Adeline simply sounded confused. “My sister? She’s the one behind bars.”

“No, the Rose Killer. What if he is a she?”

“That’s extraordinarily rare,” Adeline said immediately. “Most serial killers are male, as men are much more likely to externalize their rage than women. The few women who have been serial predators mostly fall into the category of black widows—they aren’t motivated by sex or violence but by financial gain, making hired killers or poisons their MO of choice. The Rose Killer, personally assaulting, then skinning victims, well . . .”

“Sounds more like your sister?”

Silence. Then: “In fact . . .”

“No sexual assault,” D.D. provided. A risk. That detail hadn’t been revealed in the paper; she was now officially releasing privileged information to someone outside the case team. But D.D. was fishing, and she had to use something for bait.

“I see.” Adeline’s tone relented, turned more contemplative. “So maybe the Rose Killer is a fellow inmate. That’s how she got to know Shana, where they came into contact. It would certainly explain how Shana could meet someone without having had new visitors or fresh pen pals. Then again . . .”

D.D. waited. Adeline sighed heavily.

“I just can’t picture it,” the doctor said at last. “And not just because my sister is so antisocial, but because if such a thing had happened—Shana took a friend, even had a lover—Superintendent McKinnon would know. Don’t let her modesty from this morning fool you. As directors of major incarceration facilities go, McKinnon is more than up to the task. There’s nothing going on behind those walls she doesn’t know about. Meaning if such a relationship had happened, she would’ve told us about it.”

“Unless she didn’t want anyone to know,” D.D. said. Couldn’t help herself. The words just came out.

“What do you mean?”

“What if it wasn’t an inmate? What if it was a guard? Male guard, female guard, it wouldn’t matter. Such a thing wouldn’t look good for anyone, especially for Superintendent McKinnon. She obviously takes a great deal of pride in the fact that Shana hasn’t killed any more COs on her watch. If word got out that’s because Massachusetts’s most infamous female killer had taken to sleeping with them instead . . .”

Adeline sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I suppose, when it comes to my sister, the honest reply is, anything is possible.”

“Let’s assume there is a relationship. Male, female, guard, inmate, whatever. For someone like Shana, how would that work?”

“Shana would be the alpha,” Adeline provided without hesitation. “She has no empathy, no ability to bond with others. Meaning if she’s in a relationship, the other party would have to do all the work to keep her happy. Without ongoing incentive, Shana would simply end the relationship.”

“Does that include her relationship with you?” D.D. asked curiously.