“Dr. Hayes, do you understand what you may have just done?”

“I think so.”

“Say it, please. I want to know that you do.”

“Wade Tolliver will stand up in October and say that the victim’s father — a physician, a man with standing in this county — personally located the defense’s alternate suspect, sat with her privately for two hours, and produced from that meeting a statement that happens to be perfectly exculpatory for his daughter and perfectly damning for my son-in-law.” I put my hands flat on the table. “He’ll say I coached her. He’ll be able to say it without lying, because from the outside it is exactly what it looks like.”

Reyes considered me for a moment.

“Well,” she said. “At least I don’t have to explain it.”