For most murder investigations, I worked alongside my team—two women who, like me, came from law enforcement. Hunter had served as a detective in the same county I once did, while Simone had built her career as a forensic anthropologist. Shortly after I opened the detective agency, they both came on board. Since then, we’d operated as a tight unit whenever we took on a murder investigation. Hunter remained in the background, piecing together suspect intel, and Simone spoke to friends, neighbors, and potential suspects.
With the agency slowing down over the past two months, Hunter had gone to spend time with her sister, and Simone had taken off on a vacation with Paul—her husband, and my brother. Without them, the case would require a lot of extra work. Still, I felt steady and confident I could handle it on my own.
“I’ll take the case,” I said.
“Good. When can you start?”
“Now.”
She pressed her hands together, pleased. “Is there anything you need from me?”
“I know some of the details about the investigation, but there’s a lot I still don’t know,” I said. “Do you feel up to answering some questions?”
“Even if I’m not, I’ll muddle my way through them.”
I reached for the cup of tea I’d made myself earlier, but one sip told me it had already gone cold. I set it aside.
“What was Audrey’s demeanor like in the weeks prior to her death?” I asked.
“Much the same as always, I suppose. My daughter was the quiet type, even around her father and me. She’d chat with us about everyday things, but when it came to her own feelings, she was often cautious about what she shared.”
“Why do you think Audrey kept so much to herself?”
“She was an introvert. Been on the quiet side ever since she was a kid.”
“Do you have any other children?”
She shook her head. “After Audrey was born, we tried to conceive again, but we were unable to have another child.”
I imagined it made the sting of Audrey’s death even more painful.
“What were Audrey’s relationships like with her friends?” I asked.
Rosemary crossed one leg over the other. “She had plenty of acquaintances but not many close friends. I always described her friend groups as her outer and inner circles. Most stayed on the outer edge, but a few, like Talia Kinkaid, were trusted with the parts of Audrey that no one else saw.”
“How long had Audrey been friends with Talia?”
“Since they were four years old. They attended preschool together. Once they met, they became fast friends, and before we knew it, they were inseparable.” She paused, then added, “Talia’s parents have stopped by a few times since the funeral. They seem worried. They told me Talia doesn’t leave her room most days, and she hasn’t eaten much since Audrey died.”
Hearing about Talia’s close relationship with Audrey, I looked forward to speaking with her, and I hoped when I did she would be willing to talk.
“Was Audrey dating anyone before she died?”
Rosemary hesitated. “She was dating Logan. He lives across the street from us, and he’s known Audrey since grade school. I’d always suspected he liked her, but he’d never acted on it, not until a few months before she died. He turned up at our door with pink roses, a box of chocolates, and a poem he’d written about a teenager with a crush. It was the sweetest thing.”
“I wonder what pushed him to act on his feelings.”
“Oh, I know why he did it. A new boy moved to town, and he didn’t wait long before he showed an interest in Audrey.”
“What’s the new boy’s name?”
“Colton Jagger.”
“What did Audrey think of Colton?”
“She found him to be pushy and aggressive, though I doubt she ever told him to his face. She did send him a text message telling him the attention he was giving her was making her feel overwhelmed, and she thought they should just be friends.”
“How did he respond?”
