glass of wine, hoping that there wouldn’t be any mur
ders tonight.
‘‘This has been a nice evening,’’ she said. ‘‘We had a good time. Loved that baseball col
lection.’’
‘‘I needed to slow down. Too much has been hap
pening.’’
‘‘I’ve planned for your relaxation,’’ he said. ‘‘The doors and windows are locked and barred. Star is stay ing in tonight, so all is well. Oh, and I caught two of my identity thieves today. Two seventeen-year-olds from upper- middle-class families. They would have just gotten a slap on the wrist, but one of the people whose identity they stole has a brother who is a state
senator, so their butts are in trouble.’’
‘‘Do you believe in coincidences?’’
‘‘They happen, but as a rule, no.’’
‘‘As a rule, I don’t either. And that’s what is nag
ging at me. There doesn’t appear to be any logic to
the connections that Edwards, Mayberry and Waller
had with the hanging victims. We can’t figure out if it
means anything. But the odds seem so much against
pure coincidence.’’
‘‘Don’t think about it. Just let it relax in your brain
and the answer will come to you.’’
‘‘You’re right. I’ll just enjoy you and my wine.’’ Star came into the living room and sat cross-legged
in a chair opposite them.
‘‘I get to pick out the clothes, don’t I? I mean, I
know you’re paying for them and all.’’
‘‘You get to pick them out. Does this mean you are
going to give college a try?’’
‘‘Jennifer’s going to Bartram. Stephanie’s going to
the University of Georgia. If they can do it, I suppose
I can give it a try. It’s just a year, isn’t it? I can do
anything for a year—even prison time.’’ She settled
back in the chair. ‘‘I have a question.’’
‘‘What’s that?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘Is it a whole year, like, I mean, most schools let
out in the summer. Does a year mean I have to go to
summer school too?’’
‘‘Star,’’ began Frank. ‘‘It sounds like you’re trying
to figure out how to do as little as possible.’’ ‘‘No, I’m just trying to get the rules straight so I
know what I have to do.’’
‘‘One academic year. You don’t have to go to sum
mer school. But you do have to have a two point
seven GPA.’’
‘‘What if I work real hard and only have a two
point six?’’
‘‘That would be tragic,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Okay.’’ She unfolded herself and bounded out of
the room.
‘‘You know,’’ said Frank, ‘‘family life can be nice.’’ Diane nodded, but the talk of family life always
made her feel the sharp pain of Ariel’s absence.
Chapter 39
Jin bopped into Diane’s crime lab office and slammed a folder down on her desk.
