Several photos scattered across the table confirmed what Sean had already suspected. Their victim was thirty-two-year-old Daphne Jones, a receptionist at a local insurance agency. Dental records would make the identification official, but Sean had no doubt.
Deputy Cumberland had given them a brief overview when they arrived, but Sean wanted Cheryl to start from the beginning. First, though, they had to tell her what happened. Cumberland hadn’t shared the details yet.
Sean hated this part of the job, but it had to be done. His steady gaze met her confused one. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Daphne’s body was discovered early this morning. She was murdered.”
A horrified gasp escaped her, and her hand flew to her mouth as the color drained from her face.
Before she could ask questions he couldn’t answer, Sean continued. “I can’t discuss the details right now, but we need your help finding whoever did this to her. Okay?”
Tears slid down her cheeks as she whispered, “Okay.”
“I know you already spoke to the deputy, but I’d appreciate it if you went through everything again. Sometimes people remember details they overlooked the first time.”
She drew in a ragged breath and wiped her eyes with a tissue that Deputy Cumberland was kind enough to hand her. “A b-bunch of us girls went out Saturday night. We went to dinner at Martino’s in Jarvisburg. It—it’s a new restaurant on Central Avenue.”
“What time?”
She cleared her throat. “Um... Around six-thirty. I drove Daphne and our friend Janet, and we met Diane and Michelle there. We stayed until about nine, then went to Visions in Elizabeth City.”
Her gaze shifted between the two agents.
“I know the club,” Brian said. “Go ahead.”
“The place was packed like always, and we ran into a lot of people we knew.” She twisted the tissue in her hands. “It wasn’t unusual for us to lose track of each other for a while.”
“When did you realize Daphne was gone?” Sean asked.
Cheryl sniffed hard before answering. “Honestly, we didn’t think she was missing at first. We figured she met some guy and left with him. It wouldn’t have been the first time.” She shook her head fast. “Not that she slept around or anything. She just... liked to hook up with someone once in a while.”
Brian jotted a few notes onto his pad. “Okay. When was the last time anyone saw her, and when did you realize she was gone?”
“Um... the last time I saw her was around eleven, I think. We were in the ladies’ room together.” Cheryl twisted the damp tissue in her hands. “Around one-thirty, the rest of us started looking for her because Janet had too much to drink and wanted to go home. We searched the whole club and couldn’t find Daphne. When the place closed at two, we figured she’d left with some guy.”
“Why didn’t you report her missing yesterday?” Sean asked.
Her gaze shifted to him. “I didn’t know she never came home. When I got up Sunday morning, her bedroom door was shut, so I thought she was sleeping. I spent most of the day babysitting my nieces while my brother and sister-in-law went to a wedding. By the time I got home, I went straight to bed. It wasn’t unusual for us to go a day without seeing each other. Her boss called me this morning to ask why she hadn’t shown up, since I’m her emergency contact. That’s when I knew something was wrong. Daphne never misses a day at work without calling first.”
After several more questions about Daphne’s routines, former boyfriends, and whether she’d mentioned anyone suspicious lately, Brian asked, “Does she have family nearby? We’ll need to notify them.”
“No. Her parents and sisters live in Chicago.” Cheryl pointed toward the closed bedroom door. “Their addresses and phone numbers are in her journal on the dresser. She told me to call them if anything ever happened to her.”
Without being asked, Deputy Cumberland headed into the bedroom to retrieve it.
“How can I call them and tell them that... that...” The reality of everything crashed into Cheryl at once. A sob tore from her throat.
Sean reached across the table and rested a hand on her arm. “You won’t have to. We’ll contact Daphne’s parents.”
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe she’s dead.” Her shoulders shook harder. “We should’ve looked for her.”
“Your friend was probably gone long before anyone realized something was wrong. This isn’t your fault.”
She lifted red-rimmed eyes to his.
“All the blame belongs to the person who killed her,” he said. “And I promise you, we’re going to do everything we can to find them and make sure Daphne gets justice.”
Chapter Five
Sean, Brian, and Rafe left the sheriff’s department a little after six and split up for the evening. There was still no sign of Stuart Crowell, so they’d spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing the women who’d been with Daphne Jones Saturday night. None of them had seen who she left the club with.
