In the courtroom, Brea looks for the people she believes have been following her since she and Garrett began their investigation, but she does not see them. Cole’s defense attorney is Tess Hardy.

The trial begins. Judge Walter Dow is overseeing the trial. The court clerk reads the indictment. Cole is charged with the murder of Suzanne Bonanno. Brea thinks Cole will never be charged for Garrett’s murder, but she hopes he is found guilty of Suzanne’s murder.

The prosecutor, Deputy Attorney General Hugh Bastinelli, gives his opening statement. He reminds the jury that everyone is equal before the law, no matter what their status. He tells the jury that Suzanne Bonanno’s life was tragically cut short by Cole Wright. He admits they do not have smoking gun evidence, but that they have other evidence that will prove Cole’s guilt.

President Wright watches the trial on a monitor from within the courthouse. Pearce is with her. They have put the Grand Bargain negotiations on hold until the trial is over. He encourages her to return to Washington to avoid the appearance of pressuring the jury.

Tess Hardy, the defense attorney, gives her opening statement. She reminds the jury of the line from the film My Cousin Vinny, “Everything that guy just said is [bullshit]” (293). She tells them there are no witnesses, no DNA, and no physical evidence linking Cole to the crime. She insinuates the prosecution is politically motivated.

During a recess, Cole Wright yells at Tess Hardy for the My Cousin Vinny opening. She tells him it was the best way to connect with the jury. He threatens to fire her, but then relents. She tells him never to yell at her again.

In court, Trooper Steve Josephs attests to pulling over the car because of DUI and finding the skeleton in the trunk. During cross-examination, Tess Hardy has him admit he had worked 14 hours in a row that night. She suggests he might have fallen asleep while awaiting backup, and someone could have planted the skeleton in the trunk while he was asleep. Brea is impressed with Tess Hardy’s cross-examination.

Herb Lucienne testifies that he received an envelope promising a $500 payment in exchange for driving the car to Lake Marie. He insists he did not know who sent the message or that there was a skeleton in the trunk. He says he has never met Cole Wright.

After the first day of court, Brea returns to her hotel room. She has continued to work on the book. She has shared Amalfi’s dying declaration with Brattleboro police, but they did not find it as credible as she does.

She attempts to text Dr. Graham to thank him for the court pass, but the number is disconnected. While searching for a different way to contact him online, she stumbles upon a series of blog posts Dr. Graham made under the pen name Doc Cams criticizing President Wright and her vice president, Faulkner, “that Philly police chief who crapped all over BLM” (310). The posts suggest taking out Cole to bring down the Wright administration. She is shocked.

Brea watches coverage of Patriots stadium staffer Stacey Millett’s testimony. She says Cole threatened to choke Suzanne, but she admits he could have just been “letting off steam” (311).

President Wright calls Cole. She tells them they plan to announce the Grand Bargain the same day as his not guilty verdict. She believes he is innocent.

Dr. Graham is driving home from a party when he has a heart attack and dies.

Brea attends the second day of the trial. The medical examiner, Alice Woods, testifies that Suzanne likely died of strangulation because her hyoid bone was broken. On cross-examination, she admits that there are other possible causes of a broken hyoid bone, such as “violent vomiting.”

Detective Gagnon testifies to her investigation. She describes the primary evidence she found at the gravesite—Suzanne’s tennis bracelet and Cole’s watch, along with one of Suzanne’s bones.

Tess Hardy cross-examines Detective Gagnon. She asks why Gagnon did not try to trace the anonymous caller who gave them the location of Suzanne’s gravesite. Gagnon replies that they already had a suspect and such a search was not necessary. Gagnon admits that sometimes evidence can be planted.

Jack Doohan stands outside the Rockingham County courthouse. He is looking for a vantage point for a public execution of a Black woman (Brea), but he cannot find one.

Felicia Bonanno testifies. She describes how heartbroken she has been since her daughter’s murder. She says she believes Cole Wright gave Suzanne the tennis bracelet when they were dating, and that its clasp had been broken during an argument between the two.

Tess Hardy cross-examines Felicia. She asks how she can be sure Cole gave Suzanne the bracelet and not one of Suzanne’s many ex-boyfriends. Felicia admits she cannot know with certainty.

After court, Brea is sent a link to a New York Times article about Dr. Graham’s death. She is rattled by the news. As she approaches her hotel, a car pulls out. She wonders who is watching her. Brea gets a call from the residential manager at Dartmouth. She has found the list of residents who lived in the house at the same time as Maddy and Cole Wright.

Cole has a nightmare that he is being pursued by a woman in a helicopter. He wakes with a start. He cannot stop thinking about Suzanne. He did not kill her, but “he thinks he knows who did” (342).

Brea reviews the list of resident names. She calls the residents who lived in the building at the same time as Cole, President Wright, and Pearce. She reaches the wife of one of the residents, Caleb Stringer, who tells her he is doing field research but will call back when he can.

Brea watches a TV news report stating two of Amalfi’s associates have been found murdered. Brea wonders if they are the men who killed Garrett.

A retired Seabrook police detective testifies that Suzanne Bonanno’s case was transferred back and forth between Seabrook and Boston multiple times. He states that the original investigator, since deceased, was a big fan of the Patriots, and that he cleared Cole Wright of any involvement in Suzanne’s disappearance. He admits the original case files, including Cole’s original statement, have since gone missing.

The textile analyst testifies that the fibers of the sheet that Suzanne’s body was wrapped in match the sheets sold at Walmart. Under cross-examination, the analyst admits she does not know if the sheet was buried with Suzanne’s body. Tess Hardy is “sowing the seeds of doubt” (351).

Back in Washington, DC, President Wright meets with Congressman Aaron Trent of New Jersey to convince him to support her Grand Bargain. He is worried about a leadership threat from Congressman Bragg. President Wright tells him she will send Congressman Bragg to France as ambassador if Trent supports the bill, and he agrees.

Pearce meets with the vice president, whose health has improved somewhat. Faulkner asks when his chief of staff will be sent back from Berlin because he wants her back, and she is unhappy there. Pearce changes the subject and encourages Faulkner to continue to work from home until his immune system has improved.

Lindsay Farrow, the Walmart IT supervisor, testifies. She introduces the CCTV evidence showing Suzanne and Cole together, buying blue sheets the night Suzanne disappeared.

After court, Bastinelli meets with the district attorney, Jennifer Pope. A man named Craig Donovan arrives. He used to work with the Patriots, and he has something important to show them.

Craig Donovan tells the district attorney he used to be a photographer with the Patriots. He says he knew Cole and Suzanne. He shows them a picture of Cole “with his hands around the neck of a cheerleader” (366).