“I hope so,” Molly said.
She studied Jesse for a moment.
“You’re looking a little peaked today,” she said.
“Drank more than I should have, last night,” Jesse said.
“Alone?” Molly said.
“Yeah.”
“Jenn?” Molly said.
“Yeah.”
Molly took in a big breath of air and let it out slowly.
She said, “Might be time to move on, Jesse.”
“Sure,” Jesse said.
“If you can,” Molly said.
“Sure,” Jesse said.
“What’s Dix say about it?”
“He seems to think I’m obsessed.”
“You think so?” Molly said.
“Maybe I want to be obsessed.”
“Maybe,” Molly said.
Jesse didn’t say anything else. Molly waited a moment in the heavy silence.
Then she said, “I’ll send John down to talk to the Peeping Tom folks.”
Jesse nodded. Molly stood for another moment, then turned and left the office. Jesse drank some coffee.
13
HOWARD HANNIGAN was thin-faced and dark-haired. He wore big horn-rimmed dark glasses, which he left in place when he came into Jesse’s office.
“Jesse,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Jesse nodded and gestured Hannigan toward a chair.
“What’s going on with Betsy Ingersoll?” Hannigan said.
“Nothing,” Jesse said.
“So why is Jay Ingersoll telling me that you are persecuting his wife?”
“Don’t know,” Jesse said.
“Have you cleared the case?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Hannigan said.
“Because she violated the civil rights of a number of thirteen-year-old girls, and I want there to be consequences for her.”
“Consequences.”
“Yep.”
“So are you telling me,” Hannigan said, “that you are leaving the case active to punish her?”
“Give her something to worry about,” Jesse said. “Make her wish she hadn’t done it.”
“Jay has talked with you?”
“He has,” Jesse said.
“And you know who he is?” Hannigan said.
“I do.”
“I’m up for reelection this fall,” Hannigan said.
“I know,” Jesse said.
“In Jay Ingersoll’s home county,” Hannigan said.
“Yeah,” Jesse said.
“It won’t help me to have Jay mad at me.”
“I can see how that would be,” Jesse said.
“So you’ll lay off his wife?” Hannigan said.
“Nope.”
“You’re willing to endanger my election? Just to annoy some goddamned school principal?”
