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C arter was watching the video of May Hanover on the subway platform for the umpteenth time. He could not believe the person unleashing that ear-splitting scream in her N95—Asian DA Karen—was the same woman he’d been dealing with the past few days. The woman he’d been talking to was confident, one step ahead of everyone around her. What he called a TCB-er, taking care of business. He thought of the quintessential Karen as a person looking to assert their power over other people. That’s not what he saw in this video. He saw a person who wanted control over her own fears .

The sounds of the subway were interrupted by his ringtone. He had the name in his phone now. Incoming call from May Hanover. He snatched his phone off his desk.

“Decker.” His earbuds switched over to his cell.

She didn’t bother identifying herself. “I’m about to go through the Holland Tunnel so the call might cut off.”

“That’s a lot of miles today,” he said. “You and your friends aren’t on another road trip, are you? Bad things seem to happen around you guys.”

“No trips. I’m dropping off Kelsey’s brother and picking up her luggage. I saw you follow William Ellis out of the courtroom today. Did you talk to him?”

“Nope. More like he talked to me. Told me I was abusing my power, had it all wrong, along those lines. He even told me he’d have my badge when this was over. Do people really think that if you get a cop fired, you get to keep their badge?” He heard the blast of a car horn in the background.

“Look, I’m going out on a limb here. I don’t want to wait and see if you charge her and then save all my evidence for trial, which is what I would do if I didn’t trust you. But I told Kelsey I think you’ll actually listen and try to do what’s right.”

“And I will.”

He had asked a city ADA he knew about her. He said she’d been one of the best lawyers in the office—book smart but also an animal in court. Everyone thought she’d be a lifer until she suddenly announced she had accepted a job as a professor. Based on the engagement ring that had recently appeared on her finger, there was speculation she might be looking for a more mommy-friendly job.

She laid out the facts clearly and succinctly. By the time she was finished telling him about William Ellis’s private detective and mafia connections, he knew he needed to call the Boston detective in charge of the Luke Freedman case to find out more about Kelsey’s father.

“Do you believe me yet? Kelsey didn’t do this.”

“You know I’m not going to answer that, but thanks for the info. Drive safe.”