“You saw Waddell on the table, Marino. You saw him executed. I can’t believe we can’t say it was him.”

“We can’t say it. We could compare mug shots and your morgue photos and still not say it. I hadn’t seen him since he got popped more than ten years ago. The guy they walked out to the chair was about eighty pounds heavier. His beard, mustache, and head had been shaved. Sure, there was enough resemblance that I just assumed. But I can’t swear it was him.”

I recalled Lucy’s walking off the plane the other night. She was my niece. I had seen her but a year ago, and still I almost had not recognized her. I knew all too well how unreliable visual identifications can be.

“If someone switched inmates,” I said. “And if Waddell is free and someone else was put to death, please tell me why.”

Marino spooned more sugar into his coffee.

“A motive, for God’s sake. Marino, what would it be?”

He looked up. “I don’t know why.”

Just then, the door to my study opened and both of us turned as Lucy walked out. She came into the living room and sat on the side of the hearth opposite Marino, who had his back to the fire, elbows on his knees.

“What can you tell me about AFIS?” she asked me as if Marino were not in the room.

“What is it you wish to know?” I said.

“The language. And is it run on a mainframe.”

“I don’t know the technical details. Why?”

“I can find out if files have been altered.”

I felt Marino’s eyes on me.

“You can’t break into the State Police computer, Lucy.”

“I probably could, but I’m not necessarily advocating that. There may be some other way to gain access.”

Marino turned to her. “You’re saying you could tell if Waddell’s records was changed in AFIS?”

“Yes. I’m saying I could tell if his records were changed.”

Marino’s jaw muscles flexed. “Seems to me if someone was slick enough to do it, they’d be slick enough to make sure some computer nerd didn’t catch on.”

“I’m not a computer nerd. I’m not a nerd of any description.”

They fell silent, parked on either end of the hearth like mismatched bookends.

“You can’t go into AFIS,” I said to Lucy.

She looked impassively at me.

“Not alone,” I added. “Not unless there is a safe way to grant you access. And even if there is, I think I’d rather you stay out of it.”

“I don’t think you’d really rather that. If something was tampered with, you know I’d find out, Aunt Kay.”

“The kid’s got a god complex.”

Marino got up from the hearth.