I circulated among the crowd, greeting each of our friends with a hug. Paige had flown in for the weekend, and it was a pleasure to see her there, looking so poised and grown-up in a white strapless dress. She spoke easily with the guests, most of whom she’d known since she was small. I smiled as I overheard her patiently answer the same questions she’d already been asked dozens of times. Yes, she was enjoying college. Yes, she and her roommate got along well. Yes, lacrosse was great, and she was hopeful she’d be on the starting lineup when the season began.

“I thought you might need one of these.” James appeared, holding out a glass of champagne.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the flute. “I’ve been so busy, I haven’t even made it to the bar yet.”

“It’s a great party,” James said. “It’s so good to see everyone.”

The unspoken subtext was that it was good to see that so many of our friends had actually shown up. The police investigation into Hannah’s death was still ongoing, and James’s name had not been officially cleared. But he also hadn’t been arrested. And as the weeks passed by, it seemed less and less likely that he would be. They simply didn’t have a case against him.

Not unless Parker told the police what he had witnessed that night. And I was sure he would never do that.

I caught sight of Parker then, standing across the patio, flirting with one of my married friends, who seemed delighted at the attention. He caught my eye and raised his glass to me. I nodded back.

No, James was perfectly safe there. Everyone should have a friend as loyal as Parker.

And everyone else here knew almost as little as I did when this whole ordeal began with a knock on my front door. I had considered inviting Diana Barlos to the party, but decided against it. She hadn’t seen James in years, after all. I had sent her a text, asking her to keep what she had told me to herself.

Her response had been brief: Fine by me.

I doubted we’d ever be in contact again.

“Are you having a good time?” James had been even more attentive than usual in the weeks since he’d confessed to me. I suppose that wasn’t surprising. His continued freedom was now within my control, and the plastic gumball-machine ring was safely hidden in my jewelry box.

“I am,” I said lightly. “It’s been a lovely evening.”

“You did a wonderful job planning the party. Everything’s been perfect.”

“Thank you. It was nice having something to occupy my time, now that Paige is off at school. In fact, I’ve been thinking I might want to go back to work.”

“Really?” James looked surprised. “I didn’t know you were considering that.”