Caroline Friday’s elective becomes the doorway into the Bingham murder investigation. Her question about the death penalty wins Bill Murdock’s attention; her choice of Rusty Gibb’s case brings her into the mystery that will shape her future.
Chapter overview
Caroline enters Bill Murdock’s investigative reporting class wary of the workload. She has left Burger Empire, returned to her father’s restaurant for three shifts a week, and is pursuing a business degree largely to satisfy him. Murdock’s blunt manner and mission to investigate wrongful convictions quickly make this elective feel more compelling than her expected path.
While the class handles disturbing case files, Caroline challenges Murdock about capital punishment after seeing a photograph of a murdered child. He gives a case dependent answer, praises the question, and asks the students to choose investigations. Caroline joins Ryan Billings, Brad Church, and Carly Gucci, then selects the 1983 murders of Dr. Lawrence Bingham and Eva Goodmans Bingham. Rusty Gibb is on death row; his co-defendant Mark Doverspike died in prison. Caroline recognizes the family from a party her father catered years earlier and begins dissecting the folder. The closing line signals that she will live with this case for a long time.
About the Author
Matt De Reno
Matt De Reno is the author of The Midas Files, a Pittsburgh-rooted science-fiction thriller series exploring ancient power, impossible technology, hidden history, and the people caught in between. In Bingham’s Notebook, he opens the files behind the fiction—examining characters, artifacts, locations, chapter connections, and the evolving mythology of the series. Email him at
