‘Right. And of course, Ruth Safran.’

I let out a long sigh. ‘I never understood it. She just didn’t like me, right from day one.’

‘Totally. So we can use that as well – bias, a failure to call adequate defence witnesses, the fact you were alone in a strange country – your mother didn’t even come to the trial, did she?’

Another fact that had counted against me. Casey’s own mother won’t support her! She must be guilty!

‘She doesn’t have much money and it’s a long way to fly. She’s nervous,’ I lied. I wondered if Jenna knew that her silence had helped to seal my fate. ‘And the rest – the stupid forum comments, the bottle of medicine?’

‘Circumstantial,’ said Andrea, wrinkling her button nose. ‘Speculation at best – it doesn’t meet the evidentiary threshold, is what we’ll submit. Same with the neighbour’s statement about seeing no one else go in the house. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.’

I was twisting my hands, trying to hold back the terrible wave of hope inside me. ‘So – who will we say did it, if not me?’

They exchanged another look, one that made me sure they were sleeping together. (I was right about this; they are married now, with two adorable children. They sent me Christmas cards for a while.)

‘We don’t have to prove that, Casey. Just that there isn’t enough evidence to convict you specifically. That you didn’t get a fair trial.’

I looked between them, their clean, shining faces. Not broken down by life. They were inside prison walls now, but soon they would get up and go out, walk into the sunshine, perhaps stop at a diner for a milkshake and fries. Hold hands under the table, even. While I would stay here, perhaps till I died, if this didn’t go to plan. I would never be touched by a man again, feel his hands on my body. Never hold my own baby, heavy on my hip, where Carson used to sit.

‘But – even if I get off, won’t people always think I did it?’

‘That does happen, yes,’ said George earnestly. ‘But you’d be free, Casey. You could go home. That’s what we have to focus on.’

‘You mean they’d literally open the door of the courthouse and let me go.’ I could hardly believe it.

‘Right. I mean, after some processing. Forms and stuff.’

‘So this is the plan,’ I said. ‘Re-present the evidence?’