“You have a girlfriend?”

That caught him a bit off guard as if he was thinking: Obviously, I do. Kayleigh Towne.

“Last year I dated somebody in Seattle. We lived together for a while. Sally was okay but she wasn’t into doing anything fun. I couldn’t get her to go to concerts or anything. I had to break up with her. Felt kind of bad about it. She really wanted to get married, but … it wouldn’t’ve worked out. I mean, is it too much to ask to have fun with somebody, to laugh, to be on the same, you know, wavelength?”

Not at all, Dance reflected but gave no response. She asked, “When did you break up?”

“Around Christmas.”

“I’m sorry about that. It must’ve been tough.”

“It was. I hate hurting people. And Sally was real nice. Just … you know, with some people things click, some not.”

She now had enough information and decided it was time to start her kinesic analysis. She asked him again what specifically she could do for him, noting his behavior closely.

“Okay, I’m not the brightest bulb on the tree. Another Mom expression, ha. And I’m not very ambitious. But I’m smart enough to figure out that I’m the victim here and I’m hoping you’re smart enough to take that seriously. Somebody’s setting me up—probably the same people who were spying on me last weekend. Behind the house, checking me out, my car, even my trash.”

“I see.”

“Look, I’m not the ogre everybody says I am. Deputy Madigan and Lopez? I’m sorry I had to have them arrested but I didn’t start it. They broke the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and some other state statutes by detaining me and searching my house. Those souvenirs were important to me. If you break the law there have to be consequences. That’s exactly what your job is all about. I read that article you wrote when you were a reporter a few years ago, about the justice system? In the paper in Sacramento. That was a good article. All about presumed innocence.”

Again, Dance struggled to keep the surprise off her face.

“Did you get a look at who was watching you?”

“No. They stayed in the shadows.”

Did his smile deepen at the word “shadows”? Just a faint reaction? She couldn’t tell.

“Why didn’t you call the police?”

“Why do you assume I didn’t?”

She’d known that he had; he’d told Madigan about the incident when she’d been observing in the interrogation room when Edwin was detained. She’d wanted to see his consistency. “You did?”

His eyes narrowed. “Nine-one-one. And they asked me if the man was trespassing and I guess technically he wasn’t.”

“You’re sure it was a man?”

A hesitation. “Well, no. I just assumed.” His odd smile. “That’s good, Kathryn. See, that’s what I mean. You’re being smart.”

“Why would somebody make you a fall guy?”

“I don’t know. It’s not my job to prove my innocence. All I know is I haven’t hurt anybody but someone’s going to a lot of trouble to make it look like I have.” His eyes scanned her face closely. “Now, here’s where I need your help. I was by myself when Bobby was killed and the file sharer too. But when Sheri Towne was attacked, I have an alibi.”