Approaching slowly, Agent Castillo reached out and flipped back the edge of the fabric. Lena stepped from behind it, knocking over a few of the smaller pieces and sending the glass mobiles clinking against each other.

Agent Castillo shouted and Lena raised her hands, grinning that huge smile that lit up her whole face. As she slowly dropped to her knees and the agents swarmed into the room, her eyes never left mine.

That smile stayed with me like a splinter of ice until I was reunited with my furiously relieved parents at the police station and finally called Michael. With his voice in my ear and Grace in my arms, I could believe that we were truly safe.

C2C TRANSCRIPT

15

Helen: And now Lena and Brady are both locked away. Separate prisons, maximum security, awaiting trial on multiple counts. Best-case scenario for them: life in prison.

Julia: But this is Texas, so death is on the table.

Helen: Excellent point. And even though Kacy lied, snuck off to meet a murderer, and actually stabbed someone—

Julia: Just a little bit …

Helen: She’s in the clear. The almost-victim tells the police Kacy saved her, and everything works out … after hours of questioning and fact-checking and face-saving.

Julia: The almost-victim who got her fired from the art museum in the first place? That’s a revenge fantasy come true, getting to save your archnemesis. Think she’s a little bit sorry now? Just a tiny bit ashamed?

Helen: She’s probably just as sorry as Lena and Brady—not at all. Different shades of psychopath.

Julia: [Sighs] Anyway, I love a serial killer story with survivors.

Helen: This is about as close to a happy ending as we ever share. But don’t get too comfortable. Next week we’ll be starting a new series about an orthopedic surgeon, a childhood secret, and a string of suspicious deaths.

Julia: Remember, we always have “Crime to Chat” with you!

CHAPTER

28

AS THE PODCAST fades to a musical signature for its production company, I turn it off. Three episodes in this series, one each week, and I’ve finally reached the end.

These episodes felt different from all the other cases Julia and Helen had covered. Maybe because I didn’t have the distance to listen dispassionately while evaluating the evidence. I wasn’t in suspense about the facts of the case, only about what conclusions they would reach about me. But to be fair, I’m not sharing my story with the press or authors or even my favorite podcasters. We screen our calls stringently.

Now that the series is over, I’m still left without an explanation for Lena’s compulsion and her cruelty. More importantly, I also have no explanation for why I’ve survived.