It takes about three seconds for Diana to appear, holding the door between the waiting area and the suite of offices open and pointing behind her. “Come on back, champ. It’s about time you showed up.”

I go down the hall, my steps hushed by the thick carpet. I feel dirty and unkempt, having spent the night in my car. And when I wasn’t in the car, I was crawling around on the ground in the cemetery, discovering a murdered woman. I see the open door of Diana’s office on the right and go in. She comes in behind me and we both sit.

“You’re a hard man to find,” she says, scooting toward her desk.

“Gatewood isn’t huge, but it’s not hard to hide. For a while.”

“You have a doctorate, right?”

“I know, I know, but it’s not in stupidity. I couldn’t just sit around, Diana. And I helped the case. I sent Rebecca Knox to the police. She’s there now. She knows Zach assaulted Madeline.”

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

So I tell her. About Madeline and Zach at the party. Diana listens without taking a note, but she nods along as I talk.

When I’m finished, she says, “She’ll make a compelling witness. And unlike some people in this room, it sounds like she does what she’s told. Her story about Zach’s assault on Madeline at the party dovetails nicely with yours about the fight you witnessed between the lovebirds. And it’s possible the fight you saw grew out of the incident at the party. The timing lines up well.”

“So you’re saying the police are going to think it’s less likely I just made it up?”

“They’re going to want to talk to our friend Zach if he’s still around. I’m assuming that was you who anonymously called in about Madeline’s body.”

“It was. I went there for some quiet—”

“I assume you go there a lot. How many people know you do that?”

“A lot. My friends. Some people I work with. My sister knows, and so do Emily’s brother and mom.”

“Your students?”

I see where she’s going. “Do you mean did I ever mention it to Madeline? I think I did.”

“So a lot of people know you make these nocturnal visits. You weren’t at home, so if someone went to your house looking for you late at night, they might assume you were in the cemetery. Right?”

“You could say that. But I didn’t—”