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crust. You could eat pizza hotter if you used a knife and fork, but no self-respecting New Yorker ate pizza with a knife and fork.
    I chewed, washed it down with some soda, then said, “No, not really.”
    “That’s your secret, isn’t it? You don’t care about anything or anyone.”
    I couldn’t tell if he said it with disgust or admiration. But the truth was, I didn’t care about that either.
    He went on, and what he said next sounded like a kind of curse. He said, “God help you if you ever do start to care. You won’t be used to it, and you’ll suffer.”
    I just took another bite. That didn’t even deserve an answer.
    Edward took the hint, and we ate our pizza in silence.
    Even with two slices, I was done before him. I stood up. “Got to go, Eddie.”
    He hated when I called him that.
    “You’re a bastard,” he said.
    I smiled. That was another reason why I liked Edward. He told the truth.
     
    THE INVESTIGATION
    LIE DETECTION
     
     
     
     
    I n a homicide investigation, there are two sources of information: evidence and people. The main difference between the two is that evidence doesn’t lie.
    An investigator working with the second source, people, must be able to discern trustworthy information from information that is suspect.
    A June 8, 2007, ScienceDaily article reveals new investigative interviewing strategies. Investigators are generally trained to watch for both visual and verbal cues: ability to hold eye contact or body movement indicating nervousness (such as shifting in one’s seat) as well as stumbling over words or giving contradictory information.
    However, the study “Interviewing to Detect Deception,” funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, shows that investigators who pay attention to visual cues over speech-related cues do worse in being able to distinguish truth from lies. Liars often appear less nervous than people telling the truth. The best way to distinguish a liar is to “raise the cognitive load” by asking interviewees to repeat their stories, tell them in reverse order, or give them in more detail.
    Investigations are further complicated by the fact that lying is not necessarily an admission of guilt. People can lie for many different reasons. They are not always lying to cover up a crime.

Nora

    Sunday Morning, Deirdre’s Visit
     
     
     
     
    I was still in my nightgown when my sister arrived. I had just gotten up and was making coffee when I heard the front door. I thought it might be Tammy, except it would have taken a crisis to get her up before noon on a weekend.
    When I went out into the living room, I discovered Deirdre coming in with a diaper bag over one shoulder and one of the twins asleep on the other. She looked tired, as if it were the middle of the night, after a hard day, instead of first thing in the morning.
    “Is there any coffee left?” was the first thing she said to me.
    “I’m only just making it now,” I told her.
    She looked at me and took in the nightgown. “You’re not even dressed yet,” she said accusingly.
    “It’s only seven thirty,” I said.
    That Deirdre was here so early meant she must have been up well before six, since she lived a good hour and a half away. And she would have had to pack the car with all the things the twins needed. It’s always amazed me, not just how much work kids are, but also how much stuff you seem to need to take care of them.
    “And I didn’t know you were coming,” I added.
    It was the mildest way I could think to say it, but my sister still jumped all over it.
    “What do you mean, you didn’t know I was coming? I spoke to Mom this week.”
    “Well, she didn’t tell me,” I said.
    “I guess maybe she doesn’t tell you everything then. You think you’re so close now, but you’re not.”
    It usually ended up like this, but it was a bad sign that it was starting out this way. Deirdre and I had been close when we were growing up. We formed a united front against my mother and