Partridge for more than a year after the Avelos killing. Shared a bed. Had sex.”

“She thought she couldn’t escape,” Mahler said. “Staying was better than running.”

“I want to think I’d run.”

“Maybe she wanted to. But fear’s a real thing. Makes people believe all sorts of stuff. We’re all afraid of something, Eden.”

Eden heard him use her first name. Her face reddened. “There’s something I wanted to tell you the other night when you were talking about my thesis and my FBI work. When I was in college, writing that paper, I had this experience. I don’t know how to—”

Mahler put his hand on her arm. “Hey, listen. Stop. Okay?”

“I need to tell you.”

“I know, but another time. Go home now and get some sleep. It’s been a long week. We’ll have lots of time to talk.”

Eden drew a long breath. “Sure,” she said. “Lots of time.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

(i)

(FRIDAY, 12:16 P.M.)

Frames sat on a kitchen stool, watching the EMTs, Tomas and Jesse. The two had arrived with a gurney and knelt now on either side of Holland. Frames admired their efficiency. Tomas bent close to Holland, while Jesse examined the head wound. “Can you hear me, Ken?” Tomas asked. “Can you open your eyes?”

Holland grunted, and Tomas repeated, “Can you hear me, Ken?”