Patricia Hartwell came to the office alone, sat straight-backed, and said in a level voice: “Claire called me during the honeymoon. She said the mountains were beautiful. She said she missed home.” Her eyes held Dellray’s. She said, “I can’t believe she’s gone—something tells me there’s more.”
He had believed Patricia then. He still did. But he had believed the evidence more, which was what detectives were trained to do. The case closed. For 32 years, it had lived in him. It was one of his first serious cases, and it never left his system entirely.