He was kind enough not to remind me that the world was full of injustice. Shitty things happened to good people all the time. Clare’s death wasn’t the only case that was unsolved. He’d once said he had twenty open cases. “Can I meet the new detective on the case? I promise not to hound him or her like you.”

His right index finger tapped on the arm of the chair. “You didn’t hound me. You care. I can never fault you for that. I’ll leave a note in the file for the next detective to contact you.”

Brick wall after brick wall. “What about the DNA? Did anyone try to retest her clothes? Technology has changed in thirteen years.”

“You know we collected some of Kurt’s DNA inside Clare’s vagina.”

I refused to cringe. “They were dating. That made sense. You’d said once there were three other women found strangled in North Carolina about that time. Were they ever linked to Clare?”

“Manner of death was similar, but none of the samples matched Kurt’s DNA. If the cases are connected, I can’t prove it.”

“You suspected Kurt in those cases, too?”

“I suspect everyone until proven otherwise.”

“Including me.”

“Yes,” he said. “Your alibi was always shaky.”

“I told you I was driving that night.”

“With a gas receipt to prove it.”

I cleared my throat. “I knew my sister so well. I should be able to figure this out.”

“None of us know everything about our friends, lovers, siblings. And even if we did, there are always secrets. Lies.”

That wasn’t true in Clare’s and my case. We shared everything. We didn’t lie to each other. “Those case notes are your personal property, aren’t they? How hard could it be to copy them?”

He stared at me, the frown lines around his mouth deepening. He didn’t speak, and I could only guess he was tired of telling me no or I don’t know.

“Or maybe you could just get the report on my car accident. I’ve not had the nerve to request it, but I’d like to know. I’d like to remember what happened, what went wrong.”

“I can get you something on the car accident,” he said. “What’re you looking for?”

It was my turn to say, “I don’t know. I hoped there’re pictures and the truth will jump out at me.”

“I’ll look into it. No promises.”

I rose. “Thanks.”

He stood. “Take care of yourself, Marisa. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wish I could have given you answers. Clare deserved answers.”