"Isn't that what all you guys do?"

"No. What most of us do is talk to people, collect evidence, maybe some picture starts to form. Wally's a little heavy into motive, and motive only takes you so far. I mean, any victim worth a second look, there's five people with motive to have done him. Wally finds a couple of motives and starts digging around them rather than the other way round."

"So why's he still here?"

"He's been lucky. Twice he's hauled in perps with nothing – Frank wrote him up a reprimand, the second one was so sloppy – and both times, guess what, it turns out he was right. So what are you gonna do, bust him? It'll catch up to him."

Hardy tapped the file. "It might have here."

Abe glanced down, turned a few pages, shook his head. "Doubt it," he said. "Jennifer Witt was righteously arrested. See here? Police reports, witnesses, physical evidence. Plus, as you might have noticed, the public has been introduced to her. She seems like a swell person."

"I thought it might be helpful to talk to Terrell."

Glitsky raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if you remember, but if you're in defense mode, my colleagues here won't tend to view you as an ally."

"Maybe you could vouch for me – you know, character, judgment, taste, generally refined nature. Sometimes everything doesn't make it to the file."

"You shock me." Closing the file, he pushed it back across the desk. "I'll see what I can do, but as always-"

Hardy beat him to it. "Don't hold my breath."

Glitsky nodded. "Words of sublime wisdom," he said.

*****

Although Hardy was not yet legally entitled to it, Art Drysdale had done Hardy the favor of arranging for him to pick up the discovery on the Witt murders, which was basically a copy of the DA's file on the case.