Black Orchid Girls (Detective Amanda Steele)

Lauren Bennett was next, dressed in black from head to toe. She repeatedly dabbed at her nose with a tissue and held a clutch purse in the other hand. She spoke to Chloe for long enough that the woman behind her tapped a foot.

Associate Dean Craig Perkins stopped by the casket, looked in, and walked off without a word, but he was crying silently. And the way he staggered, Amanda would guess he had tipped a bottle of amber liquid before coming here. The whole situation was probably too much for the man. While he might not have been as close to Chloe as Jayne, he had to have been thinking that Jayne’s funeral was just around the corner. He went over to the Somners and hugged each of them in turn. Then he stood with Connie and Ted Russell, who watched on as mourners lined the aisle. Amanda knew how it must feel knowing their daughter would be next—devastating beyond measure.

Luke Hogan was there with his mother, Judy, and his father, who Amanda recognized from his driver’s license photo. Luke palmed his cheeks and looked at Chloe for several moments until his mother tapped his back. Luke didn’t look Amanda and Trent’s way once.

Several professors from the school said their goodbyes, including William McMillan, who signed the cross and mouthed a prayer over her body.

Eventually, Melissa Somner stepped up and stood over her daughter’s casket, tears streaming down her face. She wailed out and clamped a hand over her mouth, rocking back and forth. Her husband, Mitch, came over and lovingly put an arm around her as they walked away.

It was taking all of Amanda’s power to hold it together. Her own grief from her losses was palpable amid the pain and heartbreak in this church.

As the crowd thinned, Stephanie Piper approached the casket. She gripped the edge of it and looked inside. She was crying, her mouth contorted in anguish.

Amanda nudged Trent in the elbow for him to pay close attention.

Stephanie stood there sobbing for some time. When she turned to leave, she caught Amanda’s eye and dipped her head in greeting. She walked toward the entrance of the church to where Professor McMillan was standing next to a woman, perhaps his wife.

Stephanie leaned against him, and he put his arm around her.

Amanda grabbed Trent’s arm and whispered, “What’s going on there?” She nodded in that direction. Maybe she was judging the situation wrong and seeing something illicit that wasn’t there.

“Good question.”

The professor swept Stephanie’s hair back and kissed her forehead, and the trio walked off.

Swept her hair back and kissed her forehead…Just like Amanda did with Zoe. Her first impression was wrong! “Professor McMillan is Stephanie’s father… or a close relative, at least.”

“You think so? They have different last names.”

“Yeah, but they could be a blended family. Stephanie could be his stepdaughter.”

“All right. What does that mean for us?”

“You saw the way that Stephanie reacted today? It’s not exactly how she’s been with us up until this point.” The most emotion she had shown was discomfort with the interview process. When they’d first told her about Chloe, she hadn’t shed a tear. But she had been emotional at thinking Luke might have killed Chloe and Jayne. Was that all this was now or was she a brilliant actress calling on emotions when they suited her?

“I agree she seems really upset.”

“From guilt?” Amanda was getting this tingling feeling running right through her. “She’s tall enough, and she’s strong. You just have to look at her athletic frame to know that.” Amanda recalled the way the girl had made eye contact with her as she was walking away from the casket. Was it to rub it in? “Right under our noses,” Amanda mumbled and tugged Trent’s arm. “Come on, we’ve got to go to Central and do some digging.”