“Assault is an easy way to write off self-defense, if you get the wrong cop.”

There’s a grim irony in it. Neal rubs his face with one hand. “I think he’s worth looking at. Maybe…”

Maybe. There’s some little something tugging at him that he can’t put his finger on. Something the Malcolm of Mathias said about memories, about the people who have to deal with them. “What if she never intended to take Nina? We assume she did, because the scenario fits an expected pattern made easier to assume by the violent context. But what if she never wanted to steal her?”