“Not with any actual words, but he did send her a couple of emojis, an X and a thumbs-down.” Shaking her head, she added, “Teens these days. It’s like no one knows how to communicate anymore.”
“So, Audrey shot Colton down. What about Logan?”
“I assumed Audrey and Logan would date one day, and I was right. Once Logan made his feelings known, Audrey admitted she felt the same, and they started seeing each other.”
In the short time she’d been there, Rosemary had provided me with two possible suspects, and we were just getting started. Conversations with grieving parents were always the hardest, and Rosemary was no exception. It never felt right to press, but I had questions, hard ones, and they couldn’t go unasked.
“What can you tell me about the last day Audrey was alive?” I asked.
Rosemary gripped the chair as if steadying herself for the conversation ahead. “It was an ordinary day. She stayed in her room for most of it, sorting through closets and drawers, trying to choose what would go with her to college and what she’d donate to charity. It was almost dinnertime, and she came downstairs, letting me know she was heading over to Talia’s house.”
“Was the visit to Talia’s planned or spontaneous?”
“Planned. They were going to talk about their college send-off party.”
“What’s a send-off party?”
“Talia, Audrey, and a few of their friends had booked a weekend away at an oceanfront house in Santa Barbara. It would have been the last chance for them all to be together before they left for college.”
“What are the names of the other friends?”
She tapped a finger to her lips, thinking. “Let’s see now … I believe the other three were Willow Robinson, Sadie Holt, and McKenna Moore. There might be a couple of others. I’m not sure.”
“What time did Audrey leave for Talia’s house?”
“Oh, about half past five.”
“After sunset.”
Rosemary nodded. “She’d wanted to head over earlier, but packing up her room took a lot longer than she thought it would.”
“How often did Audrey cut through the woods?”
Rosemary gave it some thought. “I’d say more often than not. Talia’s house isn’t far, about a ten-minute walk from our place. We spoke in the kitchen for a few minutes, and then I told her to text me when she got there. She said she would, and that was the last … the last time I ever …”
The tears welled up again, and she reached for a fresh tissue, blotting her eyes and then pressing the tissue to her nose.
I waited.
It couldn’t have been easy for her, sitting across from me, reliving the last moments she spent with her daughter.
A few minutes passed, and I said, “I know how hard this must be, dredging up the memories that are painful to think about. If it’s too difficult, we can talk again later. I have enough to get started.”
Rosemary shook her head and reached for some more tissues. “If it’s all right, I’d like to finish.”
“Of course.”
She took a few deep breaths in and continued. “After Audrey left the house, I was busy cleaning up the kitchen. A half hour went by before I realized Audrey hadn’t texted me to let me know she’d arrived at Talia’s. I sent her a text, and when I didn’t hear back, I called Brianne, Talia’s mother. She said Audrey hadn’t arrived yet, and that Talia had sent Audrey a text message but hadn’t heard from her either. She figured Audrey must have gotten sidetracked and wasn’t coming over.”
“What did you do when you learned she never made it to Talia’s house?”
“I ran into the living room, where my husband, Dustin, was watching television. I told him Audrey wasn’t at Talia’s. He threw on his coat, grabbed a flashlight, and went out to search for her. Minutes later he returned, his face drained of all color. The second he walked through the door, he fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. Then he looked at me. He didn’t need to utter a single word. In that moment, I knew something awful had happened.”
3
“Why am I not surprised?”
Foley leaned back in his chair, laced his fingers behind his head, and sighed.
