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Jack nodded, but said, “She didn’t seem too broken up about it. The kid sister was crying her eyes out.”

Ellery threw him a curious look. “You said I was only partly right. What part did I get wrong?”

“Elon didn’t kill September.”

Ellery sat up straight, dislodging Watson who had just settled against him. “Hehadto have.”

“He didn’t do it. He has an alibi for the time in question.”

“Jack, Dylan didn’t—”

“Stop,” Jack ordered, and Ellery stopped. But the relief that had buoyed him through the afternoon and evening had evaporated.

“Dylan didn’t kill September,” Jack said.

“Oh thank God.” Ellery let his head fall back on the sofa. “ThankGod.” He studied Jack’s profile in the firelight. “Does Dylan know?”

“Dylan knows the charges have been dropped.”

Ellery couldn’t quite read Jack’s tone. “So… Are things okay between you two?”

“No. Dylan says it will be long time, if ever, before he can forgive me.” Jack shrugged.

“I’m sorry.”

“No need. It’s nothing to do with you.”

Jack was stoic, but Ellery knew him well enough to know losing Dylan’s friendship had hurt him.

Ellery frowned. “But if Nielson didn’t kill September, who did?”

“Odds are good she was killed by Judith Stockton.”

“Who?”

Jack’s smile was arid. “We were able to lift several partial prints at the crime scene. We ran them through AFIS and got a hit.”

“AFIS is the fingerprint database?”

“The Automated Fingerprint System. It’s only useful if you’re trying to match prints that are already on file. In this case we were and they were. In this case, we were able to match the prints to Judith Stockton.”

“Who the heck is Judith Stockton?”

“Judith Stockton was—still is, I guess—a small-time document forger. She went to federal prison for forging passports and green cards. For a short time, she was Sibyl Simon’s cell mate.”

“Jane Smith.” Ellery stared at Jack in consternation. “Jane?”

Jack met his gaze gravely.

“But…”

“But?”

“You’re serious?”

Jack nodded.

“But why? Why would she? Have you questioned her? What did she say?”