“You’ll be okay,” Bass said. He gave the room a quick scan. He could ask the district to send over a uniformed officer for protection outside the building, but he wasn’t sure how to justify it. They would need a reason for their forms, and all Bass had at the moment was a statement from a half-delirious young man who he himself didn’t believe. Instead of calling, Bass said, “I’ll stick around a bit.”
Jake picked up an armful of clothes and headed toward the bathroom. Bass called to him:
“Do you have any coffee?”
Jake made a U-turn, clothes still in his arms, and went to the kitchen area. He pulled down a small box from the cupboard and set it on the counter. “Here,” he said, and went back to the bathroom.
Bass stood by the counter and looked in the box; it had little brown plastic cont
