Her Last Word
“I’m glad it helped.” Kaitlin took a sip of her soda. “I remember your car pulling up, but I didn’t see you.”
“So, is it my turn to be interviewed?”
“I just want to understand what happened that night.”
Ashley shrugged. “Jennifer didn’t want Mom knowing she was wasted, so she called me. Big sis to the rescue.” She shook her head. “I was pissed, but I came right away to pick her up.”
“You told the police she passed out in the backseat.”
“She did, the second she climbed in. She and Erika both were pretty wasted.”
“You dropped Erika off first?”
“That’s right. And then I drove home with Jennifer.”
“How’d you get her inside the house?”
“It was hard. She could barely stand.”
Kaitlin traced her finger through the condensation on the glass. “Jennifer remembered hearing you argue with a man.”
Ashley stilled. “She was mistaken. I got her to bed and then joined Derek in the family den. About one a.m., we left for a party.”
“Derek was never alone with her?”
“No. I saw to that.”
“Did you have to protect her from Derek?”
She traced the rim of her glass. “No. Stop making him sound like a monster.”
“You’re still loyal to him, aren’t you?”
She lifted her chin. “I can’t betray someone I loved so much. He’s not perfect, but he’s always there for me.”
“Randy and Derek were good buddies.” Kaitlin thought about the country, the barn, and the grim faces of the medical examiner as she’d asked her what Gina had been wearing. “Remember the parties they used to have at the barn?”
“Sure.” Ashley sat back as if the memory bothered her.
“Did Derek ever talk about Gina?”
Ashley studied her a long moment. “Randy talked about her. Randy, not Derek, was obsessed with Gina.”
“Did you tell the cops about Randy’s obsession?”
“Derek asked me not to. He said the guy was a fuck-up but no killer.”
How many half truths and omissions had saved Randy from a murder-one charge? “It might have made a difference.”
“Come on, this is Randy we’re talking about. He isn’t a killer.”
“A security camera filmed him stabbing a woman in mid-February.”
“That was an accident. He was on drugs. It’s not like he planned to do it.” She shook her head. “If having a thing for Gina was a crime, half the guys at Saint Mathew’s would have been suspects. Besides, he’s been back in jail since late February. He couldn’t have killed Erika or Jennifer.”
“What about Derek? Would he have killed them to protect a secret for an old friend?”
Ashley reached for her glass and downed the last of the vodka. “No.”
Kaitlin watched as Ashley’s gaze dropped to her glass. It didn’t take a body-language expert to recognize possible signs of deceptive behavior. “Was Derek in the car that night?”
Absently Ashley nodded, indicating a yes even as she said, “I already told you he wasn’t.”
Kaitlin took a chance, figuring she had nothing to lose by provoking Ashley. “I think you’re lying.”
Ashley looked up as if she’d been struck. Her eyes sparked with challenge. “Fuck you.”
Kaitlin leaned in, knowing she’d struck a nerve. “The cops have all my interview tapes now. They know Jennifer brought the booze and Erika put the Ecstasy in it.”
Ashley pushed out of the booth. “The cops have long forgotten about who was where that night.”
“Don’t bet on it.”
Ashley stood. “I hope you’re right.” Gripping her purse, she turned away from Kaitlin and cut through the crowd and out the front door.
Kaitlin sat in the booth, tracing her finger through the condensation on the side of her glass. She took no joy in hurting people or making them remember such a painful time. But if she didn’t keep pushing, the truth might still get swallowed up by time.
Her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. The screen displayed Steven Marcus’s name.
She cleared her throat and pushed her hand through her hair before answering. “Mr. Marcus.”
“I hear you’ve been busy today.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I still have friends in the police department. They said a forensic team was headed for Hanover County and that Randy Hayward was along for the ride. They also said the cops think they’ve found Gina.”
“If you’ve got friends in the department, then you know more about it than I do.”
“I know you were up there.”
“Really, how?”
“Randy Hayward called me, and I went by to see him. He wants me to write his side of the story.”
She gripped the phone. “He craves attention. And he’s also looking to hurt me.”
“Why?”
“Because I rejected him. Sure he didn’t have any nasty parting shots for me?”
He was silent for a moment. “Nothing earth shattering.”
She wasn’t sure if she believed him but didn’t have the energy to press it now. “Just don’t be fooled by him.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that naive. I do want to get your take on the guy. It will make for a more balanced piece.”
“Sure. I’ll share what I know about him.”
Silence echoed through the line. Then, “Tomorrow evening. By then you should have something to comment on.”
INTERVIEW FILE #25
A STORY THAT WOULDN’T LET GO
Friday, August 15, 2014
“This is Steven Marcus, and I first learned about Gina Mason the day after she vanished. The instant I saw her picture, I knew I would do anything I could to find her. I covered her story several times over those first few months, speaking to the cops, the search crews, and her mother. The story was so raw in those days, and I was new to reporting. I was certain no one would forget about her. But as weeks turned into months and then years, people did move on with their lives. I always cover the story the anniversary of Gina’s disappearance. I refuse to let this story disappear like Gina.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Friday, March 23, 2018; 5:00 p.m.
As Ricker stood by him, Adler knelt by the path of scraggly grass he’d spotted from the tree stand. He scooped up a handful of soil and slowly let it trickle from his fingers.
“Detective Adler. If you don’t need us anymore, we’ll take off.” The question came from one of the members of the GPR crew.
Adler wiped his hands and rose. “Before you pack up, would you scan this area?”
“Sure. I’ll get the crew right now.”
“Give me a shout if you find something,” Adler said.
“Will do, Detective,” he said.
Ricker studied the patch of ground. “Do you think it’s another one?”
“God, I hope not,” Adler said.
Dr. McGowan motioned them over. A humming generator powered the lights at the excavation site as Adler and Ricker strode across undergrowth toward the forensic van she stood beside.
“Detective, Mr. Ricker, I have news,” she said.
Quinn approached the doctor and handed her a hot cup of coffee. “Not the best cup, but it’ll warm you up.”
Dr. McGowan took a sip. “Thanks.”
Quinn shrugged. “Sure.”
“As I said earlier, I found green cloth. I really only have fragments that are clinging to a metal snap.” She handed a plastic evidence bag to Quinn.
The detective held up the bag. “There’s not much of it left, but looks like the remnants of a green dress.”
Adler searched his phone for the picture Jennifer had saved of the four girls by the river. He handed it to Dr. McGowan. “Gina is wearing the green sundress.”
The doctor studied the image. “I see design similarities between this and what I found.”
Ad
ler tucked the phone back in his pocket. “What else have you found?”
“I have unearthed the top portion of the skull. Based on a thin brow line, I can say the victim is a young female.”
“How do you know her age?” Quinn handed the evidence bag to Ricker.