‘So I’m still the enemy, am I?’ she went on. ‘I thought after all this time things might be different. Well, it may not matter coming from me, but I know Cindy would want you to be in love. I envied the two of you. How you could be different and yet the same. Obviously, I never mastered the art of relationships.’

He was silent again, and then he said: ‘I’m involved.’

‘I’m glad. Is it serious?’

‘Yes.’

‘Even better,’ she said. Her eyes traveled around the room. ‘I suppose it doesn’t happen very often, coming to see people you put in prison.’

‘No, not very often.’

‘Of course not. Why would you? I don’t get many visitors.’

‘What about Howard Marlowe?’ Stride asked.

Janine’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘You know about him? Well, of course you do. I forgot I have no privacy here.’

‘Howard has built quite a hobby out of you,’ Stride told her. ‘He got copies of most of our investigative records through Archie. He calls us all the time. He wants us to investigate new leads. I gather he’s writing a book.’

‘Yes, he is.’

‘He visits you here, too.’

‘He does. Is it strange, a man like that who can’t let go?’

‘It happens,’ Stride said. ‘People get obsessed.’

‘On one level, I’m grateful. For the company. For someone who believes in me. On the other hand, I feel as if I’m cheating him out of his life.’

‘You don’t have to see him.’

‘I know. And yet when I think about taking him off the list, I just can’t do it. A part of me can’t let go. I’m hoping he’ll decide on his own that I’m not worth it.’

Stride wondered if she was sincere. The old Janine would always have put herself first.

‘I assume Archie has been in touch with you,’ he told her.

‘Yes, of course.’

‘So you know we’ve identified the gun that was used to kill Jay,’ he went on.

‘After all these years. It’s quite a mystery.’

He expected to see a glint of triumph in her face. She knew that this discovery, whatever it meant, opened up new legal doors for her. For the first time, she had a realistic chance at a new trial or even a complete dismissal. The idea of release from prison was no longer a fantasy. Except he was surprised by what he saw. Anxiety. Even fear. The life inside was the life she knew. She really had become an indoor cat. Outside was uncertain. Outside was scary. She couldn’t simply walk back to her old life, and she knew it.

‘I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on that mystery,’ Stride said.

Janine shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. You know I can’t do that.’

Which was the answer he’d expected.