on—because procedure still matters—but they were loose.
Rook lay at his feet, head pressed against Evan’s knee like a promise.
Mark watched the dog carefully.
Rook didn’t do this with victims.
Not with fellow officers.
Not even with Mark.
“What’s your name?” Mark asked, voice softer than policy required.
The man swallowed. “Evan.”
Then, after a pause that felt like stepping off a cliff:
“Evan Hale.”
Lena ran the name through databases.
No warrants. No record. No recent ID.
Then she tried missing
