Page 128 of Homecoming

“Why do I feel like that doesn’t matter at all?”

“It does. Of course it does.”

“But you’ve made a career out of exonerating wrongly accused prisoners. Don’t act like there’s no chance I’ll be convicted even though there isn’t a shred of evidence connecting me to her.”

Dan sighed as he sat back in his seat. “I’m not going to lie to you. It happens. More often than it should, but there’re almost always extenuating circumstances, just enough for prosecutors to create a convincing narrative. There’s nothing like that in your case.”

“But there is for Keith?”

“His situation is trickier. He was with her and had sex with her in the bathroom at the bar. He’d been seeing her over the summer.”

“I knew that.”

“He also knew how she’d gone through a rough breakup with her high school boyfriend, Billy Norton, who wasn’t taking it well. Tanya swore she saw Billy in the Barnacle Friday night. We’re reviewing video as we speak to look for him. If we canshow he was there, then we’ve got someone with an actual motive for murder. Maybe he was outraged to see her carrying on with Keith. Maybe she’d agreed to meet him after she parted with you and Keith, and that’s why she didn’t want a ride home. These are all possibilities that can be introduced to create reasonable doubt about your involvement and Keith’s. What reason would he have to kill her when she hung out with him willingly many times before?”

“Wow,” Kirby said. “Hearing that makes me feel a lot better.”

“Please don’t give up hope,” Kara said. “Dan will never stop fighting for you no matter what happens at the hearing.”

“Thank you,” Kirby said to Dan before shifting his gaze to her. “And you, for coming back here when it’s the last place you want to be.”

“It’s been good for me to come home. I hate that it was because of this, but it’s been nice to be here.”

“Have you seen Kelly?”

“Once, for a minute, but it was no big deal.”

“Good. Keep your distance. She hasn’t changed one bit after everything.”

“I wouldn’t expect her to change at this point, but I’d like to know Connor at some point.”

“When he’s older and can decide for himself.”

“That’s the plan.”

“When are you due?”

“November.”

“Do you know what you’re having?”

“We chose not to find out for sure, but I think it’s a boy.”

“What will his name be?”

“Dylan—either way—after Dan’s late brother.”

Kirby looked at Dan. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“What happened to him?”

“He died years ago in Afghanistan.”

“Oh wow. I really am sorry.”

“Me, too.” Dan put his arm around Kara. “I’m looking forward to meeting Dylan Torrington the second.”

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