Higgins added, glancing at the wall clock.

The second hand ticked twice before the system chimed to show the transfer was done.

I capped the black metal drive, slipped it into my blazer pocket, and thanked her before walking down her gravel driveway.

By eleven thirty, the glass doors of State Precinct 4 Headquarters swung shut behind me, cutting off the humid midday heat.

Detective Miller met me in the narrow interview room behind the front desk, holding two paper cups of black coffee.

He set the cups on the Formica table and clicked his metal ballpoint pen three times before sitting down.