Dan looked surprised to hear Diana mention that case. "No, not that. Have you seen or heard from Jason today?"
"No. Why?"
"He was supposed to work a twelve to eight shift, and he didn't show. No answer on the phone, no sign of him at his place. I thought since you two have been spending time together..." He swallowed, and Diana watched his Adam's apple bob. He was jealous, and somehow that display of weakness softened Diana toward him.
"I haven't seen him in a few weeks," she said.
"Oh."
"I've been lying low."
Dan nodded. "It doesn't make sense for him to blow off a shift. Do you have any guesses? Everybody's out looking for him, but we're trying to keep it off the radio for now in case it's something personal. No sense stirring up the whole pot if he's just blowing off steam."
"This is Jason McMichael you're talking about," she said. "He doesn't miss work."
"I know. I'm sort of hoping he's doing something totally out of character, like going on a three-day bender, and I know that's wishful thinking. He'd never do anything like that. But the alternative, it scares me. I don't want to think something more is wrong."
Diana sat on the couch, and she pointed at the armchair across the room. Dan took it, using the armrests to ease himself down. The impact of Dan's words settled over Diana. She felt cold and wrapped her arms tighter around herself, as though huddling against a great chill. She knew something was wrong with Jason if he missed work. He would never. Never. And the last time she had seen him, he came to her, looking for help or advice. She could sit there and imagine every forking path, every possible outcome if she had taken the time to talk him down or talk him out of it. Or she could have gone with him, and then...
"He was talking about something the last time I saw him," Diana said. "That night he came by your house."
"The Foley girl," Dan said. "Right?"
Diana nodded. The chill had seeped into her bones, like she'd spent the day in a damp rain.
"How he thought we were looking in the wrong place." Dan shook his head. "Goddamnit. Do you think he went off on some wild goose chase of his own, freelancing like he's Sam Spade or something?"
"He had a good point. The bike could have been a plant."
"Of course the thing could have been a plant. Does he think I'm fucking stupid?" Dan's voice had raised, and Diana had never heard him drop an f-bomb before. "I'm sorry. But I know that, and you know that. But you guys never understand what it's like to be the front man for all of this stuff. I have to deal with the Foley girl's parents. And I'm the one who gets skewered in the papers if we screw up. What if we ignore the bike, and it turns out the girl or her killer are out that way somewhere? What happens then?"
"They roast you."
"On a spit. I've got no choice but to follow that, but McMichael has to get on his white horse and gallop around like he's Lancelot or something. You know there are jurisdictional matters to consider here. That's Union Township out there. We're cooperating for now, since we don't really know where the crime occurred, but we can't just go stepping on toes. They could make it tough on us. The county boys, too."
"You said the Foley girl's killer. Killer." The word felt over-inflated and awkward coming out of her mouth, as though giving voice to it might make it true. "Is that what you think?"
"What do you think? She's been gone nearly a month. You think he took her to Club Med? We've also been looking west of town. I only have so many men at my disposal, and the feds aren't any damn help. We've been doing both, looking everywhere. Just not fast enough to please everybody, I guess. Right?"
"I'm sorry, Dan. I know you're in a tough spot."
He looked over, surprised. "You do? I figured you'd be the first one in line with the skewer. You're still pissed about a case I responded to when I was a rookie."
"I know it's not easy."
"You're right, it's not. It wasn't then, and it isn't now."
"Then?"
"That Todd girl," he said.
"What about her? Are you saying you still think about her?"
He looked at Diana with something close to disgust. "Why would that surprise you?" he said, his voice flat. "Two of these girls disappear, and then one of my men. What the hell's going on around here? And it's all happening on my watch. I think about Jason...he was at my house that night, that night you were there. Who knows what he thought, but maybe that sent him off on this chase, trying to do something to make everything right."
"You can't blame yourself for that. If anyone's to blame, it's me."
"No, it's me. I'm the guy at the top." He pushed himself out of the chair. "If you don't know anything else, I guess I don't need to be here flapping my gums. We'll go public tomorrow if he doesn't turn up. Just what I need right now, another media shitstorm."