Chapter 41

It was completely ridiculous, but the first thing Emma felt was relief.

"Murder?" she asked.

"He was found just like this," he said, gesturing with his phone. "Whoever this woman is, whoever put this rope around his throat, killed him."

Emma touched the screen of his phone again and watched as it began to play. "Autoerotic-asphyxiation," she said.

Alvarez nodded.

She shook her head. "Take it back to the beginning."

Alvarez rewound the video. As it began to play, Emma took it out of his hands and studied Tommy's face. "Is he drugged?" she finally asked.

Alvarez leaned over so that he could see the screen, too. "Why?"

She paused the video as the camera focused on his face. "He looks out of it. Like he just woke up."

Alvarez nodded. "I noticed that, too."

"But who takes a nap naked on the floor with the pillow under their knees instead of their head?"

"What are you thinking?"

"That he told me this was something he would never do."

Alvarez turned to Emma. "You talked about thi