Page 133 of Nobody's Fool

“And then your guests arrive.”

“Yes.”

“And the party gets going.”

“Yes.”

“Anything strange you remember?”

She starts squirming. “Nothing really.”

“What ‘not really’?”

“What? Oh. No. Nothing.”

“So what’s the next thing you remember?”

“I don’t know. It was just a party.”

Time to get to it. “When did you realize that Victoria was missing?”

“I’m not sure I ever really realized it.”

Her hands are in her lap now. She’s staring down at them.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I mean, I remember we turned on the TV and watched the countdown to midnight. Then we watched the ball drop in Times Square. Prince’s ‘1999’ was on. And I think maybe I looked for Victoria. To celebrate the moment with her. But I didn’t see her.”

“Did that surprise you?”

She shrugs. “I guess. I was a little tipsy by then. It didn’t seem like a huge deal.”

“How about at the end of the night? Did you notice her missing then?”

“I don’t really remember. I left with a big group of friends. There were a few other groups like that. I guess I thought she joined up with one of them.”

I nod. I meet her eye. She looks away.

“I’m debating my next move here, Caroline.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I know you’re lying to me.”

“What?”

“So,” I continue, “I’m wondering why. Did you do something to Victoria that night? What are you trying to cover up?”

“I’m not lying—”

“We have a CCTV of you following Victoria on the street outside the bar at 11:17 p.m.”

Her face goes white.

“I also know the police tried to interview you, but back then, your family blocked it. I don’t know why. I don’t even care why. But it’s been twenty-five years, Caroline. Victoria was your friend. She’s dead now.” Then I lay it on thick because why not. I lean in closer and almost take her hand. “This is about you too,” I say to her in a low voice. “Before that night, you were on a great life path. Success. Happiness.You were smart. People liked you. You liked them.” This is all bullshit, but I know she will buy into this narrative. We always buy into narratives we like. My mother was a private college guidance counselor. She used to give students a “personality” test. She always told them the same “result” when it was over: “You’re the kind of person who, if your mother tells you to do something like clean your room, you might not do it right away, but if youreallywant something, if you put your mind to it, you are the first to get something done.” My mother said this every time to every student, and every time the student and the student’s parents would nod in agreement because we all like this narrative for ourselves.

I was counting on Caroline wanting the same with this.