He grips my head playfully like he’s palming a basketball. ‘No.’

‘Frank’s alibi d-doesn’t hold up.’ This comes from Ellis, who speaks so loud and so clearly that it gives us both pause. He seemed to have been harbouring all his nerve for this one declaration, however, because he says nothing else.

I fill the dead air. ‘Frank says he found Roxy’s guitar early. Report said it was Sunday morning.’

‘Sure, if I remember correctly.’

‘It was Labor Sunday. Frank says he was out that early prepping the ferry – which would make sense if the first ferry was leaving at the usual six thirty, maybe, but it wasn’t. The first ferry wouldn’t leave until noon on holidays. Why was he out there so early?’

‘Oh, Christ, Mona. That’s all you’ve got?’ He leans back on to the cruiser, arms folded across his chest.

Something in me deflates. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Miss Perry, I appreciate your stick-to-it-iveness. And I normally wouldn’t tell you this, but if it’ll get you to calm down – it was a poorly kept secret at the time that your friend Frank –’

‘Not my friend.’

‘– would often sneak away into the night to meet up with ladies in a manner that his then-wife would have found reprehensible – notably Denise, God rest her soul. I think he was on his way home. You’ll find this was of course not documented in the official record.’

I let the words settle. I think back to what Lenore said: blackmail.

‘Then why wouldn’t he have just said that?’

‘Because he – understandably, might I add – probably didn’t want to tell law enforcement at the time, and certainly doesn’t want to tell a couple of teenagers decades later, about his private affairs.’

‘Lenore said Frank was giving Roxy money.’

‘Jesus Christ, you’ve been talking to Lenore?’

‘Yeah. She’s nice.’

Booker throws his hands up, exasperated. ‘Understand something, kid. We cared about Roxy,’ he says, and I can tell I’ve hurt him. It’s odd hearing someone say it. That no, maybe they hadn’t all conspired to keep quiet about her supposed death. ‘Of course people cared. But she hadn’t had an easy life. She was troubled. And simple logic said she was going to do something drastic eventually.’

‘Did you know Roxy well?’

‘Everyone knew her in passing. And she was a very disturbed young woman who hurt a lot of people, including herself.’

‘Those are strong words.’

‘And you’re making serious accusations about innocent people.’

‘We heard a little bit about you, actually.’

He scoffs at this. Not the freeze and side-eye I was hoping for. ‘Oh, I’m sure.’

Ellis pipes up. ‘Lenore said you liked Roxy.’

‘Christ, what have you done to this damn place? I swear, ever since you rolled in, everyone’s talking, gossiping like we’re – like we’re teenagers again.’