“Well, thanks to a whole lot of therapy, I understand now it was cognitive dissonance. They didn’t want to feel like they were giving their own daughter’s victimizer a free pass in order to protect their own security, so it was easier to place the responsibility on me. The whole thing sort of split our family apart. The same way my parents subconsciously blamed me, I think I resented Alex for telling them in the first place. The whole situation was always simmering beneath the surface, even though we literally never spoke of that man ever again. I didn’t even realize until after he was killed that he was such a big deal. I can see why they were afraid to have me go on record against him.”

After he was killed. The camp. The rumors. A powerful man who volunteered. Why hadn’t Lindsay seen the connection earlier? “Richard Mullaney,” she said, hoping Emilia would confirm her theory.

“We just knew him as Hitch,” she said. “We had no idea he was married to such an important person. Alex left town a few days after we saw the news that he died. I think seeing that man’s face again—even on TV—brought back all of the pain of how we were treated as disposable. And that we were forced into this decision where we let him get away with it. Alex was always so sweet and protective, but he had this underlying anger—a low boil—about having to make adjustments every single day because of our legal status. I really hope he has found a better life now. I was able to go to college, and now I’m starting law school in the fall. No one’s ever going to silence me that way again.”

Lindsay’s phone was beeping again. She needed to go, but she didn’t feel right keeping the death of this woman’s brother from her. “Emilia, I’m so very sorry, but Alex passed away last week. The police here are investigating it as a homicide.”

She winced as she heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “Oh god no, that can’t . . . No, I just—” Emilia caught herself and fell silent.

“You just reconnected with him,” Lindsay said. “He called you two Saturdays ago, late at night. You spoke for quite some time.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s part of another case I’m working. I’m sorry not to give you more time to grieve, but I think the key to helping my client is to figure out who shot your brother.”

“So that’s how he died? Someone shot him?”

Lindsay apologized once again for pushing on with her questions. “Had you been in regular contact with him over the years?”

“Not at all. He left and never came back. Like I said, I thought he wanted a clean break from our whole family.”