like any other. Elizabeth couldn’t know the effect its discovery would have on her own life. On her parents. Her church. Elizabeth had come that day to see her mother and discovered the body of Julia Strange, instead. She’d been choked to death in the most violent manner, the body undressed, then laid out on the altar and draped to the chin in white linen. No signs of sexual trauma were found, but skin discovered beneath her fingernails contained Adrian Wall’s DNA. Further investigation discovered Adrian’s prints on one of the shattered glasses in the kitchen and on a beer can found in a roadside ditch near the church. A court-ordered medical exam discovered scratches on the back of his neck. Once the prosecutor established that Adrian knew the victim, it was a hard, fast slide to conviction. He had no alibi and no explanation. Even his own partner testified against him.
Only Elizabeth doubted his guilt, but she was barely twenty-one, and no one took her seriously. She tried to investigate on her own, but was warned off. You’re biased, she was told. Confused. But Elizabeth’s faith in Adrian went beyond anything that simple. The second time she tried speaking to the witness, she was suspended. The next time she was threatened with prosecution for obstruction. So, Elizabeth let it go. She sat in the courtroom every day and kept her eyes straight ahead when the verdict came back against him. No one understood why she cared about Adrian Wall, only that she did. No one got it or possibly could.
Even Adrian didn’t know.
She spent another thirty minutes with the file, then heard a knock on her door and made it halfway across the room before realizing she was still in her underwear. “Hang on. I’m coming.” Slipping down the narrow hall, she snatched a robe off the back of her closet door and returned to the living room as someone knocked a third time. Putting an eye to the peephole, she saw Beckett’s wife on the porch. She was cheery and plump and looking at her face in a small mirror. Elizabeth cracked the door. “Carol, hey. What are you doing here?”
Carol flashed a smile and lifted a small, blue valise. “I come with assistance.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“My husband said you needed help with your hair?” Carol raised her voice as if it were a question.
“My hair?”
Carol pushed in and nudged the door shut with a hip. She examined the house approvingly, then turned her attention to the dark circles under Elizabeth’s eyes, the washed-out skin, and cool, quiet frustration. “He wasn’t kidding about the hair.”
Elizabeth’s hand moved unconsciously, three fingers on the jagged bangs. “Listen—”
“You didn’t ask me to come, did you?”
“Did he say that I had?”
“Look, I’m sorry. I can tell this is unexpected.”
Elizabeth sighed. Carol was a patient soul who’d never had a bad day in her life. “It’s okay.” Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “I think we both know how your husband is.”
“A bit of a control freak, God bless him.”
“You should try working with him.”
“Right, then.” Carol put the case down, her face suddenly businesslike. “So, he didn’t ask and didn’t tell you I was coming.” Hands on her hips, she did a slow look around the living room and kitchen. “Right, then.” The second time was less convincing, but she nodded regardless. “Shower for you. I’ll have a coffee while I wait, and then we can fix your hair once you’re dressed.”
“Look, there’s no need—”
“Maybe something conservative.”
“I’m sorry?”
“What?”
“You said I should put on something conservative.”
“Did I?” Carol looked appalled. “God, no. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She fluttered a hand. “It’s the short robe and the long legs. Wait. No. I’m still not saying this right.” She took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re so pretty you’d look beautiful in anything. We’re just a little more modest at our house. Please forgive me. I honestly can’t believe I said that. I’m here in your home, unexpected…”
Elizabeth held up a hand. “It’s okay.”
“Are you sure? I would hate for you to think I’m such a prude. It’s really none of my business.”
“Just give me a few minutes. A shower. Another cup of coffee.”
Carol smiled weakly. “If you’re positive.”
“Five minutes.”
In the bathroom, Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror and breathed deeply as her smile drained away. She heard the sound of cabinet doors and dishes clanking, then put both hands on the sink and looked in the mirror. Dyer was right