“So, what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means there was no murder. The baby was stillborn, which means she died either in utero or during labor.”

“Okay, but why did she die?”

“The coroner wasn’t able to tell us that. Science doesn’t have an answer for everything, Beckett. And this case is more frustrating than most, because this baby doesn’t appear to fall into many of the high-risk categories for stillbirth. There’s no sign the mother smoked or took drugs. There’s every likelihood that she is young, whoever she is, and most stillbirths occur to older mothers. The only likely risk factor is a low socioeconomic status, which the coroner said can lead to poor prenatal care. But it seems just as likely to me that in this case, the lack of prenatal care was in an effort to keep the pregnancy secret.”

“So then, would she have lived if her mother had gone to the doctor? Or called an ambulance when she went into labor?”

Was there any truth to what that woman at the salon said, even if she was wrong about me being the mother?

“Possibly. But there’s no way to know that for sure.” My mother sighs, hunched beneath the weight of her job. “Sometimes there are just no answers.”

“So, what happens now?”

“Now, I try to get a little sleep, so that I don’t look like a zombie when I hold another press conference tomorrow to tell the world that the role of the Clifford PD is now limited to identifying and notifying the next of kin of the baby now officially known as Lullaby Doe. Speaking of which, Jake’s test results came back today too. He’s not the father, Beckett.”

My relieved exhalation practically blows her hair back. I didn’t really believe it was Jake’s baby. At least, I didn’t think I believed that. But having it confirmed is such a huge relief.

“Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t think you’d get the results back so quickly.”

“Me neither. It seems the press coverage has made the Lullaby Doe case the lab’s top priority.” My mother clears her throat. “Normally this isn’t information I could give out, without permission from the subject of the test. But I’m sure Jake is planning to tell you himself anyway. And when he does, I suggest looking a little less relieved. As if you were never in doubt.”

“Wait, he already knows?”

“We called him out of class this afternoon to tell him. I figured he deserved to know as soon as possible. I mean, he already knew, presumably. But I thought he deserved to know that he was no longer a person of interest in the case. Which no longer exists, anyway, as of about three hours ago.”