Justin Booker. Ashlyn was right after all, Maggie thought, and she wrote the name in capital letters on the white piece of paper in front of her. Micaela Barboza, the prosecutor in charge of the preliminary investigation into the body of a drowned person, had informed her. However, the official identification, which in these cases of advanced decomposition of the corpse would be based on the dental status, was still pending. In practice, this meant that the homicide squad would obtain the relevant documents from Booker's health insurance company or his dentist, enabling them to identify him unambiguously. But Maggie's experience told her that they had found their man even without this confirmation. It was impossible that someone could have disappeared in Boston simultaneously, given the height, skin color, and peculiarity of a third nipple – a scarce anatomical variant.

But that wasn't what made her think. Somehow, the name sounded familiar. Justin Booker. She was sure she had heard it before. But in what context? The name wasn't unusual but less common than Michael Miller or Thomas Smith. The thought wouldn't leave her alone. Maggie sat down at her laptop and entered the name into the database's search field, hoping for the best. Within a very short time, the computer threw up numerous results from the institute directory for the name Justin but only a few for the last name Booker.

Then he had nothing to do with us, the redhead thought. Did she know the name from a private connection? No, that was definitely not it. Maggie let her gaze wander around her office and stopped at the current Boston Children's Association flyer hanging on her bulletin board. And suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks. As if someone had pulled back a curtain and opened her eyes. Justin Booker had been one of the children in that unspeakable Granther experiment that had occupied her many years ago. Even before her involvement as an ambassador for the Boston Children's Association, Maggie had been committed to helping abused children. In this context, she came across Granther and his 'research.'

Maggie felt anger rising up inside her. And that was very unusual for her, at least in her professional life. But when it came to violence against children, she didn't always manage to maintain the sober, analytical nature that was the basis for her work in the medical examiner's office.

She wanted to know exactly what it was all about. She tried to shed light on the background. After all, in her opinion, Booker hadn't just fallen into the river and died as a result of an accident. Instead, the hematoma on his back indicated that Booker might have been the victim of a crime. But who was involved? And how was the matter related to Ashlyn? Well, finding out the latter shouldn't be too difficult.

xxx

Ashlyn liked her coffee black and strong. As she took a big gulp from the light-blue mug with the orange handle Kim had given her for her birthday, she couldn't help but think about the possible trail against Kim's brother, Leon Shae. She wondered whether she should call him in the next few days and arrange to meet him for lunch. Or not? Wait and see for now. So far, nothing has been official, so the whole thing was not urgent for now, unlike the Garner case. Here, Ashlyn felt the need to structure the events that had taken place so far. She wanted to be clear about what needed to be done here. After all, she had been operating in somewhat uncharted territory for precisely one week. She usually defended men and women accused of a crime to achieve their best possible outcome. This ranged from discontinuing the legal proceedings to an acquittal, exemplary, or prison sentence in line with their interests. In this case, however, Garner and Payne sought her to help search for missing persons after Justin Booker. It seemed they had found him. Even if the result was anything but gratifying. But was the case closed with that?

At ten o'clock, Garner and Payne would return to her office, as they had discussed the night before. Then, they wanted to clarify everything. But what would that be? Booker had not died of natural causes or as a result of an accident, according to Maggie. Micaela needed more time. And she was not alone in that. Ashlyn also had doubts. There was no hard evidence, though she had to admit that the whole thing was unusual.

The ringing of her cell phone pulled Ashlyn out of her thoughts. Her mother's name was emblazoned on the display in large letters. "Mom, hi. What can I do for you?"

"Ash, I'm glad I got you. What can you do for me? Probably nothing. But maybe I can do something for you."

Ashlyn blinked a few times at the greeting and frowned a little. "Okay, what could that be?"

"Well, the dead body, the floater. It seems you were right about your guess. We won't be 100% sure until I verify the identity through dental records, but I would be amazed if it wasn't your man."

The lawyer paused for a second. "That's very unlikely. And what exactly can you help me with?"

"Very simple. I know Booker. Not personally, but I see the case. The Granther Experiment."

Ashlyn's eyebrows shot up. What on earth did her mother have to do with the Granther Experiment?

"You know," the ME continued, "that for years I have been involved in child protection. Time and again, there are cases, some more publicized than others, of violence against children in society. With the Boston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, we try to prevent this on the one hand, and on the other hand, we try to raise public awareness that children are repeatedly victims of abuse and that much of it happens behind closed doors. And it was in this context that I heard about the Granther experiment many years ago."

Ashlyn stood up from her desk chair and walked to the window overlooking downtown Boston, running a hand through her hair, which she rarely wore openly in the office. "Okay, that's extremely interesting. And I really admire your commitment." She made a face because she felt this statement, even if it was true, was meant half-heartedly.

Maggie was silent for a few seconds. "Well, whatever," she continued. "About fifteen years ago, a speaker lectured about Granther and her research at an event. During this, she also reported on the Booker case. I was stunned and horrified, like everyone else in the audience. But because Granther had died and the youth welfare offices had since refrained from the Granther experiment, I lost sight of the matter over the years. Until just now, when Micaela Barboza called me and gave me the name Booker." Maggie cleared her throat. "Now he's lying on the autopsy table with us and has probably, at least in my estimation, become a victim of a crime. So I thought you might be able to do something with the information."

Ashlyn smiled for a second. "As a matter of fact, I can. And unfortunately, this confirms one of my suspicions. Because I now fear that this could have something to do with my current client."

She thought for a moment.

If there were connections between Booker's death and the Granther experiment, the whole thing could be related to Tracy Payne's recent research. While researching, had she stepped on someone's toes so severely that a single person or a group started eliminating witnesses?

"Mom, I have a meeting later with my client and Ms. Payne, an editor at the Boston Observer. They came to me because Booker, the friend of my client Tim Garner, had suddenly disappeared. Garner is also a Granther experiment victim and turned to the Observer with Booker. Payne immediately took up the story to report on it. I'm starting to get the feeling that it could all be connected. I'm sure I'll be a little smarter after the meeting. I'll call you tonight. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely, that's what we'll do," Maggie replied. "I'm still amazed that the Granther story never got public attention. Those responsible at the time were never held accountable. Maybe one or the other has even made a career in the meantime. In any case, some people would be interested in keeping the honorable background from coming to light. Even if it's just so, it does harm them in their current positions."

Ashlyn gritted her teeth and nodded slowly. "I'm afraid you're right. Mom, I'll call you tonight," she said, and the two women said goodbye.

Crazy. The blonde thought and felt uneasy that the Garner matter was not closed with Booker's discovery but was just beginning.

xxx

"Actually, my job is done, right?" Ashlyn soberly stated, and at the exact moment, she was annoyed at her somewhat insensitive choice of words. After all, Booker was a close friend of Garner's, and her client had only learned yesterday that he had passed away. But Ashlyn felt that she didn't know the whole story and that neither her client nor Payne had yet shared all the information with her.

Garner was obviously struggling with the matter. He sat huddled up next to Payne, pale and looking like a picture of misery.

The young editor raised her eyebrows and looked at Ashlyn sternly.

"Please excuse my language," the lawyer apologized. "I didn't mean it to come across that way. I wanted to say that you came to me with the request to help you find Mr. Booker. And even though the result is certainly not what we had hoped for, we have likely found him." Ashlyn paused and folded her hands in front of her on the desk. "If Mr. Booker was indeed the victim of a violent crime and did not die as a result of an accident, the homicide squad will definitely investigate."

As Ashlyn spoke, she noticed Garner slumping further back in his chair. Oh man, she thought, hoping at the same time that this would soon be over. Not only was she in uncharted territory here, but she also felt that she was the wrong person for this job. She defended criminals, engaged in skirmishes with the prosecution, and tried to beat them with better arguments. She was good at that. Really good. One of the best. But this was the opposite. Garner needed someone to help him solve a tragic fate. Someone to hold a perpetrator accountable, not defend him.

"But that's exactly the point," Tracy Payne said. "If Booker has been the victim of a crime, maybe it has something to do with my newspaper article."

Ashlyn realized how the conversation kept drifting in a direction she didn't like at all. Garner was in a somewhat lost position. The DA's office was so overburdened by the multitude of crimes that claimed victims in Boston every day that he couldn't hope that they would invest all their resources in this case. And the blonde couldn't even blame them for that. The evidence was vague. And it wasn't even clear whether a crime had been committed. And whether and how they could link the events surrounding Granther to Booker's death was anyone's guess. So he could hardly hope for support from the side. And Payne alone could publish as many newspaper articles as she liked. Without a decent investigative apparatus, the whole thing would never be solved.

As if she had read the lawyer's thoughts, Tracy Payne picked up exactly where Ashlyn's thoughts had left off. "And if that's the case, Ms. O'Laighin, you can't leave us in the lurch now. Then Tim Garner will be completely alone. Then, there will be no one to help him fathom the crime's background. And maybe to understand it too."

Ashlyn snorted. And as much as she resisted it, she had to agree with Tracy Payne. "And what do you suggest now?" she replied in a last-ditch attempt to extricate herself from the affair.

"It's simple. Use your contacts and knowledge as a former ADA. And help us, help justice to prevail. The way I see it, we've awakened a sleeping beast. My research or the fear of what I'll bring to light has stirred up someone. There must be a connection."

Great response, thought Ashlyn, and she felt the urgent need to slow Tracy Payne down a little, given her overly dramatic remarks.

"I'm not sure I want all this at all," Garner said, speaking up. "I feel like it's all getting over my head. Justin is dead, and the investigation won't bring him back to life. And in the last few years, no one has cared about it. I don't know if it all still makes sense."

Ashlyn understood Garner's point of view. Was it a futile endeavor that would not only reopen old wounds but also end in another defeat after all that had happened in the past? On the other hand, Ashlyn could also understand Payne's approach. The journalist was right about the matter. But the lawyer didn't want to agree immediately. Only with consulting her again first. Because if she really wanted to get more involved in the case, she couldn't do it alone. Then, she needed someone at her side who was better able than she was to recognize the smallest clue and shed light on the matter.

xxx

"Ashlyn, what do you think? Of course we will take this case!"

"And where pray to tell, should we start?" wondered Ashlyn, who hadn't expected her former colleague and lover and now PI to be so committed to this client or that he would accept this assignment at all at her request.

"Well, maybe we should focus on the areas where we have the best chance of success. You stick with Mica and your mother, and I'll do some classic detective work and reconstruct the last hours of Justin Booker. Talk to friends, look around at his work, check his credit cards and phone records. There should be something there." Dominic Burke breathed loudly. "I can't believe you're questioning this, Ash."

Ashlyn paced back and forth in her office while chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Well, it doesn't really have anything to do with what I actually do now," she replied, feeling very uncomfortable being cornered like this by Dominic.

"Oh, didn't you always claim that you studied law to help people? You were the one who always said that lawyers solve problems that their clients can't handle themselves."

That's right, thought Ashlyn. She had said that more than once in the last few months, and it always sounded good and philanthropic. She had to admit that not much of that idealism remained over time. Problem-solving had become more of a game over the years, one that she wanted to win, both as an ADA and a criminal defense attorney today. The higher the stakes, the better. But not so long ago, that had changed significantly. Her mother, Maggie, was to blame for that. If you could speak of guilt here. With her intrusive moralizing, she made Ashlyn think about the Nicholas Brandt case and reminded her of what Dominic was now accusing her of. Quite rightly so. And even though Garner had no financial gain in the whole matter, Ashlyn increasingly felt it didn't matter. Yes, it wasn't allowed to matter. Maggie, who, like Ashlyn, didn't have a 9-5 job and was also the wife of a former, very complicated captain, also volunteered for children on the side in her little free time. It was a long shot that the former ADA could overcome her reluctance. Nevertheless, Ashlyn pressed the point again because she needed more clarification. "And what should the best case scenario be?"

"Well, for example, we find Justin Booker's killer. Then, we also set the record straight about the Granther experiment. It looks like no one has taken responsibility for that yet. And they can't all be dead, the ones who screwed up, right?"

Ashlyn had to think for a moment. Should they really do that? Wasn't this case out of Dominic and her depth? Granther and the death of Booker? They only had limited resources. But in the end, it was about doing the right thing. Just like her mother, Maggie, and her sister, Nikki, did every day.

She heard Dominic laugh at the other end of the line.

"Like I've ever complained that you pay really badly,"

Ashlyn had to laugh sincerely because she couldn't remember a single job where Dominic hadn't complained that he deserved more money.

"Deal," Dominic agreed with a laugh, and the friends said goodbye to each other.

After Ashlyn had ended the conversation, she felt better. The burden of indecisiveness had fallen from her shoulders. And she knew what to do now.

Onwards to the fight, she thought and dialed another cell phone number.