Rachel saw Gemma struggling to keep her anger down, trying her best to keep from having a legitimate outburst. I regret what I did, she said, speaking slowly and looking to both of them with an intense stare, But I dont deserve this. I had nothing to do with these murders and its things like this that make me think Ill never outlive what I did. Itll always come back and back and back. With each back, she stomped hard on the floor.

I apologize for that, Rachel said. But if youd just

Yes, you can have the damn laptop. My phone, my laptop…anything else you need. Car, house…you need a blood sample?

Something in this almost brazen way of granting their request told Rachel that Gemma Chapman was very likely not their killer. That, plus what shed said about online shopping and the visit to her mother, added up to yet another strike for her and Jack. She was so certain of Gemmas innocence that even as Jack took down the number of Gemmas grandmother, Rachel was already rummaging through her mind, trying to figure out what their next move would be.

And much to her dismay, she was not coming up with much.

As she and Jack headed to the door, leaving a frustrated Gemma Chapman scowling in her living room, Rachel felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She was somehow certain it would be Dr. Greene with more bad news for her. Maybe he had been wrong and had given her too much time to look forward to. Maybe she really only had a few months left, maybe even less.

But when she checked it, she saw that it was Paiges babysitter, Becka, FaceTiming her. A flash of worry sped through her. I have to take this, she told Jack as she hurried through the front door and onto Gemmas porch.

Hello? she said, answering on the third ring.

The face that appeared was not Beckas but Paiges. As usual, she was smiling. The kid was used to the often hectic schedule of her parents so a few days away from her mother wasnt going to bring her down. And even though Rachel felt a bit let down from the way things with Gemma had gone, she found that she was happy to hear from Paige.

Hey, Mommy. You busy? Can we talk?

Before Rachel could answer, she heard Becka calling out from off-screen. Im so sorry, Mrs. Gift! I told her to wait until later!

Its okay, Becka. So…whats up kiddo?

We got a handout at school today for soccer try-outs, Paige said. Its next Saturday, and I really want to go.

Jack passed by, leaving the porch and heading down to the car to give Rachel some privacy. He grinned at her, as he always did when he knew she was on the phone with Paige. Typically, speaking to her daughter cheered her up considerably when they were on the road.