Chapter 7

Winn jolts awake from recurring trauma nightmares beside Griffin, reflecting on their intense night and her unease with casual hookups. When Griffin prepares to leave, they mutually agree keeping things casual and infrequent is best, and he departs. Unable to sleep, Winn showers, dresses for duty, and heads to the station before dawn.

At work, she feels the isolation of leadership versus camaraderie in the bullpen. Janice brings Lily Green’s autopsy: death from a fall, no substances, no nonimpact injuries, but evidence of recent sexual activity via lubricant residue and no semen. This redirects Winn’s attention to Lily’s potential recent partner and timeline.

In the afternoon, Winn visits Melina Green, helps weed the garden, and gently probes Lily’s social life. Melina doesn’t know of a boyfriend but says Lily often met friends downtown on weekends, providing Winn a lead to bars and nightlife contacts.

Before sunset, Winn hikes to Indigo Ridge to retrace Lily’s final moments. As Winn edges close to the cliff, Griffin arrives—there to begin fencing the trail—and yanks her back, shaken by the danger. Winn explains her method of starting at the end to spot what feels off and asks about Sunday-night hangouts.

Griffin suggests Willie’s and the downtown bars, noting younger crowds gather there. He changes plans from fencing to accompanying Winn downtown, aligning with her goal to reconstruct Lily’s last hours through bar checks and potential witnesses.