“I’m positive. And it was more than that. I know the way he thinks, the way he expresses himself. That was Colby on the other side of that conversation. I’m positive.”

“I know you believe that, Kendra.”

He was patronizing her. “But you don’t.”

“I’m a pragmatic man. Truthfully, I’d like to believe you. It’s just not in my makeup to do it.” He smiled. “The feeling of frustration you’re experiencing would miraculously evaporate if you could just find some proof.” He nodded back at the houseboat. “And you sure as hell didn’t find it in there.”

“Maybe I did, and just don’t know it yet.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re one stubborn woman, do you know that?”

“Yes. It’s a curse. At the moment, a damned annoying curse.” She turned to face him. “Oh, and I have another favor to ask.”

“Of course, you do.”

“It’s not one that will cause you any inconvenience as this one did.” Her lips twisted. “So you shouldn’t demand a return favor.”

“I’m listening.”

“Your office still has copies of Colby’s prison records … His visitor and call logs, and everything he left behind in his cell.”

“Yes. We got a court order after his execution. There was some thought that there might be some victims that we didn’t know about yet, so we wanted to cover our bases.”

“I need to know if Colby was in touch with anyone with sophisticated computer skills. There was some FBI analysis done on those logs, wasn’t there?”

“Some.”

“Identifying his contacts, that kind of thing?”

“Again, some. But it hasn’t been a high priority.”

“I understand. But it would be a huge help if I could get that information.”

He lifted his shoulder in half shrug. “I’ll see what I can do. You’re right, no real inconvenience connected to this favor, but you’re still running up a serious tab in that department.” He turned and strolled toward his car.

“It’s like pulling teeth to deal with him, isn’t it?” Beth murmured. “Will he do it?”

“Probably.”

Beth turned back to Kendra. “What now?”

“Let’s go back to my place. I want to take a look at the video you shot.”

They climbed into Kendra’s car and drove down Harbor Village Drive. They hadn’t even gone half a mile when Kendra saw Stokes’s unmarked car, flashers pulsing, turned perpendicular to the flow of traffic and blocking one of the two lanes. Starger and Ketchum were now standing in the road and waving cars through the roadblock.

Kendra pulled up to them. “What’s going on?”

Stokes approached her. “I’m afraid this is all for you, Dr. Michaels. We need you to join us for questioning at the police headquarters on Broadway Street.”

“What?” Her gaze wandered around the roadblock in bewilderment. “Why?”

“We can discuss it there.”

“No, we can discuss it now. What’s changed in the last five minutes?”

“Once we’re at the station, we’ll go into it in detail and—”

“We can discuss it now, or I’m not going anywhere.”

He glanced up at the growing line of cars behind her. “Fine,” he snapped. “We checked in on the lab results for the hair we found in Sheila Hunter’s shower drain. They extracted the DNA, and we got a hit on the CODIS database.”

“Good. Whose DNA is it?”

“Yours, Dr. Michaels.”

Kendra stared at him, not sure she had heard him correctly. A car horn blasted in the line behind her. “You’re trying to tell me that—”

“Your DNA. Your hair. Found in a place you just told me you’ve never been before.”

She turned away, trying to suppress the sudden nausea that had hit her.

I’VE ALREADY BROUGHT THE FIGHT TO YOU, KENDRA … YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT YET.

“Dr. Michaels?”

She finally looked back up. “Yes.”

“We’re going to need that statement immediately. Come with us, please,”

“Are you arresting me?”

“We just need to talk to you.” His lips tightened. “And we need that statement.”

“Kendra.” Beth wore a stunned expression. “What the hell is happening?”

“It’ll be okay, Beth.”

“You heard him. You don’t have to go with him.”

“Of course, I do. We need to figure this out.” She shifted into park. “Take the car. I’ll ride with them and call you when I’m finished.”

“No way. We’ll both go.”

Kendra was too upset to deal with comforting and explaining to Beth right now. All she wanted was to get this over. “That’s not a good idea,” she said impatiently.

“I’m going with you.”

“Why? So you can be my lawyer? You’re not qualified in that—”

“No,” Beth said gently. “So I can be your friend.”

Kendra immediately felt terrible for snapping at her. “I’m sorry, Beth. You’re a great friend. But, trust me, it’s best that I talk to them alone.” She opened the car door and got out. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Kendra rode in silence in Stokes’s car for the short ride to police headquarters on Broadway and Fourth. They didn’t discuss the case again until they arrived at the small third-floor interrogation room and were met by Detectives Starger and Ketchum.

Stokes placed a bottled water on the table in front of her. “Anything else I can get you?”

She shook her head.

“Full disclosure, this conversation is being recorded, as is any conversation that takes place in this room.” He pointed to the video camera glowing red in the corner.

She smiled. “Funny that you say ‘conversation’ when the sign on the door says ‘interrogation.’”

“Tomato, To-mahto.” He motioned for her to sit.

“Good one.”

They sat around the small wooden table, where she noticed someone had managed to carve the words EAT ME, COP with the tip of a ballpoint pen.

“Thank you for coming, Dr. Michaels,” Starger started. “In light of this development, we thought we should get you on record discussing your knowledge and personal contact with Sheila Hunter in the days preceding her murder.”

Kendra looked down at the manila folder on Starger’s lap, which was open to a photo of the shower drain. A clump of wet hair was caught in the grate.

Her hair.

She nodded. “Sure. Whatever you need.”

“Okay, when was the first time you ever entered Sheila Hunter’s premises at the houseboat?”

“At about ten thirty this morning.”

“You’re positive of that?”

“It was true this morning, and it’s true now.”

“Fine. And when was the first time you met Ms. Hunter?”

“Thursday evening. I’d never even heard her name before that day. She contacted me about a story she was writing.”

“Please tell us about that meeting.”

Kendra described their meeting at the W bar, the online news story that appeared a day later, and their confrontation in the plaza.

“And when did you see her next?”

“When she was dead and bleeding, hanging from the mast of her houseboat.”

Stokes nodded. “You were there just a few minutes after we were. How did you find out about her murder?”

“Adam Lynch came to my condo and told me. He drove me to the scene.”

“And how did he know?” Ketchum asked.

“He has friends in law enforcement everywhere, so there isn’t much he doesn’t know. But you’ll have to ask him.”

“You can be sure we will.” Ketchum’s tone was biting.

None of the courtesy that Starger had shown her, Kendra thought.

Good cop, bad cop.

That was clearly how it was going to be played out.

If she permitted it.

She would try to hold her temper and let them do their thing. It was a bad situation, and the more accommodating she was, the more likely she was to get out of it.

Or at least mitigate the consequences.

“Time for the million-dollar question,” Stokes said. He pointed to the crime-scene photo of the shower drain. “How did your hair get into the shower?”

“It was placed there. Obviously.”

The detectives shared a quick glance. “Okay,” Stokes said. “Placed by whom?”

“Eric Colby.”

“Of course,” Ketchum said sarcastically. “But can we be a little more real?”