Dance mused, “How easy would it have been for Edwin to find him?”

“Google ‘torrent’ and ‘Kayleigh Towne’ and ‘download,’ and his site”—a nod toward the shed—“was in the top ten. Some basic research and he’d’ve come up with the address, I’d guess. Our boy seems good at that.”

“And he left the altar as a warning not to steal from Kayleigh.”

A stalker’s likely to target anybody who’s a threat to you, or even offended you. He’s taking real seriously his role as a protector….

“And the crime scene at his house? Evidence?”

“Nothing. No prints, foot or finger. Some trace but …” He shrugged, an indication of its marginal usefulness. “They did find he had a partner.”

“Who’s feeling a little uneasy at the moment,” Dance speculated.

“Well, he’s not in the area.”

“Guess you don’t need to be next-door neighbors with your co-conspirator if you’re doing computer crimes. You could be in South America or Serbia. Where’s he based?”

“Salinas.”

Hm. Monterey County.

“You have the guy’s name—and physical or computer address?”

“CSU’d have it.” The detective made a call and asked that the information be sent to her phone. She noted that he’d memorized her number.

The unit chimed a moment later with the incoming message.

“I’ll send it to some people I know there. They can follow up with him.” She composed an email and sent it off.

Harutyun then said, “I’m trying to keep an open mind. I know it seems to be Edwin but I’m still looking into motives anybody else would have had to kill Bobby. I’ve been getting a lot of information about him but so far nothing jumps out. And now I guess I better add this guy into the mix. But, well, there’ve gotta be a lot of people who’d like to murder a file sharer. Half the record companies and movie studios.”

Another squad car arrived, crunching over the gravel, dirt and bleached twigs that bordered the site of the blackened earth. It parked near a faded Conoco sign depicting a pale green dinosaur. Dance’s daughter, Maggie, was presently in a Jurassic phase. Her room was littered with plastic versions of the reptiles. Dance tamped down a pang, missing her children.

P. K. Madigan climbed out, surveyed the scene with hands on his slim hips overshadowed by his belly. Then he joined Dance and Harutyun. “So, he was stealing her songs?”

“That’s right.”

Madigan grumbled, “Never thought he’d switch to landlines. Should have.”

“We all should have.”

“And where the hell is he? He’s got a car as big as my boat and it’s bright red, to boot. I don’t see how he keeps losing my folks.” His phone rang and he regarded the screen. “’Lo? … You don’t say…. Naw, I’ll go myself.” He disconnected. “Well, all righty then. I can’t tell you where Edwin was when this fella died but I can tell you where he is now. He’s parked in front of Kayleigh’s house again. In the arboretum lot across the road.”