“What’s her last name?” Griff was asking.

“I don’t know that either, but I can find out. She works at the hospital in the same unit as Gail.”

“How do you know it’s true?”

“Because I overheard it, and it makes sense. That’s who Gail must’ve been seeing. She was trying to break up with him. She was trying to get her life back on track to meet somebody new. That’s probably why she hooked up with Zachary.” Christine passed the back of the dais behind the green curtain, where the hospital officials gathered, and she eyed the group hard. She didn’t see Dink or Amy but she did spot the three male speakers: Dr. Verbena, with the shaved head and the glasses, who was talking to a township official; Dr. Hallstead, the tall ginger with the preppy accent, who was talking with the priest; and Dr. Cohen, the tall one with the graying temples, who was talking with a group of women in pastel suits.

“Is that all you got?” Griff was saying.

“That’s a lot! Can’t we call the police and tell them? He could be the person who killed Linda Kent, too. He would’ve worried that Linda Kent had seen him. If he was Gail’s married boyfriend, he was probably at her house plenty of times.” Christine hurried past the stage, where folding chairs were being put away by workmen. She scanned the crowd for the orthopedic surgery nurses because that was the likeliest place Dink and Amy would be.

“No. It’s not enough to call the D.A. with.”

“Why not? Why don’t you try?” Christine remembered what Detective Wallace had told her earlier. “I heard you’re a big contributor. They told me they’d do anything for you.”

“Who told you that?”

“Does it matter? Call them.” Christine threaded her way through the crowd, looking for the orthopedic surgery nurses.

“They don’t investigate leads as a favor. But if you get the best friend’s name and get her to come forward…” Griff’s tone changed, taking on an earnestness it hadn’t had before. “I could take that to the D.A. I would, too. Right away.”

“On it.” Christine kept moving toward the back of the crowd. Ahead she caught a glimpse of the older nurse and the young Asian nurse from the orthopedic surgery unit, standing in the middle of a group that clustered around a crying woman.

“Then call me when—”

“Bye.” Christine hung up and beelined for the nurses, joined the back of the cluster, wedged her way next to the older nurse, and got her attention. “Hello,” she said, with a smile. “Remember we met at Gail’s, at the memorial in front of her house?”

“Oh, yes, I do.” The older nurse smiled back at her, her hooded eyes glistening. “From the other day.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Christine glanced over the older nurse’s shoulder toward the center of the cluster, where a short nurse with a head of short blond curls stood out because of the brightness of her hair. She was comforting Gail’s parents, their lined faces downcast and their narrow shoulders slumped together, a heartbreaking sight. Christine assumed the nurse was Dink and she had to get to her. It had started to drizzle, and Christine couldn’t lose her chance.

The older nurse was saying, “Thank you, it was a wonderful service, wasn’t it? I really felt as if Gail got her due.”

“Yes, it was.” Christine spotted the Asian nurse, looking over with teary eyes, and extended a hand. “Again, my condolences.”

“Thanks,” the young nurse nodded, then glanced up at the sky, which had clouded over, a dark pewter. “Looks like it’s going to rain. The vigil ended just in time. It’s so great to see such a large turnout, all for Gail.”

“Yes.” Christine pointed at the curly blond nurse. “That poor woman who’s so upset, is that Dink, her best friend? Remember you told me about her?”

“Yes, that’s her, with Gail’s parents.” The older nurse looked at Dink and Gail’s parents, shaking her head sadly, and as they watched, it appeared that two township officials were trying to make their way toward Gail’s parents, touching her father on the shoulder and waiting for him to turn around, which Christine saw as her opening.

“I feel so bad for Dink, and like I said, girlfriends are so important. I think I’ll take a moment to pay my respects.”

“Oh, okay,” the older nurse said, blinking in puzzlement, but Christine wasn’t waiting for permission. She waded into the cluster of orthopedic surgery nurses, and just when the township officials managed to get the attention of Gail’s parents, she reached Dink and touched her forearm.

“Dink, hi, my name’s Christine Nilsson, and I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Gail seemed like an amazing person.”

“She was, thanks.” Dink wiped her eyes with the soggy Kleenex, but her tears had been spent. She had hazel-brown eyes, but they were puffy and bloodshot, and freckles everywhere on a wholesome, pretty face. She was trim in a black linen dress instead of scrubs.

“You don’t know me, but could I speak with you for just a minute, about Gail?” Christine gripped her forearm lightly. “Privately?”

“Sure, what is it? Why?” Dink frowned slightly, but was upset enough to let Christine lead her out of the cluster, though some of the other nurses looked over curiously.

“Dink, this is going to sound random, but I was in the ladies’ room just now and I overheard you crying and saying that Gail had a married boyfriend—”

“Oh my God!” Dink’s hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t check under the doors. I was just so upset.”

“I know, and it’s okay, but here’s the thing.” Christine didn’t want to start with the fact that she was working for Zachary’s defense. “Did it ever occur to you that Gail was killed by her boyfriend?”

Dink recoiled, shaking her head. “No, they caught the guy who killed her. His name is Jeffcoat. He’s a serial killer, the Nurse Murderer.”

“But what if they got the wrong guy? What if the real killer is Gail’s boyfriend? Gail wanted to break up with him, right? What if he wanted to stop her or was angry at her, for wanting to end it?” Christine talked fast. “I say this because I found out that Linda Kent, the woman who lived directly across from Gail on Daley Street, was killed in an accident Sunday night.”