Efficiency, however, had never been Ellie’s first priority. She knew that Pandey was lying, so that made him important – to her at least. She didn’t especially care about punishing the man. He seemed decent enough. What she needed was an explanation for why this decent-enough person would bother. Find the motive, her father used to say. Until she understood Pandey’s motive, this inconsequential robbery report would continue to nag at her.

She was telling herself to defer to efficiency, just this once, when a uniformed officer informed her she had a visitor. A dark-haired, dark-skinned woman in a multicolored maternity sari was waiting down the hall near the entrance to the detective bureau. From the looks of her girth, the baby she carried in her stomach was just about done.

“I’m here about my husband?” the woman explained. “Samir Pandey. I called his employer when he was late coming home. There has been a robbery?”

“He’s fine,” Ellie said. “Just a little rattled. Nothing to worry about – especially when you’ve got enough to keep your mind on. When are you due?”

“One week.” The woman beamed proudly. “A daughter.”

“Well, congratulations. If you want to have a seat, your husband will be out shortly. We’re just about done with his report.”

“Hatcher, aren’t you supposed to be in here?” Jenkins scrutinized her from the doorway of his office.

“Just one more second, boss,” she said, smiling.

It was more like ninety seconds. Ellie found a comfortable chair for Mrs. Pandey in the cramped waiting area, then stopped at her desk. A quick call to the car service’s dispatcher, followed by a few keystrokes on her computer, and she had her answer. She darted to the bureau’s communal printer, removed the spooling page that awaited her, and shook the printout excitedly as she headed back to the interview room.