“A copy of the autopsy is on top,” Joe says. “Let’s start there.”

We all open our folders, and the iconic diagram greets us. “Ms. Robb was twenty-four years old. Five feet, three inches tall, approximately a hundred twenty pounds.” He meets my eyes. “Luckily, considering the state of the body, we have a probable cause of death.” The room goes quiet. “Blunt-force trauma to the back of the head, which the ME said was probably not fatal but could’ve knocked her out. Then she was probably killed by strangulation, based on the damage in the neck area, ligature intact there as well.”

“Sheriff Skinner thought that the perp may have knocked her to the pavement as she walked home,” I say.

“Yeah. Her clothes were recovered buried next to her. Her jeans were ripped and bloodied at the knees, matching the fibers and blood found in the road.”

I squeeze my chin with my hand. “He saw her walking. Maybe he followed her in his vehicle. Then knocked her down . . .”

“And might’ve struck her in the head there as well. That way she didn’t fight him as he put her in his vehicle,” Joe finishes. “That’s what we’re thinking.”

Chase asks, “She was definitely killed in the Bradley basement?”

“Yes,” Agent Metz answers. “Forensics has identified it as the scene. If you look at page three, you’ll see their report.” We all turn over pages and read silently.

“And no DNA?” I ask.

“Just hers. This guy knew what he was doing. The lab is still looking, however. They may still turn up something.” Joe continues, “The body was buried in the riverbank, partially wrapped in a blue tarp.”

“Like you put on a leaky roof?” Chase asks.

“Yes.

I lean back in my chair, eyes staring vacantly at the report. There’s little doubt in my mind that Dr. Bradley or one of his guests was the perpetrator. Unless an unknown person had gotten into the basement. But why would a stranger bring her back there with a houseful of people, cars in the driveway? But someone who was intimately acquainted with the house would know how distant the basement area near the double doors was. It was a great place to get an unconscious Annalise out of sight and have your way with her. And the riverbank wasn’t far, just over the footbridge, where the path wraps back around the property. And if a stranger had kept her someplace, then waited for the Bradleys and their friends to leave, there would’ve been some evidence of forced entry, and there wasn’t. And why wouldn’t the perp have taken her someplace farther away from town if he was going to keep her alive for a while? That just seems too far-fetched.