didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh, wow, thank you so much, that changes everything.”
Jeffrey retrieved the calculator. He dropped it back in his desk drawer. “Rebecca Caterino. You go first.”
Sara leaned her head into her hand. He could tell she needed to do this as much as he did.
She said, “Let’s say Beckey was attacked. That would mean that someone followed her through town, into the woods, then attacked her. Maybe he knocked her unconscious with a branch or a rock. She falls. He rapes her. Then—what are we saying? He took out a bar of soap and scrubbed her down?”
“What about those wipes for babies?”
“There are other wipes with disinfectant. You can get unscented, but there’s still a scent.” Sara started to nod. She was seeing it now. “If he used a condom, that would make it very likely he didn’t leave sperm. And if she was unconscious, she wouldn’t be fighting back, so we wouldn’t find the typical defensive wounds on his arms and face.”
“You said he would’ve followed her from the school. It was roughly five in the morning when she headed out for her run.”
Sara picked up on his line of thought. “Which means he was waiting for her. Watching her. But did she always run in the mornings?”
Jeffrey thought back through the reports he’d just read. “It wasn’t normal, but it wasn’t unusual. There was a fight with one of the roommates. They didn’t say about what. Beckey went for a run to cool down.”
A visitor caught his eye through the window. Lena Adams was standing on the other side of the reception counter. She was wearing dark sunglasses and dressed in a pastel pink sweater, which was the only clue he needed to know that he was not looking at Lena Adams.
Sara had turned, too. “I volunteer with Sibyl at the Girls in STEM Club at the high school.”
“What’s she like?”
“You know how a mirror flips your reflection so that right is left and left is right?”
Jeffrey got her meaning. He shook the mouse on his computer to wake it up. He logged into his Gmail account. “I’ve got to go talk to her. If you want, you can wait for the email here.”
The offer earned him one raised eyebrow. “You’re giving me access to your computer?”
“Why wouldn’t I, Sara? I’ve got nothing to hide.” He double-checked the account to make sure it was the one that Sara knew about. “Do what you want. Wait here. Don’t wait here. I don’t care.”
The squad room had started to fill as Jeffrey walked toward the reception counter. He pushed through the saloon doors. “Ms. Adams?”
“It’s Dr. Adams,” Marla told him, her voice too loud for comfort because she apparently assumed Sibyl’s blindness equated to some kind of deafness as well. “She was on her way to school when Lena called her to drop by.”
“Thank you, Marla.” Jeffrey offered his hand. Then he took it back.
“Hello?” Sibyl sounded like a softer, less intense version of her sister. “Are you Chief Tolliver?”
“Yes.” Jeffrey felt like a certain kind of fool. His only way out was honesty. “I’m sorry, Dr. Adams. I’m not sure how to navigate this. How can I make you more comfortable?”
She smiled radiantly. “It sounds awfully loud in here. Do you mind walking outside?”
“Absolutely.”
She used her cane to find the door.
He held it open for her, saying, “Thank you for coming by. I know you’re busy with Spring Break coming up.”
“This takes priority.” She tilted her chin up toward the sun. The rain had passed. There was a crisp breeze in the air. Her accent was softer than Lena’s but still pure South Georgia. “What can I tell you about Beckey and Leslie?”
“I know the highlights. They were both good students. You taught both of them.”
“I have Beckey this semester. She was supposed to meet me at seven yesterday morning. I had given her the usual warning about wasting my time, but I was honestly surprised when she didn’t show. She was generally hard-working and respectful.”
“What about Leslie?”
“The same. Hard-working, good attitude. She applied to the graduate program. I wrote her a letter of recommendation.” She added, “To be frank, I don’t fraternize with undergrads. I’m close to their age. I’m trying for tenure. I don’t want to be their friends. I’m their teacher. My job is to mentor them.”
Jeffrey understood. As obstinate as Lena could be, he felt a tremendous reward any time he was able to drill something useful into her thick skull. “Do you know