“And you were alone in the car?” Adler asked.
“Yes.”
“When Kaitlin interviewed your sister, Jennifer mentioned hearing you arguing with a man,” Adler said.
“She must have had her timeline confused. I did argue with my boyfriend when we returned back to my mom’s house. He was annoyed I’d been gone so long.”
“That would be Derek Blackstone,” Adler said.
“Yes.”
“How long were you gone?”
“Fifteen or twenty minutes.”
“What was Kaitlin’s relationship with Gina like?” Quinn asked, deliberately shifting the focus.
“They fought a lot. Gina was a great kid, but Kaitlin wasn’t easy. Moody. Not a hard worker. Jennifer asked Gina once why she was so nice to Kaitlin, and Gina reminded her that Kaitlin’s brother had killed himself and we needed to cut her some slack.”
“Was Gina dating anyone?”
“Yeah, a boy named Tom Davenport, but they broke up right before graduation.”
“He’s still here in Richmond and works in finance, right?”
“That’s right. He can’t be hard to find.”
“He must have been devastated,” Quinn said.
“He was. He was really angry with Jennifer, Erika, and Kaitlin. He felt like they let Gina down.”
“Did Tom have any recent contact with Jennifer?”
“Not that I’m aware of. It’s been fourteen years. He’s grown up and matured. He knew deep down those girls were kids and would never have hurt Gina.”
“What do you think, Ashley?” Quinn asked.
Ashley threaded her fingers together. “I blame all this on Kaitlin Roe. She was a troublemaker then and she’s still one. Her damn interviews are reopening old wounds. I told Jennifer to stay away from her.”
Adler circled back to Blackstone and Hayward. “Derek, Brad, and Randy were friends.”
“Derek and Brad still are. Randy Hayward tagged along, but he was always stirring up trouble. They recognized Randy as the loser he always was.”
“So you knew Randy?” Adler asked.
“We were the same age and attended the same high school, but I doubt we spoke ten words to each other.” She reached for a tissue and twisted it in her hands.
“Why would Derek defend Randy now?” Adler asked.
“Loyalty. They’ve known each other since kindergarten. Derek is faithful to a fault when it comes to his buddies.”
“You were with Derek when Jennifer called for a ride home?” Quinn asked.
“I just said that. We were at my parents’ house.”
“What did he do while you went to get the girls?” Adler asked.
“He hung out at my parents’ house and waited for me.”
“How long did it take you to pick up the girls, drop Erika off, and get back home?” Adler asked.
“Fifteen minutes,” Ashley said.
Quinn looked confused. “Fifteen minutes to pick up two drunk girls, drive one home, and then put the other one to bed? That doesn’t sound like enough time.”
“Maybe it was thirty minutes, but it wasn’t that long,” Ashley said.
“But you didn’t have eyes on your boyfriend for at least thirty minutes,” Adler said.
“I heard the television in the family room when we came home, and I saw him seconds after I put Jennifer to bed. He was standing in the kitchen drinking water.”
“How did he look?” Adler asked.
“It’s been so long I don’t remember.”
“You remembered he was drinking water,” Quinn said.
“He was annoyed.” Ashley shrugged. “It was date night, and we both weren’t happy about the interruption.”
“Would it be fair to say you really didn’t see Derek for almost an hour?” Adler said.
Ashley’s face flushed. “What difference do a few minutes make?”
“They could have made a big difference,” Quinn said.
“Jennifer almost lost her college acceptance offer because of all the police scrutiny. Derek was applying to law schools and couldn’t be tarnished by a few missing minutes.”
“Why’re you still covering for him?” Quinn asked. “He broke up with you a long time ago.”
“I refuse to throw him under the bus for a crime that had nothing to do with him.”
“But you can confirm there was an hour when you didn’t know what he was doing,” Adler said.
She frowned. “Yeah, I guess. What does all this have to do with Jennifer’s murder?”
“Maybe nothing,” Adler said.
“Are you any closer to finding my sister’s killer?”
“We’re chasing every lead, Ms. Ralston,” Adler said. “I’ll call you as soon as I have more information.”
“Thank you.”
Adler and Quinn left Ashley standing in her door, staring after them. Inside the car, Quinn said, “She covered for Derek Blackstone.”
“Yes, she did.”
“Supposing on that road fourteen years ago Hayward hurt Gina, panicked, and called his buddy Derek, who races to help his friend. Ashley was Blackstone’s girlfriend and might have known this. An hour is enough time to stash a body in a trunk or a shallow grave.”
“Or Blackstone was the one who hurt Gina, and Randy raced to his aid. We know Randy was in the area at the time. Again, Ashley could have known.”
“Either scenario is a reason to stop Jennifer and Erika from talking to Kaitlin.”
“Hi, I’m Gina Mason, Saint Mathew’s class of 2004! Welcome to the Rebels’ soccer team—district finalists three years in a row!”
The taped voice pulled Erika toward consciousness. Her mouth was dry, and her head ached. Her legs and arms felt as if they weighed hundreds of pounds each.
Finally she found the energy to open her eyes, but was greeted by pitch blackness. She blinked, closing her eyes and opening them again. Was she really awake? Was she blind? Panic cut through her as she felt the cold cement wall and floor.
“Hi, I’m Gina Mason, Saint Mathew’s class of 2004! Welcome to the Rebels’ soccer team—district finalists three years in a row!”
Gina’s voice echoed in the room and sent tremors of fear through her. She moistened her lips as she pressed her back to the wall behind her and slowly rose to her feet. Her legs wobbled and her head spun, forcing her to stand very still until she regained her footing.
In complete darkness, she had no frame of reference. She didn’t know how high the ceiling was or if the ground around her was solid or safe.
“Hello?” she shouted. “Anyone there?”
“Hi, I’m Gina Mason, Saint Mathew’s class of 2004! Welcome to the Rebels’ soccer team—district finalists three years in a row!”
“Hello!” Her growing panic sharpened her tone. “Why am I here? Brad, is this you?”
She thought about the skipped yoga classes and the coffee she’d had with the reporter. Had Brad found out? He’d forbidden her to talk about Gina, but she’d been angry with him and wanted to pay him back.
“Brad, if this is you, I didn’t say anything. I promise, baby.”
“Hi, I’m Gina Mason, Saint Mathew’s class of 2004! Welcome to the Rebels’ soccer team—district finalists three years in a row!”
Gingerly she ran her fingers along the cement wall and inched her foot forward, searching for a way to escape. Her stomach churning, she skimmed carefully along the wall until she reached her first corner. Venturing onward, she moved along until her fingers touched what felt like a door.
Relieved and terrified, she pounded on the door and screamed. “Help me! Please let me out of here!”
She struck the door until her hands bled and screamed until her throat was raw.
“Hi, I’m Gina Mason, Saint Mathew’s class of 2004! Welcome to the Rebels’ soccer team—district finalists three years in a row!”
Exhausted and dizzy, she pressed her palms to her ears and lowered herself to the floor. “Stop it!”
She wrapped her arms around her knees as she tipped her head back against cement. She’d been walled in. It felt like a tomb.
Meanwhile, Gina’s voice played over and over.
INTERVIEW FILE #15