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‘I’ll get one of the uniforms to process and release him. We’ll give him some money so he gets a good meal tonight.’ He offered his hand. ‘Thanks for coming in.’
    She took it. ‘See you around, Detective.’ Her hand held his for a moment longer than he expected. Then she smiled. ‘Remember, you still owe me that coffee.’
    She turned and glided out.
    Jake turned to Mills. ‘Colonel wants to see us.’
    ‘I heard,’ said Mills. ‘I’ll follow you in a few minutes. I need a coffee.’
    Mills walked a thin enough line without antagonizing the boss, but it wasn’t Jake’s place to say anything. He went into Asher’s office, asking Sara to find someone to release Cooper as he passed.
    ‘Sit down, Detective,’ said Asher, making a show of speaking in a level voice. ‘Where’s Mills?’
    ‘He’ll be here in a minute.’
    Asher rolled his eyes. ‘Forget him for the moment; it’s you I really need to talk to.’
    ‘Sir?’
    ‘I’m running a department here, Detective. We may think of it as a civic service, but we both know this is a business. City Hall budget us, and we produce results for them. We get the stats, the budget grows, and we can use the extra cash to do some real policing.’
    It was sad but true.
    ‘But it works the other way if we don’t come up with the goods.’
    Jake nodded.
    ‘Austin, you’re not giving me results. Why haven’t we charged Sonny Malone?’
    ‘Because he didn’t kill Marcia Lamb.’
    ‘Maybe,’ said Asher. ‘Or maybe you’re thinking around corners when this is a straight-line case.’
    ‘Sir, with all due respect –’ Jake saw Asher bristle at the phony phrase ‘– no DA would ever pursue a case against Sonny Malone. Not without solid forensicevidence. The most clueless public defender would rip it to shreds. It would be a waste of time and departmental money.’
    ‘So improve the case – find the evidence to make it stand up.’
    Jake offered a single nod of his head:
I hear you, sir
. ‘We’ll keep him in the frame as we investigate, but we need to keep open minds. We can’t exhaust the department’s time and resources on just one lead.’ Jake watched Asher’s eyes, wondering how the punch of the ‘open minds’ insult and the we’re-all-in-this-together nod to ‘the department’ would play.
    Mills walked in and placed a coffee mug on the desk, sitting down beside Jake.
    ‘You wanted to see me, Colonel?’
    ‘Ten minutes ago.’
    ‘I’m here now.’
    Asher grunted. ‘Do you agree with Detective Austin about Sonny Malone?’ he asked.
    ‘’Fraid so. He didn’t do it.’
    ‘Let me get the facts straight,’ said Asher, directing his words at Mills – the apathetic man in the room, more likely to agree with him simply to get out of there quicker. ‘Sonny Malone is a violent criminal on early release. For an aggravated assault charge. He deals drugs. His girlfriend finds out he’s screwing around, and she’s furious. With me so far?’
    Mills nodded. Jake didn’t bother. Asher still wasn’t looking at him.
    ‘So he has motive.’ He counted the points on his fingers. ‘Did he have opportunity? Of course he did. He knew where she would be late last night. He could get there easily enough. I know he has an
alibi
–’ Asher said the word with such disdain, Jake was surprised he didn’t make air-quotes ‘– but the alibi of your girlfriend is hardly cast iron, right?’ Now he turned to Jake. ‘You interviewed this girlfriend?’
    ‘It’s on our list of priorities,’ said Jake.
    Asher gave a grim smile. ‘How high?’
    Jake didn’t answer. He could tell Asher wasn’t really looking for one. This little sit-down was more about asserting himself than getting the best out of his men. A trait he probably picked up from the mother who had had him at a very young age, and spent the rest of her life reminding any- and everyone that she had given up a lot for her kids.
    Asher leaned forward over his desk. ‘When you talk to