Back in my truck, I locked the doors and checked all my rearview mirrors twice. Only once I had taken the gun out of my glovebox and set it next to me on the passenger seat did I start to calm down and think logically.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe the Austin PD did assign a couple more detectives to the case and chose not to tell Sheila. Or, more likely, the odd pair of detectives were with the FBI, or maybe with the ATF. Investigating the explosion that caused the crater certainly seemed to fall under the purview of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On the other hand, if the pair were competing bounty hunters, they were doing a damn fine job of staying one step ahead of me. I slammed the heel of my hand into the steering wheel in frustration. If I lost this case, I'd probably lose the office. Giving up on the office felt equivalent to giving up on the business, somehow. I just couldn't do it.

I needed an edge.

My thumb hovered over my phone's call button. I knew exactly how she was going to react, but it was a chance I had to take. As the phone rang, I merged onto the highway and accelerated.

Gonzalez answered without so much as a greeting. "What now?"

"Is that any way to say 'hello' to an old friend?"

It was not a challenge to imagine her rolling her eyes.

"We just saw each other," she said. "What do you want?"

I switched into the left lane to pass a big SUV. "Are there other detectives assigned to the Edwards case?"

"No, just me and Detective Simmons."

"Feds?"

"No," she scoffed. "I mean, I don't think so. That wouldn't make any sense."

"Mrs. Kovak said she spoke to two detectives after you spoke to her."

The air thickened as a beat passed in silence. I lowered the A/C so I could hear her better and passed another car. "You know how I feel about bounty hunters impersonating the police."

Oh, yes. I knew. "Just what I need right now, competition."