“Who, for the record, doesn’t fit the killer’s type. First two vics were young side of middle-aged, single women. Janet Sgarzi was an elderly widow, already dying from cancer. Serial killers rarely change victim type. It’s all part of the fantasy for them. Change out the victim and you might as well change the whole crime. Which makes this murder the outlier, especially as it happened so quickly after the second homicide. Maybe this attack wasn’t in response to some deep-seated compulsion, but a matter of cold, hard calculation. Janet Sgarzi needed to die. And according to Charlie Sgarzi, it’s your sister’s fault.”

“Shana doesn’t target women.”

“No, but this was a helluva way to target Charlie. Get revenge on a reporter who’s asking a lot of nasty questions about your sister, including accusing her of continuing her life of crime while behind prison bars.”

Adeline set down her coffee. Sighed heavily. “Prove it,” she said simply.

“Well, that’s kind of what we’re working on right now. Until you interrupted, of course.”

“Why did your sister ask to talk to you?” Phil spoke up. “If not to negotiate for her freedom, then what?”

“Oh, she still believes we should furlough her from prison and set her up in my apartment—”

“Aha!” D.D. exclaimed.

“But it’s not in return for her helping catch the killer. It’s so she can protect me. And, well, kill the killer. In her own words, she’s good at getting such jobs done.”

Another moment of silence.

“What does that mean?” Neil spoke up nervously.

“I asked the superintendent for more information on my sister’s alleged incidents behind bars. My sister has killed three times. The first occurred shortly after her incarceration and involved a female inmate who allegedly attacked Shana first. That death was ruled self-defense. Then life was quiet for nearly a decade, until Shana attacked and killed a male CO, apparently quite . . . savagely. Weeks later, she took out a second officer and officially earned the rest of her life in solitary. Superintendent McKinnon was clearly trying to be circumspect, but when I pressed her on the details of those deaths . . . Both guards were under investigation at the time of their deaths. For ‘consorting’ with female inmates. Of course, any sexual relationship between a guard and an inmate is considered inappropriate, but for at least the first officer, the allegations were pretty nasty and included two female inmates in Shana’s cellblock. There was some question that maybe the guard had entered Shana’s cell to target her next when she resisted. Vigorously.”

“She shanked the guy who was about to sexually assault her?” D.D. asked.