Chapter 7 Summary: Cassie, 2017

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

After failing to persuade Dolores Rivera to speak with her, Cassie Bowman decides to stay overnight at Hotel Botanica, the motel where Andres Russo was murdered in 1986. She brings an overnight bag and checks in for sixty-five dollars a night, partly out of financial necessity and partly out of a morbid fascination with the crime scene. The motel is a modest family establishment, with a courtyard pool, children splashing, and Tejano music playing—a stark contrast to the violence that occurred there decades earlier.

Alone in her room, Cassie reviews the case file she has obtained. According to Dolores's statement, she had no advance knowledge that Andres was coming to town. He visited the bank where she worked twice on August 1, but Dolores was unavailable both times—first in a board meeting, then at a doctor's appointment. Andres left a note with her colleague Oscar Martinez, but the note was never recovered; Dolores claimed it simply read, “I'm sorry I missed you.” Cassie finds this suspicious, wondering why a husband would leave such a vague message.

A neighbor's witness statement reveals that around 4:30 that afternoon, Andres and Fabian argued outside the Rivera house. Andres pointed at something inside and said, “That, there, she's my wife!” Fabian yelled at him to leave, and Andres told Fabian he was staying at Hotel Botanica and that they needed to talk. This explains how Fabian knew where Andres was staying, though not how he knew the exact room number.

The timeline shows that Fabian was alibied at the family ranch until about 8:00, while Dolores took her twins to Wendy's and a movie. Fabian was seen at the motel between 10:00 and 10:30, within Andres's estimated time of death (between 9:00 and midnight). Cassie pores over crime scene photos, noting a partial fingerprint on the wooden platform base of the bed—a piece of evidence that led police to Fabian. The murder weapon, a Ruger Mark II .22 caliber pistol, was later recovered from the Rio Grande.

The next morning, hungover and still without word from Dolores, Cassie drives around Laredo, eventually ending up near the river. She reads the autopsy report and examines the slug that killed Andres. Then Dolores calls. She has been rereading the article about her and is upset about what Penelope said. Dolores agrees to tell her story, but on one condition: she will not discuss the day Andres died. Cassie, eager to secure the interview, accepts.

Key Events

• Cassie checks into Hotel Botanica, the murder site, and reviews the case file.

• Dolores's statement reveals she was unavailable when Andres visited her bank twice; he left a note that was never recovered.

• A neighbor witnesses Andres and Fabian arguing outside the Rivera house; Andres reveals he is staying at Hotel Botanica.

• Fabian's alibi places him at the ranch until 8:00, but he is seen at the motel between 10:00 and 10:30, within the estimated time of death.

• Cassie examines crime scene photos, including a partial fingerprint on the bed frame that implicates Fabian.

• The murder weapon, a Ruger Mark II, is recovered from the Rio Grande.

• Dolores calls Cassie the next day and agrees to an interview, but refuses to discuss the day Andres died.

Character Development

Cassie's obsession with true crime deepens in this chapter. She is drawn to the macabre details of the murder scene, imagining Andres's final moments and feeling a