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“What’s his problem?” Roy asked.

“Shut the door,” I said.

“Somebody take a dump in his Wheaties this morning?”

“Mark’s bent out of shape because he was hoping to get a case out of the TRACE work. He’s acting like we’re owed it.”

“He’s a weird guy,” Roy said, shaking his head.

“He said Palicki was formally charged in the Small case. Did the crime scene analysis come back?”

“That’s why I’m here. Late yesterday afternoon. Transfer DNA on Gretchen’s dashboard came from Palicki. And bloodstains on the floor of Palicki’s house matched Gretchen’s.”

“So he brought her there?”

“Probably. They’ve got more cadaver dogs out there searching the surrounding area.”

“Still no ID on the body under his floorboards?”

“No. She had no dental work. Not so much as a single cavity. It’s gonna take more time. So tell Gilchrist there’s still hope for him yet. Benton County might get a slice of this particular pie.”

“It’s ghoulish to root for something like that,” I said.

“Well, Gilchrist is the county’s number one ghoul.”

As we joked around, I could see the corner of the card poking out of my purse. I felt like a liar and a thief for not saying anything to Roy about it. I would. I had to. I knew this. But there was still a chance it didn’t mean what I thought it meant. I had to talk to Lock about it first, as soon as he got back from New York. And then I would tell Roy.

“Analysis came back from your crime scene too. Your car.”

My mouth went dry. “Oh?”

“Paint and pig’s blood,” he said. “The blood was what was used to write on your back windshield. The paint color is Cerise Afterglow. That particular shade comes exclusively from The Chromatic Lab, a high-end art supply store in Holland.”

“That’s something to go on.”

“Except that color was discontinued five years ago. It would have helped a lot if we had had security cameras. I’ve been up the sheriff’s behind for years asking for them. As it stands now, nobody saw anything. Nobody heard anything.”

“So we’re never going to know who did it,” I said.

He didn’t answer, but his grim expression spoke volumes.

“Complicit,” I said.

“In what?” he asked. “You sure you don’t have any recent convictions that raise any red flags? Threats?”

“I probably make enemies every time I win a case, Roy. It’s no different from you when you make an arrest. Nothing stands out as being unusual.”

“It’s just such a specific accusation,” he said. “But that parking spot wasn’t reserved for you. You might not have been the target. Now, you’re the only one who can afford to drive an Aston Martin on a county salary. You don’t blend in.”

“So it’s possible it was just someone who has a beef with the Benton County criminal justice system in general?”

“Or Aston Martin. All I can say is this is a priority. You’re one of us, Mina.”

One of them. Except I felt like a fraud. I felt… complicit. “I appreciate it,” I said. “Truly.”

“I’d like to assign an extra patrol near your house.”

“Is that something you feel pressured to do because of my husband?”