Black Orchid Girls (Detective Amanda Steele)

THIRTY-TWO

Amanda wasn’t one to put faith in the “sunshine and lollipops” philosophy of life, like everything was chipper and rosy. Blame it on her job and seeing the ugliness of mankind on a regular basis. People kept secrets and told lies, and she was starting to wonder about some of Jayne’s and Josh’s. The message that had hit Jayne’s phone wasn’t just identified by Josh’s number. He was in her contact list. The reason for that might be innocent—friends by mutual acquaintance—but it might not be. Jayne was obviously close enough to Josh to respond “OK” and to show up. She’d trusted him. Even in the light of her friend’s recent murder, and the fact she’d been killed in the early morning, Jayne had left her phone at home. He also seemed to know her favorite spot—or at least the sender of this text had.

Amanda walked back to Lauren. “Do you know why Josh Ryder would have texted Jayne to meet up here?”

“Josh? No idea. That’s what happened? He asked to meet her here?”

She held the screen for Lauren to see.

“Huh.”

“Were they seeing each other behind Chloe’s back? Or after the breakup?” Jayne had defended the split, saying Chloe and Josh were too young to make a commitment. Did she have a thing for him? And him, her? Even Lauren had accused Jayne of sleeping with Josh, back when they’d first interviewed the girls.

“I don’t think so. Not really. I know what I said the other day, but I can’t see Jayne doing that to Chloe.”

Her words seemed sincere, but maybe she was good at acting. “He mentioned her ‘favorite spot,’ do you know where that was?”

Lauren nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “Right around where she was… uh…” She swiped a finger under her nose. “Where she was found.”

That would explain Lauren’s feeling about where to find her friend. It told Amanda, though, that whoever had sent Jayne the text to meet knew she’d respond to a message from Josh and the best place to set the meeting. That would suggest, though, that Josh had at some point been at the river’s edge with Jayne for the killer to see. It also made everyone on this campus suspect. “Was Jayne prone to going to the river in the early morning?”

Lauren shook her head. “No, but she’d hang out here at lunch, between classes, whenever she could.”

So the killer had been banking on Jayne’s relationship with Josh to get her out for four in the morning. Still, Josh had told her and Trent that time of day was far too early for him. Surely, if Jayne knew Josh well enough, she’d be aware the guy liked to sleep in. But then maybe given the circumstances of Chloe’s murder and his “must talk,” Jayne thought nothing of the hour. “We’re going to need to take her phone with us.”

“I understand.” They’d need to notify Jayne’s parents and go through the proper channels to legally use whatever they found on the phone, but just having it and seeing the text had them miles ahead of the game already. “Lauren, we’re going to need you to stay in town in case we have more questions.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Also, is there somewhere you could go for a while? Maybe to your parents’?” Amanda didn’t want to scare the girl, but if someone was knocking off the roommates, Lauren was in danger.

“I can go there.”

“Great. We’ll need their information.”

Lauren proceeded to give them their names, address, and cell phone numbers.

Amanda gestured for the officer to come for Lauren. “Please see her home and then to her parents’.”

He dipped his head, and the two of them walked off.

Please stay alive! Amanda took a deep breath, straightened her back, and faced Trent. “Maybe Josh wasn’t so wrong when he claimed someone wants to frame him.”

“We just have to figure out who.”

“Not Ashton Chambers, because he’d have no way to do this. Even if it’s possible that he scheduled a text message before we pulled him in, he was still at Central early this morning. He couldn’t have been here killing Jayne.”

“So Ashton being at the park the morning of Chloe’s murder may have been a coincidence.”

“Could have been.” She still wasn’t fully convinced. Her phone rang, and she glanced at it. Deb Hibbert was calling. “I need to get this,” she said to Trent and handed him Jayne’s phone. He walked over to the CSIs as she answered the call. “Amanda Steele.”

Trent glanced over a shoulder at her, seeming to have pieced together that it was a personal call based on how she’d answered.

“Amanda, I’m just calling to give you some updates,” Deb said. “Colin Brewster had a paternity test done.”

Deb paused there, and every second that passed was excruciating. Amanda braced herself for bad news but tried to remain positive. What were the chances that he was Zoe’s biological father? She supposed that would be about fifty percent, given the timing of the mother’s affair, but she wanted to believe none of that mattered.

“I wish I had better news, but he is a ninety-eight percent match to Zoe.”

“He’s… That was fast.” Her legs became weak and buckled beneath her as her entire world spun. Just when life had become worth living again. Zoe had given her a sense of belonging and purpose, and their relationship was so natural. Amanda blinked back tears, failing miserably as some snaked down her cheeks. She was quick to wipe them, not wanting to appear emotional at a crime scene. “What happens now?”

It felt like an eternity before Deb spoke, but in reality, it was probably only seconds. “He wants to contest guardianship.”

Everything became a blur around her—colors and people blending into one another. She felt lightheaded, like she could pass out at any moment. Breathe. Calm. Focus. From Zoe’s perspective, she had a chance of meeting and being with her biological father. Wouldn’t that be in her best interest? Amanda couldn’t accept that. After all, Colin Brewster lived in California. If Zoe went there, she’d be taken from everything and everyone she’d ever known. How could that be a good thing, especially in light of the great loss she’d recently suffered? And on that note, how would she even be able to process that the father she’d known wasn’t really her father? At least not by blood.

Deb went on. “Now, just because he’s her biological father doesn’t mean the court will side in his favor. So, please, don’t believe this is the end of the road for you and Zoe. Okay?”

“Okay.” The small word barely escaped from her mouth. Her tongue felt so dry. Her throat stitched together. “What are the next steps?”

“He is flying in and has requested to meet Zoe. We do have to grant him this meeting. Then a judge will consider his claim and rule whether he should be granted guardianship. But, as I said, all is not lost yet. He is brand new to her life, and he lives in California. He has no desire to relocate to Prince William County. The girl’s roots are here, and with her parents’ recent murders, I can’t imagine a judge ruling in his favor. But he is her biological father. There is the possibility that—”

“A judge will think it’s best for Zoe to be with him.”

“Yes.”

Amanda hugged herself with one of her arms, the other one holding her phone to her ear. She didn’t know if she had it in her to remain positive. She’d seen heaven transformed to hell firsthand. Life didn’t play favorites or extend any guarantees. That was the cold, stark truth, and there was the very real possibility that Zoe would be leaving her life. She cleared her throat. “I’ve got to go.”

“Please just stay strong. Hang in there, all right? I’ll keep you posted.”

Amanda nodded, as if the woman could see her, and ended the call. She didn’t have the energy to say goodbye. Would more heartbreak be her reward for setting her sights high, for thinking she could actually have something good in her life again?

“Amanda.” Trent was waving her over.

In the time she’d been on the phone, Rideout had arrived with his assistant. She’d been so caught up in the call she hadn’t noticed until now. She went over to the small group next to Jayne’s body. “Yeah, what is it?”

Trent gestured to Rideout, who had his gloved hands on Jayne’s jaw. When the ME seemed to realize that Trent was staring at him to provide the update, he spoke. “I could be wrong, but I’m quite sure that our girl here bit her attacker.”

“Epithelia?” A solid lead, even if it would take time to process the DNA in the lab.

“Appears so.”