The waitress came and they ordered breakfast.

“Streets are getting full,” Walt said, looking at the people who walked past the outdoor café, and the traffic in the street.

“I know. It’s sort of sad. The city sort of felt like it belonged to just the two of us for the last couple of days. Now everyone’s coming back to intrude.”

“We accomplished a lot. And now that our weekend is over, we need to figure out where we go from here. This is your project, Avery. I just agreed to provide access to the case files. But we’ve poked some serious holes in the investigation, and now I feel an obligation to do more. I want to reach out to some people and discuss what we’ve found. I’m not sure where that might lead, but the Cameron Young case is technically still open. A district attorney or a congressman or a senator somewhere might care enough to put some resources into it. I can work my contacts and see if anyone is willing to listen.”

“That would be great. I appreciate anything you can do. And Emma Kind will be thrilled. But despite everything we’ve uncovered this weekend, I can’t get past the fact that Victoria’s blood was found at the scene. No matter how many holes we poke in the investigation, or how many other potential suspects we come up with, her blood is a hard obstacle to overcome. Whether we try to get the case reopened, or if I just cover it on American Events, the blood is an issue.

“I spoke with Livia Cutty yesterday morning to ask about the science behind DNA evidence. She said that if the blood at the crime scene matched the DNA sample taken from Victoria’s mouth swab, it’s her blood. One hundred percent, or very close to it. So we might be able to prove that Victoria didn’t cut herself with the knife, but that doesn’t disprove that the blood at the scene belonged to her.”

“You know,” Walt said, “I was suspicious this weekend, but I’m convinced this morning. There’s something we’re missing, and I think I know someone who might be able to help us find it.”

“Who?”

“Uh, let’s call him an old friend. I tracked him down and he’s agreed to meet me. I’m heading there after breakfast.”

“About the blood?”

“And a couple other things. Let’s chase our leads for a couple of days and touch base later in the week? See what we each come up with?”

“Perfect,” Avery said. She needed a little time and space over the next couple of days. In addition to her suspicions about Victoria Ford and what she had just read about Natalie Ratcliff’s family, she needed to head back to Brooklyn to see if André had come through on the passport.