me, Iâll look in on him twice a week, maybe three times if I want to see more. Later itâs once every two weeks, sometimes once a month. I usually arrange for employers to contact me if an offender doesnât show up for work, but theyâre under no obligation. Thomforde is in a halfway house. If he doesnât come back from work, the supervisor will let me know. Itâs still early, though.â Karen looked at her watch. âNot even six thirty.â
âThey donât have to be back in their hole by a specific time?â Bobby asked.
âThey donât live in holes,â Karen said. âThey live in a limbo between prison and real life, and we cut them slack when thereâs slack to cut them. Scottie has been in compliance all the time Iâve had him. Never a problem. That earns him some leeway. We donât freak out if heâs not back immediately after work. Maybe he stopped for coffee with his co-workers, maybe heâs visiting his mother, maybe heâs with a girlâ¦â
Bobby took a photograph off the wall and thrust it into Karenâs hands. âMaybe heâs with a twelve-year-old girl,â he said.
Karen studied Victoriaâs photograph and stole a quick look at Shelby, who was watching intently from her spot on the staircase. She shook her head. âNo,â she said. âNo. Thereâs nothing in his jacket that indicates sexual crimes.â
âWe donât think itâs a sex crime,â Honsa said. âItâs a kidnapping for ransom.â
Karen said she didnât believe it. Bobby told her she had better.
âWhat do you want from me?â she said.
âYouâre an officer of the court,â Honsa reminded her.
âYou want me to take Scottie into custody? I donât do that. If you want a warrant, I can call a judge. If we canât find a judge, Iâll issue an apprehension and detention order myself. But I donât arrest people. I work for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. We have rules.â
âBend them,â said Bobby.
âBend them?â
âWhat do you do when an offender is in violation?â I asked.
âI call the police and have them execute the warrant.â
âMs. Studder,â Honsa said. When he had her full attention, he said, âCalm yourself.â
âI am calm.â
âMs. Studder, we do not wish to arrest Thomforde at this time. We merely wish, if possible, to learn his current location.â
âYou want me to find him?â
âYes, Ms. Studder. After that, weâll take over.â
âJust find him?â
âYou do do that, donât you?â Bobby said. âYou do look in on your parolees?â
âYes,â said Karen. âWe call them home visits. Kind of like a pop inspection. We look in on them at home, at work, find out who theyâre hanging with. Iâve done it twice with Scottie already.â
âThen he wonât be suspicious if you do it again,â Bobby said. âIâll go with you.â
âNo,â said Honsa. His voice was combative, his reassuring smile gone. âWeâve discussed this before. Just the sight of you might cause Thomforde to panic. Weâll send one of my agents.â
âYou donât think seeing the FBI wonât make Scottie freak?â Bobby said.
âIâm not going alone,â said Karen.
This went on for about thirty seconds until Bobby conceded in a loud voice. âAll right, send McKenzie.â
Honsa shook his head.
âMcKenzie knows the neighborhood,â Bobby said. âHe knows more people than Larry King. Heâll know where to go when sheââhe gestured with his thumb toward Karenââruns out of ideas.â
Honsa shook his head some more. âI donât think thatâs a good idea,â he said. His voice was suddenly neutral. âThe man who took your daughter knows McKenzie