Black Orchid Girls (Detective Amanda Steele)

They spent a little while looking through the room. The vanity didn’t give up any secrets, but Trent discovered a box of journals tucked away in the closet.

“We’ll want to bring those with us.” She pointed at the journals.

“You think they’ll shed light on who killed her?”

“It will shed light on Chloe, and that can help our investigation.”

“Okay. We’ll run it by her parents.”

They let themselves out of the room. Amanda slowly closed the door as if shutting it on a sacred space, which it indeed was. A shrine to a life that was no longer.

The Somners were in the formal living room, and Mitch stood when he saw them in the doorway.

“Please, stay seated.” Amanda smiled pleasantly.

Melissa’s eyes narrowed at the box in Trent’s hand. “What are you doing? What is that?”

“Those are your daughter’s journals, and we’d like to take them with us to read through, if you’ll allow it. I promise we’ll treat them with respect and extreme care.” Amanda could only imagine being asked the same thing after Lindsey’s death, not that a six-year-old kept such things. But if police had wanted her drawings… Her heart ached. “Mrs. Somner, would that be all right?”

“Yes… yes, I suppose so.” Melissa sniffled.

“Something else,” Amanda began. “I noticed that Chloe had a lot of flyers from one group or company. They have a logo that’s a circle and—”

“Planet Rebirth,” Mitch said. “They’re an environmental group out of Washington.”

“Your daughter was a member?”

Mitch nodded. “She dedicated as much time to it as she could.”

“I also found diplomas and trophies in her closet,” Trent said. “I found it interesting they weren’t on display.”

Melissa met his gaze. “That was our Chloe. Modest and down-to-earth. She didn’t get that from me.” Melissa laughed, but it passed quickly. “I tried to put them around the house, and she begged me not to. She said it was embarrassing.”

“She didn’t do anything for the glory, Detectives. She did it because her heart moved her to,” Mitch elaborated.

“It sounds like she was an angel.” Grief for the loss of this special girl was burrowing in Amanda’s bones.

“She was ours.” Mitch was staring at the floor.

This pause in conversation and the dominant feeling of devastation clung to the air, but there was more business to attend to. “Just a couple of things before we go. The guy with Chloe in the photos on her vanity, is that Josh Ryder?”

“Yes, it is,” Melissa said.

The next thing was harder to say. “We’ll need for the two of you—or at least one of you—to formally ID your daughter.” Amanda pulled a business card from her pocket. “The medical examiner will be in touch with you, likely today or tomorrow morning to set up a time.”

“Wait… You don’t know that it was her?” Melissa snapped. “You could have made a mistake. Mitch, they could have made a mistake.”

“If we had a doubt in our mind, we wouldn’t have come, Mrs. Somner.” Amanda kept her voice calm yet authoritative. “It’s just a matter of procedure when there isn’t any ID with the body.”

“Why wouldn’t there be— She didn’t have her ID?” Melissa rubbed a hand down the length of her neck.

“No, she did not.” Amanda wasn’t going so far as to say Chloe had been found naked. The Somners didn’t need to know that or drive themselves crazy with wild scenarios of their daughter being sexually assaulted on top of everything else. Unless—or until—it became necessary they know about how Chloe was found, it was best to hold some things back.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Amanda said as she handed her card to Mitch. “We may be back with more questions, but please get the information on Chloe’s roommates and boyfriend over as soon as possible, along with the address of where Chloe was living. Also, if you could supply us with her phone number and service provider. I assume this was something you covered for her?” There hadn’t been a phone number associated with Chloe’s park membership.

Mitch nodded. “It is… was.” He rattled off Chloe’s number and the provider’s name, and Trent scribbled in his notepad. “We’ll get the rest to you shortly.” He held up Amanda’s card as if to indicate he had it under control.

On the way out, she glanced over a shoulder—almost wishing she hadn’t. The Somners’ pain was palpable. They were hugging and crying onto each other’s shoulders. Amanda’s gaze dipped to the coffee table and the spread that Tamara had laid out. With everything that had transpired, the tea was forgotten and the biscuits were becoming stale. Amanda would do all in her power not to let that happen with the case.

“Detective!”

Amanda was just getting into the car when Melissa burst out the front door, waving something in her hand. She went over to the woman. “Yes, Mrs. Somner?”

“Take this.” Melissa pressed a photo into Amanda’s palm. “I want you to remember Chloe the way I will.”

Amanda looked down into the eyes of the beautiful young woman, and her heart splintered. So much potential snuffed out. The girl was smiling, the expression genuine and lighting her eyes. “She was very happy here.”

“Yes. This summer’s family reunion.” Melissa sniffled, and her eyes filled with tears. “Find who did this to our Chloe.”

“You have my word.”