While Mattingly spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon going through the records of past sexual offenders, Corey spent his time on the Internet. He searched distance learning psychology courses, particularly offered for an advanced degree from Johns Hopkins University.

At a late lunch, where the two had ordered Chinee takeout in the office, Corey glanced over at Bill with a stack of folders on his desk. He had covered the entire desk with files and even had to move a picture of his wife and daughter onto the windowsill.

"Hey Bill. Come on. Let's dig into this food. You finding anything remotely connected there?

"Naw," he said, yawning. "Just a lot of losers already in the can or who left the area. Out of here for years."

"Yeah. So you heard any more on that Dempsey guy . . . the changing room spy cam?"

"Oh yeah. Guess he's willing to do a deal. Admit he set up the video recorder over at the Luxor. And get another one to five. So, then he'll walk. The guy had enough priors on that kind of shit to get fifteen if he went down by a jury trial. Still claimed he didn't know any of the contestants, though. Also, wouldn't say if he was dealing in porn. Would have been a bigger catch if he was."

"OK. But still a pretty remote candidate for us. Just keep him on the back burner."

"You know we never looked at the vids on that USB. I've got it down in the evidence locker. Someone should check it out to clear it for any leads."

"Yeah. That's got to be done before we're finished with the guy for a while."

"Corey, that's a job for you. I just don't have the heart to watch a bunch of beautiful young women standing around naked in front of a mirror. Bitching about their boyfriends back home."

Corey laughed out loud. "Man, you probably nailed that one. So why you giving me the honor, boss?"

"Come on, pal. You see that?" He pointed to the photo of his wife and daughter. "Why do you think I keep that in here. She's long over what I do her at work, man. And that picture's kept me out of a lot of temptation over the years."

"You serious, man? That's why she's on our desk every day?

"Straight up, Bud. It's worked for a lot of years. Besides, she wouldn't be happy with me looking at those young things bare ass'n it on our big screen TV. Though . . . I'm not so sure I wouldn't enjoy it."

Corey laughed again.

"So that's what I have to look forward to someday, man? Not wanting to see something like that? . . . But hey, it's in my line of duty, people!"

"Seriously Corey, you can have the honor. After lunch I'll get the damn USB out of evidence for you. Just don't watch it here in the office. I don't want to feel like a creep."

"Alright. I'll take it home. There's nothing good on Netflix tonight anyway."

"You're a sick man, partner."

"You're probably right about that. Why else would I have gone into this crazy work? You know . . . at USC I did study business. By now I could be making some real cabbage."

"Yeah, being a goddamned bank manager? Sitting all day adding numbers?

"Naw, man. Something more exciting. I always thought being a yacht broker would be a pretty cushy . . ."

Just then Chief Curtis walked into the small room without knocking.

"Great, gentlemen! So besides contributing to our local Chinese restaurant, what else have you two hotshots come up with today? We need that lead, boys!"

The two just looked at each other.

"You know, I called this asshole . . . Sache. The FBI Chief? Corey . . . you were right. He's got his guys all silenced. Won't give us any intel on the girl's computer. What's in it. What she was studying. Gotta be something there, gents . . . something sensitive . . . as he told you."

"I'm working it Chief. From our side. Been all afternoon reading about . . . dreams."

"What the hell you talkin about now, young man . . . dreams?"

"Yeah. According to her roommate . . . Audrey Dawson, Henley was studying psychology at Hopkins University. She told me it was something about the topic of dreams. Turns out that school's got a world-famous psych department there. Researching dreaming behavior, sleep disorders, even parapsychology . . . Henley was into that subject . . . dreams, Chief."

"And you think that's a lead, junior?"

"Her roommate said she was doing her master's on that stuff. She had to be connected with the advanced coursework coming out of there."

His boss just frowned back at him.

"Look. Chief Meyers. Just give me some time on this. I really think there's something there. Possibly involving people back in Baltimore. In the course or with the project she was on. I'll know more after I make a few calls. We really don't have much else right now."

"Exactly right, you two! Nothing else! . . . Mattingly? You find anything in the records crypt? Some hang-around dirtbag that had a thing for beautiful young women?"

"Nothing recent Chief."

"Alright. Jeffers? . . . I'll give you two more days on this. . . dream study BS. We can't even call it a lead. But if things look unrelated in any way . . . I want you to drop it like a hot rock, capiche?"

"Got it, Chief."

"We need something, and we need it soon, guys. The Feds are being real ballbusters on this laptop of Henley's. They're hiding something . . . or someone, and I can't figure out why."

"They just want to beat us to the end," Mattingly chimed in. "It's always about the superior force with these guys. They couldn't handle it if we solved a case they were called in on. It would be bad optics for them, Chief."

"Bingo! Tell me something I don't know, Bill. By the way, Highway Patrol has nothing on the limo without plates. Said there's hundreds of them in this town with numbers. The driver probably just took them off that night. Maybe had a garage do it. That could be something you two should look into, Bill."

"I'll check on that tomorrow," Mattingly agreed."

"Good. Now just one last question." He looked over at the boxes of Chinese food not yet unopened.

"You guys eat that stuff with a fork or chopsticks?"

Mattingly laughed. "I'm a fork guy, Jeffers is sticks."

"Right on, Bill. I can't use those things."

"It just takes coordination guys," Corey said. And maybe a little more class?"

"Get out of here!" the Chief shouted. And he eft the office.

"Seriously, Corey. You think there's something to that dream study Marlow was into?"

"I'm coming around to it, yeah. And something else is on my mind about it."

"What's that?"

"I'll let you know after a few inquiries with Hopkins tomorrow. Hey . . . its four-thirty, partner. Let's down this cold food and go home."

"Yeah. Good call. It's my kid's birthday tonight."

"No shit? How old is she?"

"Seventeen. Outta high school this year."

"Wow, man. You're an old daddy."

"But a good one."

"I can see that, man." Corey pointed to the photo on the windowsill. The girl looked to be about ten when the picture was taken.

"So, what up for you this fine evening, Mr. Jeffers?"

Bill had already started powering through the three boxes of Chinese with his fork.

"Well, that depends."

"Yeah? On what?"

"If my girlfriend comes over . . . It's candlelight, some barbecued fish on the deck. And a Netflix series she loves."

"Sounds nice. And if she doesn't show?

"It's a frozen pizza and a laptop show on the couch."

"What kind of show, bro?"

"A certain USB you said you'd get me."

"Awe, man. That's right. Just after I kill these boxes . . . So, you're really going check that evidence tonight?"

"It's a dirty job. But somebody's got to do it."

"Yeah, dirty job. Forty of the most beautiful girls in the USA. Comin in and out of their clothes for a week."

As long as it's not a full-on movie of just one of them . . . and you know which. I'll try not to enjoy myself too much."

"I'm betting your girlfriend shows, Corey."

"Yeah. My first choice, too. Let's get outa here."

* * *