“You said Clare resented Brit as well. Did you ever talk about those feelings?”

“The summer before Clare died, Clare was so happy to see Brit leave. And when Brit came back, she started refusing any food or drink. She kept saying she was trying to lose weight.”

“And she felt better?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe she was putting the pieces together.”

“But she never said a word to me.”

“It’s a hell of a thing to accuse someone of.”

“I caught Clare snooping in Brit’s room after Brit left for college. She brushed it off and said she was looking for lipstick or earrings.”

“And then Brit came home for the holiday break.”

“And I got sick.”

“Was Clare still snooping in Brit’s room?”

“Yes.”

“Brit got sick the night of the party?”

“That’s right.”

“Maybe Clare was putting the pieces together. Maybe she gave Brit a dose of her own medicine and wanted you both to see the results.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Brit controls you via medications. Brit leaves for college, and then all the emotions you and Clare didn’t deal with come alive. Clare gets pregnant. Clare discovers Brit’s lies. Clare is murdered. Three things can happen and not be related, but I find that’s rarely the case.”

“Did you run DNA on Clare’s baby?” Her voice was hoarse, soaked with emotion.

“Yes. I tested the fetus’s DNA against Kurt’s, Sam’s, Jack’s, and every male at that party. I even tested your father’s.”

“Daddy? Jesus.”

I was doing my best to give her the G-rated version of the world’s dark side. “None matched. And the DNA never appeared in any criminal DNA databases, so without someone to compare it to, it’s not helpful.”

“You said you think Clare could have been killed because people thought she was me.”

“That could still be true.” He sipped his coffee. “But women who are murdered are more often than not killed by someone who knows them. And when a woman is pregnant, it drastically increases her chances of being killed by the father.”

“Seriously?”

He shrugged. “I move in an ugly world.”

“You said five or six weeks pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“Six weeks before she died would have been mid-November. I visited Brit at college about that time. Clare stayed home. Brit and I spent an extra two days in Charlottesville shopping. We got home on Sunday.”

“Clare was on her own for two or three days.”

“Yes. I thought she’d be spending her time with Kurt. Have you asked Jo-Jo? Clare might’ve spoken to Jo-Jo about someone new or secret. At times those two were pretty close.”

“Jo-Jo never mentioned another guy. And I asked several times.”

“Why wouldn’t Jo-Jo tell you everything?” she asked, more to herself.

“You tell me.” I leaned back.

“Do you think Jo-Jo knew about the baby?”

“She never told me about it,” I said.