The Inmate

Brooke waits for Tim outside the house so that Josh won’t get the wrong idea about their night out. They go to a local bar, the Shamrock. The waitress is a girl named Kelli Underwood who was a year or two behind them in high school. Kelli clearly has feelings for Tim, and Tim admits they went on a few dates.

Tim asks Brooke about the past 10 years; he has tried but failed to find her on social media. Brooke has always stayed off social media. In high school, her parents worked hard to keep her name out of the papers during Shane’s trial and to hide her pregnancy, so intense privacy became a habit.

On Saturday, Brooke goes grocery shopping and runs into Kelli. At first, Kelli confronts her about Tim, but as they talk, Kelli recognizes her from the trial. Kelli accuses Brooke of lying about what happened at Shane’s farmhouse, claiming that Shane was too good a person to do what he was accused of.

The novel flashes back again. Everyone questions Tim about his relationship with Tracy Gifford, but he’s clearly uncomfortable and leaves the room. Brooke follows him into the kitchen.