“They haven’t had time to practice their stories. Let’s see if we can play them against each other. She was Ariella’s friend first… Ondine, thank you for coming in.” Bel extended a welcoming hand to the teenager. “Come in and take a seat.”
“Am I under arrest?” She sank into the offered chair.
“No, we just have a few questions,” Bel said as they joined her in the interview room.
“About Ariella? I already told you everything I know about her disappearance.”
“No,” Bel said. “Erik.”
“Erik? Why Erik?”
“How long have you two been dating?” Bel asked.
“What?” Ondine blinked at her. “We aren’t…”
“We saw you kissing earlier,” Olivia said. “There’s no use lying about it. So, how long has this been going on?”
“About a month.” Ondine hunched in surrender. “But I didn’t mean for it to happen. Ariella’s disappearance devastated us, and we leaned on each other for support. We didn’t set out to kiss. It was just so nice to connect with someone. I’ve felt so guilty about us, but he sees me. I know it goes against girl code to date your BFF’s boyfriend, especially when she’s missing, but Erik is kind and understanding.”
“And older,” Olivia added. “Erik plays off his youthful appearance, but did you know he’s almost a decade your senior?”
“I did, but I’m nineteen.”
“True, but don’t you find it odd that a man who’s almost thirty has dated not one, but two teenage girls?” Bel asked.
“No.” Ondine’s answer came too fast, but Bel saw the truth flicker in her eyes. The oddity had crossed her mind.
“How did Ariella and Erik meet?” she asked.
“At the community college coffee shop. Ariella always said it was fate because they had identical drink orders. He paidsince he thought it was a sign, and they started dating almost immediately.”
“What was a man in his late twenties doing on a college campus?” Olivia asked.
“He…” Ondine’s indignance died, and Bel didn’t need her to answer the question. Ondine had no explanation for his presence.
“Did he pursue Ariella, or did she chase him?” Bel asked.
“Oh, he one hundred percent wooed her.” Ondine’s face turned dreamy, a stark contrast to the detectives’ expressions. “It was so romantic. But Mr. Triton would’ve been against their relationship, so Ariella resisted him at first.”
“Understandably,” Olivia said, not bothering to hide her disgust at Erik’s behavior.
“But Erik wouldn’t take no for an answer,” the girl continued, throwing a pinched glare at Gold. “He was sweet and charming, and he won her over.”
“When was this?” Bel asked despite not wanting to hear the response.
“Last year.”
“So Ariella was only eighteen?”
“Yes.”
“Desperate for an eighteen-year-old,” Olivia muttered under her breath as she leaned into Bel’s ear. “The younger the girlfriend, the longer he can use her. It might raise suspicions if a man approaching thirty rotates through college girls, but one girlfriend for all four years? People would eventually tune him out, making him a normality on campus. No one would question his presence at parties.”
“But then Ariella went missing, and he had to pivot fast,” Bel added. “One month after her disappearance, he has a new college girlfriend, one that people already associate him with. One that won’t raise eyebrows as much as another girl.”
“What are you talking about?” Ondine asked.
“Did Erik ever behave weirdly at parties?” Bel asked. “Did he ever disappear or follow certain girls too closely? Or did he ever visit campus when Ariella wasn’t around?”
