“Thought Georgiana nicknamed you The Teenage Whisperer,” Foley joked.
“That she did,” Whitlock responded. “Maybe I’m losing my touch.”
“I doubt it,” I said. “I just think she was nervous when she talked to you, and in shock about losing her friend.”
“I tried to put her at ease,” Whitlock said.
“I’m sure you did,” I said. “She said you were a nice guy.”
“That I am. When I spoke with Wren, she told me she dropped by the adoption agency to get some information. When she got there, she found out it had been closed for some time.”
“Who else knew about those papers she found?” Foley asked.
“She talked to a couple of her mother’s close friends, but Wren only knew their first names—Roxy and another named Chelle,” I said. “They claimed they had no knowledge of the adoption, which seems a bit odd to me, given Chelle has known Celia since high school.”
Foley paced the room. “It’s possible she was killed because she started digging into her adoption. Someone may have heard about it, and they didn’t want the truth to be exposed.”
“I agree,” I said.
“We investigated the adoption angle already. The agency closed fifteen years ago after the owner died. And before you ask, the owner’s death wasn’t suspicious. Her name was Betty Parrish, and she had cancer.”
“Wonder what happened to the records.”
“We tracked down the secretary. She told us that right before Betty died, the records disappeared. One night they were there. The next, they were gone.”
“Someone knows something. Have you spoken to Celia’s friends?”
Whitlock nodded. “The ladies you just referred to are Roxy Sterling and Chelle Cavendish. They gave us the same story Wren gave you. They had no knowledge of Holly’s adoption.”
“Do you believe them?” I asked.
Whitlock rested his elbows on the desk. “Seemed believable, but who knows? I will say this—I found a photo album in Celia’s house. It was filled with pictures she’d taken over the years. Chelle was in a lot of them, which tells me she was a big part of their lives.”
I tapped a finger to my lips, thinking.
“Maybe I should question Chelle and Roxy and see what I can find out,” I said, turning toward Foley. “What do you think?”
“If I say no, you’ll do it anyway. I’m not even sure why you still come in when something like this lands on your desk. Even if I believed we could handle it without you, and we can, you’d still take the case.”
“I believe it’s best to be upfront and respectful.”
Foley raised a brow. “Respectful, eh?”
“Wren asked for my help, and I’m going to give it to her,” I said. “Unless you want to collaborate with me, I’ll stay out of your way.”
“Oh, I doubt that. You have a knack for pushing things into motion before we’re prepared for the impact. But since you’re here, is there anything else we should know?”
“I can’t think of anything, but I did want to ask you both about Holly’s neighbor, the one who found her. She told Wren she heard a loud sound. She walked over to check on Holly, and she found her on the floor near the front door.”
Whitlock nodded. “She did, and when she realized Holly had been shot, she called us.”
“You find any suspicious fingerprints in the house?” I asked.
“None so far,” Whitlock said.
“What about Lenny Cutler, Celia’s ex-husband? Have you spoken to him?”
“We’re still trying to locate the guy. No luck so far.”
