“If that’s how you feel, then I can tell you right now that this interview won’t go well,” the man said. He took a couple quick puffs. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve got a bad habit of speaking my mind.”

“No,” April said. “You’re probably right. My ex-husband used to accuse me of being trapped inside my books.”

“That’s an awful thing to say to a person.”

“You just said it yourself,” April said.

The man grinned.

A door on the other side of the room opened, and a tall man in a well-tailored suit entered. “You can come in,” he said, motioning to April.

She rose. “Just in time.”

“Come with me,” he said, holding the door open. “I hope my friend hasn’t been causing you too much trouble.”

She turned to the man with the pipe. “None at all,” she said, hoping she sounded confident. She exited the lobby and walked down a narrow hallway leading to Dr. Winter’s office. Upon entering, her eye was caught by the walls, which were covered in black-and-white photographs. They featured settings that spanned the globe: the Parthenon in Greece, the Machu Picchu in Peru, the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and a hundred other exotic locales. April marveled at the pictures, noticing that the man with the pipe was in every one of them. “He must be a really good friend of yours,” she said, pointing to the man.

“I just met him this morning,” the man in the suit said.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m a psychologist. I’m here to do your final evaluation,” he said. “Dr. Winter was the gentleman you met a few minutes ago. The man with the pipe.”

April gasped. She’d made a fool of herself. “I should just leave now,” she said, completely embarrassed.

“Don’t go,” said the psychologist. “Dr. Winter said he would only let you see me if he was confident you were perfect for the job. And here you are.”

April dropped into a chair. “Here I am.”

Dr. Winter had become no less mysterious since that meeting a year ago. He would probably laugh after hearing that April had been accused of a crime. He might even be proud.

“We’ve already talked with Dr. Winter,” Prichard said. “He was in support of us taking you into custody.”

April snapped back to the moment. Dr. Winter must have been misinformed. Did he really believe she had anything to do with this? Her head began to spin. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she said.

“Millar, reach under your seat. I think there’s a plastic bag.”