Ellie gently touched Beth Ann’s hand. “I’m so sorry, honey. What happened?”
Beth Ann’s face crumpled. “Well, Daddy came down on her hard one day and they got in a big fight. He accused her of sleeping around with different boys, but I didn’t believe it. Minnie was shy and didn’t date although there was one guy she liked, but she was too nervous to talk to him.”
Ellie contemplated that observation, wondering if this boy was Iris’s father.
“What was his name?” Ellie asked.
Beth Ann drummed her fingers on the table in thought. “Marty Burgess. He was a junior back then.”
“Do you know where he is now?”
Beth Ann shook her head. “No. After Minnie ran off, our house was a nightmare. I lost touch with everyone at high school when I went to college.”
“Is it possible that he and Minnie hooked up at some point?”
Beth Ann’s eyes widened. “Gosh, I don’t know. But not long after my dad accused her of sleeping around, Minnie ran away. I tried to ask Dad about it, but he told me to stay out of it, that it was none of my business.”
Ellie silently cursed, sympathy for Minnie welling inside her.
“Why are you asking me about her dating?” Beth Ann asked.
“Just trying to understand Minnie’s background and mindset. Did your parents file a missing persons report when she disappeared?”
“No, although my mother talked to the police, but Dad was furious that Minnie ran away and dismissed it as rebellion. It drove a wedge between me and Dad and Mom, too.”
Ellie nodded in understanding. “He didn’t want to talk to me either,” Ellie said.
“How was my mom when you told her?”
“She was upset and in shock.” Ellie paused. “Did Minnie have any enemies?”
The young woman’s frown deepened. “Not that I know of. But I have no idea what went on with her after she ran away or where she went. All I know is that when I was home for the holidays and she was still living at home, she acted sullen. I heard her crying in her room a lot, and she was depressed, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. Every day she became more and more withdrawn.”
Something must have happened to trigger the change in her personality.
Beth Ann clenched her hands. “You mentioned a suicide note?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see it?”
Ellie hesitated, stomach churning. “Yes, but first I have a couple more questions.”
Elbows on the table, Beth Ann held the sides of her face to hold herself up as if she might crumble again. “Okay.”
Ellie blinked back tears of compassion for Minnie’s sister, tears she couldn’t show to the grieving young woman. She had to remain professional and find answers for Minnie and the family.
Even if the father seemed like a cold-hearted bastard. For all she knew, he could have been involved in Minnie’s death. Different scenarios raced through her head. What if Mr. Benton was ashamed his daughter had a child out of wedlock? Even though he claimed not to have known about his daughter’spregnancy, he could have lied. That attitude seemed old-fashioned but it still existed even in this century.
What if Minnie wanted to come home or had asked for help with the baby and he refused?
What if that refusal drove her to suicide?
A war raged in Ellie’s head. No… Laney had found deep bruises on Minnie’s back and shoulder. Her COD was murder.
Beth Ann’s eyes narrowed. “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
Ellie nodded and squeezed the young woman’s hand. “Were you aware Minnie had a daughter?”
