“In my associate’s search of the scene at your apartment, she found laundry detergent and Indian food spices—you, the source of both—at the smoking station and at the scene of the assault.” Rhyme’s lips tightened with displeasure. “Well, of course you were at the smoking station, because it’s your apartment and you hosted the party. But at the scene of the assault itself? How did that happen? I should have thought of it earlier—it was my mistake to miss it. You and the victim both reported that she was climbing back onto your roof over the wall that separated the two buildings when you heard her cries for help and ran to her aid. That was many yards from the attack site. So how did curry and laundry detergent trace get to the place where she was actually assaulted?”

“You’re mad too!”

Spiro took up the narrative: “We believe your boyfriend was flirting with Frieda at the party—and that they had been seeing each other off and on from the start of school—after you all met on the first day of class. You slipped the drug into Frieda’s wine. You followed her and Garry upstairs, hoping she would pass out and Garry would rape her while she was unconscious. That would be humiliating enough for her, you believed. But he didn’t; he went downstairs, leaving her alone. And you took up the matter yourself. You got one of your boyfriend’s condoms and, when the deck was empty, dragged the unconscious Frieda over the wall to the neighboring roof and violated her with the bottle. Then you hid the condom, to be disposed of later, with the others, the next day, and went about your duties as hostess.”

Rhyme knew that Natalia was the person who placed the anonymous call claiming to have seen Garry spiking the wine, and she herself would have broken into his apartment to plant the date-rape drug on his clothing; the footprints Ercole and Thom found could easily be a woman’s size.

“Lies!” Natalia raged, eyes flashing with pure hatred.

Spiro now continued, “Our inquiries as to guests at the party focused on men. We will be interviewing witnesses about your whereabouts, at the time of the rape. We have been comparing DNA with that of the men at the party. And Frieda’s other boyfriends. We will now get a warrant to compel a test of yours.”

She scoffed. “This is ridiculous.” Her indignation was profound. “I cannot be treated like this.”

Rhyme’s impression was that she truly believed normal rules did not apply…because she was so beautiful.

Natalia rose. “I will not put up with this any longer. I am leaving.”

“No, you are not.” Spiro stood to block her way and gestured into the hall. Daniela Canton approached, pulling cuffs from her belt, then ratcheting them on Natalia’s wrists.

“No, no! You can’t do that. It is…not right!”

Natalia stared down at her wrists, and it seemed to Rhyme that the horror registering in her eyes was not from the fact she was cuffed but that the silver of the shackles clashed with the gold of her bracelets.