The Book of Cold Cases

Shea and Beth are at the Greer mansion. Beth has been talking for hours, telling Shea the story of her young life with Lily. She tells Shea that between 1970 and 1973, Lily lived all around the country. When she got in touch, Beth would send her money, not knowing that Julian was doing the same because Lily was blackmailing him by threatening to reveal her parentage, which would ruin the family’s reputation. Beth believes it is her fault that Lily got away with everything because she did not tell anyone that Lily was a serial killer. She also believes that Lily was most likely responsible for unsolved murders in all the places she lived in. Everyone assumed that after graduation Beth would marry Gray, and since he believed Beth’s future was secure Julian stopped sending Lily money. Then, in March, Julian was shot in their kitchen by an intruder. Beth knows that Lily shot him because of what Beth had told her about Mariana’s money. Six weeks after Julian died, Lily returned to the Greer house.

After their interview, Shea leaves Beth's house late and misses her bus. It is dark, and normally Shea would call someone, but that night she decides to walk to the next bus stop, partly due to Beth's voice in her head, telling her that it is time to move on.

Ransom Wells calls Shea very early one morning, and they arrange to meet on a bench near the water. He tells her immediately that he knows she is Girl A, but this time Shea is not surprised. They talk about Joshua Black, who lives in a houseboat nearby, and the fact that he does not believe Beth is the Lady Killer. Shea guesses correctly that Ransom is talking to her now because she has learned about Lily. Ransom fills in the details of the story and implies that when Mariana got pregnant at 18, it was the result of manipulation and coercion. Ransom also admits that he was in love with Mariana for years.

He tells Shea that after Julian died Lily appeared at Ransom's law office. Lily tried to blackmail Ransom into helping her access Mariana's money, but Ransom refused. Lily then told him she shot Julian, and he believed her, but he told her he still would not give her any money. Then Ransom gives Shea the remaining papers Julian did not burn. He asks Shea if she knows why Beth has decided to tell her story now, but Shea does not. Ransom tells Shea to solve the mystery.

One day, about six weeks after Julian died, Beth and Mariana go shopping. They actually have a good day together, which Beth savors. Mariana buys Beth a red shawl and herself a red lipstick. When they get home Beth sees that Lily has returned, and Mariana loses all interest in Beth. Beth wants to tell Mariana that Lily shot Julian, but she cannot.

Beth is in jail, and there are some aspects of it she is enjoying, most importantly not being in the Greer mansion. Ransom tells her that the bullet that killed Julian matched the bullets from the two Lady Killer murders, which is why she has been arrested. Beth has gotten sober in jail and is eating and sleeping well. She is also safe from Lily. Joshua comes to visit her and asks her who she is covering for and why, but she does not tell him. She is counting on Ransom to keep her out of jail without having to confess anything.

One day, Lily calls her in jail, which does not surprise Beth. Beth brings up Mariana's death, wondering who actually killed her. Whenever Lily showed up at their house, she and Mariana would fight until she left, and Mariana stayed home and worried. One night, Lily leaves and Mariana, although she is drunk, gets in her car to find her. Beth hears her mother leaving but does not stop her even though she knows she should not be driving. Mariana has a car accident and dies that night. Beth and Lily argue about whose fault it was, and then Beth tells Lily that when she gets out of jail, she is going to give Lily half of her money.

Shea meets Michael at a diner and shows him the envelope Ransom gave her, but they soon go to his apartment to do more research. It includes Lily’s birth certificate, which gives her last name as Knowles, Mariana’s grandmother’s maiden name. The father is listed as unknown. There is also a short report from when Lily had changed foster families, the reason for which is listed as suicide of a family member. The envelope also includes a newspaper clipping about a man named Lawrence Gage, who was shot in Arizona. The article states that Gage had lived in Claire Lake, Oregon, for most of his life. Shea and Michael hypothesize that Gage is Lily's father, which would mean that when Mariana was 18, he was forty-three.

Michael wonders where Lily was during the gaps in their timeline and what set her off to commit the Lady Killer murders. Shea tells him that Lily is dead but cannot offer him the proof that he wants. Ransom has also given Shea papers that show Beth owns a series of charities for single mothers and mental health services. She understands it as an attempt to create a good impression of Beth, one that Ransom wants her to believe.

Michael walks Shea to the bus stop, where she kisses him and leaves. While on the bus, she gets a text from Beth with a photo of Beth and Lily from Christmas 1967. Shea wonders whether if she had been in Beth's position she would have done anything different. She would like to think that she would do the right thing but is not sure.

This chapter features excerpts from Beth's trial for the Lady Killer murders. The first is testimony from a psychiatrist, who profiles the killer and says that she is sociopathic but would appear normal to those around her. He speculates that with Beth's upbringing she could fit the profile and would be very dangerous. Ransom counters during his questioning of the man by revealing a disparaging and misogynistic comment that the man had made to a colleague. The chapter also includes part of the testimony of Joshua Black, who tries to avoid saying anything bad about Beth while still remaining truthful under oath.

Beth is at the defense table at her trial watching the testimony from the previous chapter. She is relieved that there is no television coverage of the trial because she does not want Lily to see it or Joshua Black. While Joshua is being questioned, Ransom and Beth realize he is obstructing the prosecution, even though he is supposed to be their witness. Beth would have loved to give Lily up to Joshua, but she knows if they cannot convict her they will not be able to convict Lily. Then, if Lily went free, she would target everyone involved, including Joshua, so Beth cannot say anything.

The trial lasts for two weeks, and after four days of deliberation the jury finds her not guilty. When she is released, Ransom meets her at the prison, and she leaves wearing the red shawl and lipstick Mariana bought on their shopping trip together.

One day, a woman who works with Shea spills some files on the floor. While picking them up, Shea sees Beth's medical file and reads it. Afterward, Shea goes home, claiming to be sick. She theorizes the diagnosis in the file is part of the reason Beth decided to tell her story now. She also remembers she never read the crime alert email she got several days ago. It is an article from the local newspaper about remains being found near Claire Lake's shore. Shea immediately realizes the remains are Lily's and that is the other reason Beth had decided to tell her story now. Eventually, the authorities will connect Lily to Beth, and her whole history will begin to unravel.

Shea calls her sister Esther and tells her about everything that has been happening in her life with the case, Michael, and even the cat. She tells Esther that she wants to be closer again, as Esther is her best friend. She explains that she has to see this case through to the end, and then she is going to change her life. Then she calls Michael and informs him that she is on her way to break into the Greer mansion, as she knows Beth is in Portland for medical tests.