“We won’t disrupt your daughter’s things,” Bel soothed. “We just want to look around without compromising the room further with too many people.”
“Okay. I’ll be downstairs with my wife.” The man left, and the moment he was out of earshot, Griffin whirled on her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Teenage girl in college who comes from a tight-knit family?” Bel said. “She sneaked out to see a guy. That’s my guess, at least. Her father’s adamant that his daughter is still innocent and virginal, and I believe Ariella adores her parents. You can see the love in this house.” She pointed to the photo collage on the wall, half of which pictured the beaming family hugging each other before various vacation backdrops throughout the years. “The family photos posted where she can always see them, the smiles, this cute room. She seems close to her parents, and I suspect she didn’t want her father to view her differently. It’s obvious from the way she positions herself in these photographs that she loves her mom, but she’s one hundred percent a daddy’s girl.” Bel plucked free a Polaroid of teenage Ariella wearing roller skates and clutching her dad’s hand for support. The teen was hysterically laughing, and her father held her as if she were gold. Their body language in that single photo told a greater story than any words could. This girl and her dad were inseparable.
“Ariella wants her father to see her as his precious angel, but she’s also nineteen and experiencing very adult hormones,” Bel continued. “My guess is she waited for her parents to go to bed and snuck out, opting to leave her phone at home just in case they checked her location. If a college boy was involved, then I bet you alcohol was too. She probably passed out drunk at someone’s house.”
“You think the friend is covering for her?” Griffin asked.
“Most likely.”
“But what about her keys? I get leaving without your phone and wallet if you’re headed to a friend’s party, but don’t you need them to get back in the house? She might have left her car here for the same reason as her cell, but she would need her keys.”
“Unless she left a window unlocked,” Bel said. “Kids who sneak out get creative. Door hinges can squeal, staircases creak, so she could’ve climbed out a window. Or maybe the Tritons are lying about fighting last night. Or they don’t consider their conversation as a fight, but Ariella’s nineteen-year-old brain saw it as such. Maybe she got pissed off and crashed at her friend’s.”
“Another reason Ondine would lie about seeing her.”
“It’s the sisterhood,” Bel said. “Based on everything, that’s my guess, especially since she hasn’t been missing that long. There are obviously scarier explanations, but I don’t want to consider those yet. These parents are probably just experiencing their only daughter’s independence for the first time, and it’s freaking them out.”
“Which is why we need to talk to Ondine,” Griffin said. “Well, you should. I doubt a teenage girl would open up to me, but she might confess what’s going on to you. It’s one thing to lie to your friend’s parents. It’s another to lie to the police.”
“Ondine?”The girl’s mother knocked on her bedroom door. “There’s an officer here to see you.” A thud sounded from inside the room, and a second later, the brunette tugged the door open, her leg still tangled in the sheets.
“Is everything okay?” She gawked at her intruders, a hint of fear in her eyes that gave Bel hope. If she wore guilt on herfeatures, there was a good chance that she held the answers to Ariella’s whereabouts.
“She’s looking for Ariella,” Mrs. Mar said. Bel had gotten the family’s address from the Tritons, the drive taking only a few minutes, but Ondine’s mom was adamant Ariella wasn’t in her home. Bel believed her, but she still suspected Ondine knew more than she was letting on.
“This isn’t a police investigation,” Bel said, hoping the casualness of her visit would loosen tongues. “I’m only here as a favor to the Triton family. They can’t locate Ariella, and since the circumstances are odd, I agreed to help.”
“Well, she isn’t here,” Ondine said.
“Your mother told me that, but if it’s okay, I’d still like to ask you a few questions.” Bel didn’t miss the way the teen’s eyes flicked to her mom. She knew something. It just wasn’t information her mother was permitted to hear. “Do you mind giving us a minute?” Bel offered Mrs. Mar a comforting smile.
“Don’t I need to stay?” the woman asked.
“Your daughter is legally an adult,” Bel said before deciding to switch her approach. “It seems Ariella left her house of her own free will, purposely leaving her phone behind so her parents couldn’t find her. Your daughter is her best friend, so in case she needs to share sensitive information about the Tritons, it might be best if she just talks to me.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Mar’s eyes widened with understanding. “Well, I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
“Thank you.” Bel watched the woman leave, knowing full well that Ondine’s need for privacy stemmed from her own sins, not necessarily Ariella’s, but she didn’t want to disrupt this family’s Sunday morning any more than she already had. “I’m Detective Isobel Emerson,” she introduced herself to the teen. “Do you mind?” She gestured to the girl’s desk.
“Sure, come in.” Ondine settled back onto her bed. “But Ariella really isn’t here. I’m not hiding her.”
“I can tell.” Bel scanned the clean but modest bedroom. Unless Ariella was crammed into the closet, the missing girl wasn’t here. “But I suspect you know where she is.”
“I don’t,” Ondine spoke too fast, but Bel remained silent, letting the weight of her stare speak for her. “Well, I don’t know where she is right now,” the girl caved.
“But you saw her last night?”
“I did.” Ondine curled her legs against her chest as she spoke. “We went to a lake party. Ariella waited until her parents fell asleep, then snuck out. She always leaves her phone at home when we do that.”
“Do you party often?”
“No, but we’re in college, and Ariella’s parents are strict.”
“Strict?” Bel leaned forward in her chair.
