Page 223 of Faking the Goal

His expression softens slightly.

"So even if you had smiled less, talked less, kept more distance, there's no guarantee any of that would've changed what he chose to believe. He could've taken something else just as harmless and twisted that instead."

He gives me a small, reassuring nod.

"That's why I don't want you going back through every interaction and wondering what you should've done differently. You didn't cause this, Miss Lewis."

I swallow around the lump in my throat and give a small nod.

"Thank you."

Matthews closes that section of the file, and for a second I think the meeting is over.

Then Kentaro speaks.

"Detective?"

Matthews looks up. "Yeah?"

"There's one more person we think you should look into."

"Who?"

Kentaro glances at me first.

I already know who he's thinking of.

"Corey Finnegan."

Matthews picks up his pen again. "Tell me about him."

I shift in my chair.

"I... hooked up with him before."

Kentaro stays completely still beside me, but his hand remains wrapped around mine.

"It wasn't anything serious. Afterward, he asked me out and I turned him down."

"How did he take that?"

"Fine." I hesitate. "At least, I thought he did."

Matthews waits.

"But after he found out Kentaro and I were dating, he started acting different."

"Different how?"

I exhale slowly. "Hostile, I guess."

"Has he threatened you?"

"No."

"Sent you messages? Followed you? Shown up somewhere he shouldn't have?"

"Not that I know of."