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“Gabe Romero was raised without a mother for the majority of his life,” Joanie said. “And his father ... well, he wasn’t much of one. He was a drunk, and there were times when he was so intoxicated that he abused Gabe. As to the extent of the abuse, I’m not sure.”

“How do you know about the abuse?” I asked.

“His drinking problems were common knowledge around town. The abuse didn’t come to light until the night Gabe did ... well, did what he did to Noelle.”

“The night she was assaulted in the park, you mean?”

Joanie nodded. “He’d smacked her around and then ... you know the rest—he began apologizing, striking himself in the face, saying he was ashamed. It was then he admitted the abuse he’d suffered. He even lifted his shirt, showing her what he said was proof of the abuse.”

“Any chance the bruises were self-inflicted?”

“I can’t say, though, knowing the rumors around town back then about his father, I doubt it.”

“What happened after Gabe apologized?”

“He begged for Noelle’s forgiveness.”

“How did she react?”

“She was scared, afraid he’d hurt her again, in the same way or worse. She wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t speak to him. He grabbed a knife out of his pocket, held it to his neck, and threatened to kill himself.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth. “I wasn’t aware. Dominic left that part out.”

“I’m not surprised. Dominic never believed any of Gabe’s antics were sincere.”

“And you? What do you think?”

“I think Gabe was a troubled boy. Trouble or no, it doesn’t justify rape.”

I agreed.

“What did Noelle do when Gabe threatened to commit suicide?” I asked.

“She asked him to get out of the car.”

“And did he?”

“Yes, he apologized a few more times, and then he took off running.”

The story I’d been told by Dominic had taken a sharp turn, causing me to wonder what else I didn’t know.

“After hearing Zoey and Dominic talk about the type of person Noelle was, I’m surprised she’d ever be interested in a guy like Gabe, even as a teenager. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy she would have dated.”

“Teenagers are full of surprises. You have any?”

“I do not. The closest in our family is my niece, Lark. She’s almost twelve, and she seems to have her head on straight. I guess we’ll see.”

“No kids of your own?”

I considered telling her about Fallon, about the accident, about her death, but the truth was, I didn’t see any reason why I should.

I shook my head and left it at that.

Joanie broke eye contact, glancing at a nearby wall where several pictures were hanging. I recognized Noelle in a few of them. In every photo, she looked happy and radiant, like a woman living her life to the fullest.

“Noelle was our happy child,” she said. “A ball of positive energy. That all changed the night Gabe took her virtue. As a parent, it’s hard to forgive, and even harder to forget. If it wasn’t for Dominic swooping in when he did, giving her something to live for, heaven knows what would have happened.”

“Dominic spoke of his love for Noelle yesterday. What they had seemed special.”

“It was, and I worry for Kiera, about how these circumstances will shape her life moving forward.”

“She has you and your family.”

“You’re right, but even with us being a united front, we have a long road ahead.”

Joanie grabbed my water glass and hers, taking them to the kitchen for a refill. As I awaited her return, I thought about how impressive she’d been since I’d arrived. She’d managed to keep it together, even though she was suffering a great deal inside.

She returned to the living room, handing one of the glasses of water to me.

“I feel we’ve veered off the path of the subject we were on,” she said.

“The subject of Gabe, you mean?”

“Yes, I gather you consider him a suspect.”

“I do, and I’d like to know more about him, from your perspective.”

She took some time to gather her thoughts before saying, “Gabe was a broody sort, muscular, and good looking,” she said. “Whenever he was in our company, he was quiet, answering my questions with the fewest words possible. He always showed respect to Noelle, but as I assessed his demeanor, I was wary.”

“Why?”

“There was something off-putting about him.”

“Did you share your feelings with Noelle?”

“Of course, even given how much she liked him, I worried it would be a mistake. I suppose it was because she stopped bringing him around altogether.”

“Where did they go if they didn’t come here? Knowing what his father was like, it doesn’t seem like Gabe would have taken her to his house.”

“As far as I know, she never stepped foot in Gabe’s house. We forbade it, and Gabe agreed. He didn’t trust his father or what he might do if he arrived home drunk and Noelle was there.”

“Where did they go, then?”

“They’d meet up at some of the high school joints the kids frequented back then, a few cafes, the movie theater. And at some point, they started going to the park. After she was assaulted, she admitted they’d gone there sometimes, but she swore the most they did was kiss.”

Seeing no point in making Joanie relive the pain of what Gabe had done to Noelle, I decided to stick to relationship questions.

“How long did Gabe and Noelle date?” I asked.

“A few months, from what I can remember.”

“After she went to the police, I heard he pled guilty.”

“You heard right. He did.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“I’m not.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I mentioned before about Gabe’s broody temperament. I should add that he also seemed lost, like he struggled to find purpose in life and didn’t expect much out of it. I think that’s what attracted him to Noelle. She was his opposite—full of life, always one to lift others up.”

Always one to lift others up.

Whether it was someone like Gabe, who had a horrible home life, and no doubt, little prospects in life, or the women she mentored at the center, her light shone bright until its bitter end ...

Until it was snuffed out.

“Did you know Zoey visited Gabe after he was released from prison?” I asked.

Joanie gasped, staring at me in astonishment. “I had no idea. When did this happen?”

“Right after his release.”

“Why would she do that?”

“At first, her plan was to tell him to stay away from Noelle. She meant to threaten him.”

“What do you mean, at first ?”

“When I spoke to Zoey this morning, she told me Gabe wasn’t anything like she expected him to be. He’d found religion while he served time. When they talked, he kept quoting scriptures.”

“How peculiar.”

“I agree. It was enough for Zoey to forego her words of warning and to believe Gabe is now a changed man. You knew him. Do you think a man like Gabe is capable of such change?”

She tapped a finger to the cushion of the chair, thinking.

“If I wasn’t a therapist, and I was just speaking to you as Noelle’s mother, it would be a firm no,” she said. “There have been times, not many times, mind you, when someone I’ve counseled—who I believed couldn’t possibly come back from the brink—surprised me.”

“I have a hard time believing it myself.”

“It wouldn’t be possible for me to give you a definitive answer unless the man was standing before me today, though I confess, I have no desire to ever see him again.”

She hoped to never see Gabe again, and I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to see him. To witness for myself what had become of him.

“Gabe wrote us a letter,” she said.

“When?”

“While he was in prison. He apologized for what he’d done, and he asked for our forgiveness.”

“Did you write back?”

“I did not. I thought him undeserving of a response.” She stood. “There’s something I’d like to show you. Wait here a moment, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

A couple of minutes later, she sank back down in the chair, her arms wrapped around a shoebox. She pulled the lid off, riffling through it, as she pulled out a few photos.

“After Noelle died, I was going through a few boxes she kept in our garage,” she said. “I found several mementos from her high school days. I wasn’t aware she’d left them here until my husband told me. We thought it might be nice to open them, go through them together, try to remember the happy times. In doing so, we came across this box, and ... well, what was in it.”

She handed me several photos.

“Is this Noelle and Gabe?” I asked.

“In happier times, yes.”

I scanned them, picking up on a few things.

In each of the photos, Noelle was just as people described her, vibrant and full of life, while Gabe looked solemn, his slight smile looking forced and weighted. And then there were his eyes, menacingly haunting, like he was hiding something.

“Can I keep these?” I asked.

“Sure, I was going to cut him out of them and toss his half in the trash.”

“I can bring them back if you’d like.”

“Oh, it’s all right. We have a lifetime of photos of her.”

I stood, thanking her for talking with me, and she accompanied me to the front door. I turned, asking one final question.

“After all these years, do you think Gabe could be responsible for Noelle’s murder?” I asked.

“As much as it pains me to think about what he did to Noelle, I do not. What purpose would he have in doing so?”

I wasn’t sure of the purpose myself.

It didn’t mean he didn’t have one.

If he did, I was about to find out.