“I broke it off about six weeks ago.”
“How did Sara handle it? ”
“I thought well. From the beginning I made it clear that we would never be forever. When the breakup came, she was composed. But in the last couple of weeks I noticed she’d lost focus. I assumed the breakup had finally sunk in and she was just having some issues.”
“How did she change?”
“Late for work. More argumentative. Nothing most would notice, but I did.”
“Did she find someone new?”
Furrows creased his brow. “No. I don’t think so.”
Garrison detected a note of jealousy in Fairchild’s tone. He didn’t want her, but didn’t like the idea of her moving on to someone else. “Did she ever mention Lisa Black?”
“That newscaster profiled her the other day. She died in a fire?”
“She was murdered.”
“Oh.”
“They know each other?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Garrison scanned the walls of Sara’s office. Behind her desk were diplomas. An MBA from the Wharton School of Business. And next to it a BA from Price University. Price. Sara had gone to Price and so had Eva. “Did she keep up with any of her friends from college?”
“She did have a reunion last year, but I don’t know the details.”
Malcolm glanced up from the screen. “If she did have someone new, they didn’t communicate via e-mail.”
“Let’s check her phone records for texts. Do you have her phone numbers, Mr. Fairchild?”
Fairchild pulled his phone from his breast pocket, punched a couple of numbers and then rattled off Sara’s phone numbers. “I doubt you’ll find much. She and I never texted.”
“She might not have worried about a paper trail with the new guy.”
Fairchild pursed his lips, but said nothing.
Malcolm packed up the laptop and glanced over at the wall behind Sara’s desk. He frowned but said nothing. After they’d left, he said, “Everyone talks via text or social networking sites these days. I’d bet a paycheck that if she had a guy, she communicated to him via text.”
“I think you’re right. My sister’s phone is just about glued to her hand. Dig into her phone records. I’ll bet money she had a new guy.”
“Where you going?”
“After I drop you off, I’m headed over to Cross Industries.”
“I thought you might. ”
“This is the second connection I’ve had to the Cross family. ”
“And Price University.”
“Imagine that.”
“The killer knew them from school or through the family. ”
“Or both.”
The four girls sat in a circle around the stone fireplace. A hearty fire crackled and popped in the hearth, warming the room and chasing away the chill of the spring night.
Now as the flames flickered and cast shadows against the stone hearth, the girls sat in a circle, each a little tipsy from wine.
“We’re out of wine,” Kristen complained. “And I for one am not ending this night until I’m good and drunk.”
Eva glanced at her half glass of wine. Her stomach had soured and she wondered where she could dump the wine so that no one would see. At seventeen, she was four years younger than the older girls. Freshman year had been a struggle socially and it seemed she always came off as a dork. Now, this last night on campus in the sorority house, she wanted to come off as cool. For once, she wanted to feel a part of the group and not some tagalong kid.
Sara raised her glass. “I could definitely use more wine.”
Lisa’s lips rose into a lazy, sloppy grin as she brushed a dark curly strand from her round face. “Me three.”
Eva smiled. “Sure.”
“Well, if you girls want more wine then ante up. “ Kristen always bossed the group around. “I’m not paying for this alone.”
Each girl nodded, eagerly digging into pockets. Eva hesitated. She was the only girl that worried about money. She had about seven bucks left in her purse that was supposed to last her until tomorrow when her sister came to pick her up. Her summer waitress job began tomorrow night, but she’d not see a paycheck for a week. Unlike the others, Eva attended Price on scholarship and every dime counted. But this was her last night and she didn’t want to come across as a cheap ass in front of her best friends.
Kristen glanced down at Eva’s glass. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”
“Soon,” Eva said. She raised the glass to her lips and pretended to drink.
Kristen’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not drinking that much. ”
“I am too. “And to prove it, Eva took another sip. Her stomach coiled and she forced a smile to prove she wasn’t about to throw up.
“Let me finish it,” Kristen said. “I’m not buzzed enough.”
Eva handed the glass over to Kristen. “It’s good wine.”
“It’s crap,” Kristen said. “I’ve had glasses of the good stuff and this is crap. “ She sipped the wine as if it had a foul odor. “But it’s got alcohol in it and that’s all that counts.”
Sara glanced at Kristen. For the first time a hint of worry flashed across her face. “There’s no rush.”
“There’s always a rush to get drunk,” Kristen said.
“She’s drinking because Josiah isn’t here,” Lisa said. “He doesn’t like it when she drinks.”
Kristen rose up on wobbly feet. “I don’t need my boyfriend’s permission to drink or not. I do what I want.”
Eva rose, fearing Kristen would topple. “We don’t have to get more wine right this second. Maybe in an hour or two. ”
Kristen frowned. “No, it does have to be tonight. If I can still stand then I’ve not had enough.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Sara rose and smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt. “You’re not yourself. ”
Sara had finally voiced what each of the other three girls had whispered about all week. Kristen wasn’t herself. She’d been moody, tired and sick to her stomach occasionally.
Eva ran her fingers through her long, dark hair. “Are you feeling okay, Kristen?”
Kristen leveled her gaze on Eva like a lioness scoping prey. “I’m fine.”
Eva held her gaze. “I’m not so sure.”
Sara took courage from Eva. “You’re not fine.”
Lisa stood. “You can tell us.”
Kristen pointed at each one of them. “What is this—some kind of lame intervention? Get off my back.”
Eva had seen a scene like this play out in a movie once. Friends saw that their buddy was in trouble and rallied to help. In the end, the buddy was saved. “You’ve been off for a couple of weeks.”
Kristen’s face paled. “What did you say?”
Lisa stared into her glass as if it held the meaning of life. “You get sick in the mornings a lot. ”
“Eva is right. You aren’t yourself. You sleep all the time. “ Lisa’s voice faltered, as if she tossed matches toward gasoline.
Kristen’s gaze didn’t waver from Eva whom she clearly blamed for this new line of conversation. “I’m fine. And I sure don’t need advice from a girl who hangs out with the housemaid and her daughter. ”
“I like Rebecca.”
Kristen leaned forward. “She’s a loser, Eva. She’s going to be a maid just like her mother. A loser. ”
Eva’s temper rose. “You’re sick. You’re tired. And you said you and Josiah had sex.”
Bracing, Eva waited for Kristen’s explosion of temper. Here comes the storm.
But in that instant, Kristen crumbled. She let the nearly full glass of wine fall to the carpeted floor. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
Immediately, Eva’s anger melted to pity. Crap. What had she done? Her sister always said that she shot her mouth off. “Kristen, I’m sorry.”
The other girls gathered around Kristen like natives circling the settlers’ wagons.
Lisa shot Eva a nasty lo
ok. “God, why would you say such a thing?”
Sara shook her head. “Eva. You are such a bitch.”
Kristen cried so hard, her shoulders shook for several minutes as the three just watched helplessly. No one knew what to say, as if sensing they played out of their league.
Finally, Kristen straightened and looked at Eva with red-rimmed eyes. “You can’t tell anyone. Especially, Josiah. ”
Eva shook her head. “I won’t tell.”
“Josiah is crazy,” Kristen said. “I broke up with him last week, and if he knew about the baby he’d never let me go.”
The girls knew Josiah had a temper. Kristen had made excuses for him, but the girls always worried.
“You can’t tell Josiah about this baby” Kristen said. “Swear. ”
Each girl nodded.