“And what’s up at Lake Marie?” asks Bastinelli.

“Nothing obvious at first look. But it’s a big property. I’ve got some troopers doing a follow-up search right now.”

Bastinelli glances down at his notes again and reads off a few cold facts. “‘Cause of death likely manual strangulation’… ‘ID from dental records and driver’s license.’” He looks up. “Where the hell has she been for the past seventeen years?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” says Gagnon. “Lab is working on soil samples to see if they can narrow it down. The bones were wrapped in a blue polyester sheet. We’re seeing if we can find a manufacturer and a distributor, maybe figure out where it was sold.”

“Polyester never dies,” says Bastinelli.

“There’s one more thing that’s not in the preliminary report,” says Gagnon.

“What’s that?”

“The ME thinks Suzanne Bonanno might have been pregnant.”

Bastinelli winces. “So we’re looking at a double homicide?”

“Not sure. The ME is doing more analysis. There are no fetal remains.”

“That won’t make my job any easier,” says Bastinelli.

“I’m afraid I’m about to make it even harder,” says Gagnon.

“How’s that?”

“Back when the case first broke, it was a hot potato between Seabrook cops and Boston PD. FBI got tangled up in there too. Somehow in all the handoffs and confusion, it looks like the original files got lost or dumped. They’re nowhere to be found.”

“Jesus. So we’re starting from scratch?”

“We’re reaching out to some of the original investigators. But a lot of them are retired. In fact, a lot of them are dead.”

“Refresh my memory,” says Bastinelli. “Who were they looking at back then?”

“One of the last people to see her was the Pats player she was dating.”

Bastinelli sits up straight. Now he remembers. Not just any football player. “You mean…”

“You got it,” says Gagnon. “The same one who’s now the First Gentleman of the United States.”

“But they cleared him, right?”

“Seabrook did. Yeah.”

Bastinelli hears a dull vibration.

Gagnon grabs her bag from under the chair, pulls the phone out, and looks at the screen. “Sorry,” she says, “do you mind if I—”

“Go ahead,” says Bastinelli.

“Gagnon here.” As Bastinelli watches, Gagnon’s face tightens. “Wait. Hold on,” she says. “I’m putting you on speaker.” She taps the screen and places the phone on the edge of Bastinelli’s desk. “Okay. Trooper Hess? You’re on speaker with the deputy attorney general.”

“Right. Like I was saying, myself and two officers from Troop E are here at the Lake Marie location at the edge of the property, secluded area. And we just found a freshly dug hole.”

Bastinelli asks, “How big a hole? Could it be for irrigation?”

“I’d say eight feet long, six feet deep.”

“Is the hole empty?” asks Gagnon.