“On Molly,” Caitlin said. “You woke up with aches and pains, felt horrible, drank coconut water to feel better. Those are the next-day side effects of Molly, or Ecstasy. You got high on Molly.”

“Yes,” Lakshmi repeated. “I told you that.”

“No, you just said you got high. Everyone, myself included, assumed you meant high on weed. Angela Chapman was rolling when she left your apartment.”

Lakshmi looked lost. “Okay, so?”

“No one knows where you were between your last text with Angela on Friday night and ten AM Saturday morning.”

“Because I was asleep, Caitlin.”

“Maybe, but you could have been right here, waiting in the woods to talk, just like you waited outside Pratima Siddal’s house seven years ago.”

Lakshmi’s shoulders hunched forward. “I wasn’t.”

Caitlin pushed. “You could have met Angela on this very trail. She could have died in your hands. You could be the one who disposed of her body.”

Lakshmi bounced back. “Why would I go to the police the next day? And how would I have disposed of a body?”

“Are you saying you’re not smarter than Kieran and Dave?”

Lakshmi palmed her forehead. “Is this really happening?”

“The police didn’t check your apartment for five days. You could have done everything you’ve said Kieran and Dave did. Either way, you’re the one who slipped Angela the Molly.”

“I didn’t slip Angela the Molly. She knew we were doing it.” Lakshmi tried to grab Caitlin’s wrist, but Caitlin brushed her away.

“David Amireau says otherwise.”

“And you believe him?”

Caitlin poked Lakshmi in the chest with her finger and yelled, “You lied to me.”

Lakshmi took a step back. “Caitlin—”

“Every day I’ve been here,” she continued, her finger punctuating every sentence in the air, “you’ve done nothing but use me, lie to me—the whole time. People ask me why I work alone? Because you can’t trust anyone but yourself.”

Lakshmi reached for her again. “Caitlin—”

“No.” Caitlin pushed her away. “This is done. Don’t talk to me, Lakshmi. Don’t call me ever again, or Amireau won’t be the only one with a restraining order.”

She turned and walked back toward the parking lot.

Lakshmi trailed behind, pleading through tears. “I never did anything to hurt Angela, Caitlin. We’d done Molly a bunch of times. She loved it.”

Caitlin unlocked her car, didn’t look back. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Chapter 58

CHAPTER

58

AT NINE AM the next morning, Caitlin walked into Scott Canton’s office, still shaking the effects from a bottle of wine and a trio of Benadryl the night before. “Professor, I need Buddha’s wisdom.”

A young man in the kind of vest only a grad student could pull off choked on his coffee.

“I’m sorry,” Caitlin said. “I’m looking for Scott Canton.”

The man’s face forecast a thunderstorm. “You haven’t heard?”

*   *   *