The Book of Cold Cases

After her last visit to the Greer mansion Shea is afraid, but then her fear turns to anger. She calls Joshua Black and asks if he has ever hated Beth. He says yes, and then tells her that Anton Anders, the man who tried to abduct her, will have a parole hearing soon. He encourages her to speak at the hearing and tells her that it might help with her anger. He also encourages her to continue with the Lady Killer case. When she checks her email, she has an alert for Claire Lake crime and a message from Michael about the property records. She sets her anger aside and begins to work on the property records.

The next day after work she visits the county courthouse archives to find the older property records that are not online. She finds out that one of the homes on Linwood Street had been the Elizabeth Trevor House for Women from 1949 through 1956. The archivist tells her that Elizabeth Trevor was a local woman who championed the rights of unwed mothers, and they realize that Elizabeth Trevor House was most likely a home for unwed mothers.

Shea meets Michael at a diner and tells him that she thinks she solved the Lady Killer case. She explains about Mariana and the Elizabeth Trevor house, and they realize that Julian may not have known about Mariana's illegitimate child until Mariana's mother died and left him all of her papers. This other woman, Beth's sister, could be the killer.

That night at one o'clock in the morning, Beth calls Shea. Shea tells her that she knows about Beth's sister and is going to find her. Beth tells her that she has already met Lily and that she is dead. Shea asks if she jumped off the cliff, and Beth says Lily would not commit suicide. Beth tells Shea to come to her house the next day, but Shea is not sure she will. She reflects on Beth living for 40 years in a haunted house.

Beth is six years old, and lonely. She thinks there is something wrong with the house but cannot explain it to anyone. Her father did renovations and added windows, but the curtains always stayed shut because the view is so unsettling. Her mother had decorated in a modern style, and the result was a mishmash of both her parents' tastes. One morning, Beth wakes early and sees footprints in the dewy grass outside her bedroom window. A note in the frost on the window, written by a child, says I was here. Beth writes back, Come in.

Beth is going home after school for Christmas break. When she gets off the bus, she sees lights on at her house. This surprises her, as her parents are usually not home when she gets home from school. Beth anticipates trouble, as her grandmother had died the previous week, and her parents had been fighting. In the living room, Mariana introduces her to a blond girl a few years older than her, who she says is Beth’s cousin. Beth understands that something strange is going on but is happy that there is another child in the house.

When they are alone in Beth's bedroom, Lily surveys all of her things and asks Beth if she has friends. Beth says no and speaks of bullies. Lily says she will teach Beth to make them afraid of her. Beth realizes that Lily left the message on the window, and Lily says they will be sisters. Beth is excited but also has mixed feelings about Lily.

Lily comes to stay with Beth's family over Christmas. Julian and Mariana have a terrible fight, and Julian leaves. The next day, Mariana leaves and does not come home for three days. Beth and Lily are alone over Christmas, and Beth realizes that, for the most part, she does not miss her parents or the atmosphere that fills the house when they are there. Lily tells her that she is not Beth's cousin but lives with a foster family. After three days, Mariana and Julian both return. Julian kicks Lily out of the house, but Lily tells Beth she will be back. When Beth asks about Lily's parents, Mariana replies that they are dead, and Julian leaves the room. Beth knows they are lying.

From that time on, Lily stays at the Greer mansion each Christmas, and Julian always leaves while she is there. Some years, Mariana leaves as well, and the two girls are alone, but some years she stays and celebrates Christmas with them. Lily becomes Beth's closest and only friend. Lily gives her advice on how to deal with bullies and boys and how to make people do what she wants. One Christmas, Beth verbalizes that she has always, on some level, known that Mariana is Lily's mother. Beth also realizes that Lily will always come before Beth for Mariana. Lily tells Beth that she is going to get what she wants, which is the house, among other things. Beth tells Lily that she wants to be like her.

When Beth is 14 Lily comes for Christmas with a bruise on her face. That year, Julian does not leave as he usually does. The groundskeeper, David, goes missing, and his body is found in April. Beth suspects Lily is involved but buries the suspicions. The next time Lily visits, she is staying with a new foster family because bad things befell the other one. Beth and Lily get drunk and go bike riding in the middle of the night. Lily asks what Beth is going to do with her life, and tells her that if she doesn’t decide, she will end up married off like Mariana was. Lily asks Beth how much money Mariana will give Lily when she ages out of foster care, and Beth tells her that Julian controls all of the money, even Mariana's. Lily is angry and says that she and Beth are going to have to save themselves. She says that sometimes it seems like doing something bad is the only thing to do and wonders why women are never the ones in a clock tower, a reference that Beth does not understand.