As I started to walk away, Ashley called out, “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know what she was sorry about but I didn’t turn around. Later, when I was walking on the beach, I thought about what was going to happen to Ashley when the truth came out that her mother was a murderer. I was sorry too.
*
When I got back, Ashley’s car was gone and her boyfriend’s trailer was dark. I hoped I didn’t run into her again and considered whether I should move somewhere else. But I hadn’t been working, so my money was almost gone.
Back in my cabin, I remembered how Ashley had mentioned her essay. That made me think about Darlene Haynes, who’d had a falling-out with my sister. What had that been about? Could she know something more? Stephanie still had my laptop, so I walked over to the campsite office and did a quick search on the guest computer, happy to see a listing for Darlene in town. Either she hadn’t married or was divorced, but I didn’t care—it was working in my favor.
The sun had drifted behind some clouds, so I grabbed my jeans jacket and hopped in my truck, with Darlene’s address on a piece of paper on the seat beside me. I drove slow, taking alternate routes and checking to make sure I wasn’t being followed. Finally I pulled up in front of Darlene’s house, which was on the other side of the river. The house wasn’t much to look at, just a white single-story box, but it was tidy and there were flowers blooming all over the yard.
I rapped on the door. A cat came running out of a nearby hedge, startling me, then weaved in and out of my legs, purring.
I didn’t think I’d get lucky and actually catch Darlene at home, but the door opened and I recognized her right away, though her hair was short now and bleached out. She had a couple of earrings in one ear and was dressed in some sort of uniform, like she worked at a store or a pharmacy. When she saw my face there was a pause as she tried to place me, then shock when she did.
“Are you…”
“Toni.”
“God, you look like your sister.” She was staring at me, trying to take it all in. I saw her eyes drop down to my tattoos, saw the fear as she remembered that I’d been in prison. I wished I’d grabbed my jeans jacket out of the truck.
“Can I come in? I need to ask you some stuff about Nicole.”
She looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
She’d never been a witness at the trial, which I always thought was strange. If anyone would know about my relationship with my sister, it was Darlene. They’d been close for years. So why didn’t the police talk to her?
“It won’t take long,” I said. “I just need to clear some things up.” She was still staring at me. I softened my approach. “I remember you at our house all the time, how close you two were, but something happened. Nicole changed that year, before someone killed her. It wasn’t me or Ryan, but that person is still out there. You might know something, something that could change everything.”
Now she looked confused, thrown off guard, like maybe she’d never considered there was another killer.
“It was a long time ago, my memory…”
Finally, an opening. “It might not take much, just a small detail.”
She still looked torn, like she didn’t know what to believe.
“I’m not here to change your mind about me, Darlene. I just need to know what happened between you two, why she ditched you. It must’ve hurt.”
I’d hit the right nerve. Her face was angry as she said, “Nicole turned into a total bitch that year.”
Perfect. Anger was good, anger would make her want to tell me more, so she could feel justified. “So why don’t you tell me about it?”
She opened the door. “I only have a little while before work.”
“That’s fine.” The cat dodged around my legs, zipped into the house, and raced upstairs.
We sat at her kitchen table. She didn’t offer a coffee, but I didn’t need one. My nerves were on edge, keyed up from excitement. I was close. I could feel it.
“So what happened?” I said.
“She was seeing a guy, Dave. That’s when she first started changing.”
“Dave?” That had to be the guy I’d spoken to on the phone, the one she’d been sneaking out to see. “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”
“No one knew. He was four years older than us—already in college. We’d met him at the mall that Christmas and he’d come by school sometimes to talk to her. They hooked up at a party, then she started sneaking out to meet him.”
So I was right. “Why did you two fight?”
“She was getting secretive, like she wouldn’t tell me stuff about him anymore, and she wouldn’t wear certain outfits because he said they were trashy. He partied a lot too, always drinking with his friends. I thought he was a jerk.” She stopped and thought back. “I heard him yelling at her on the phone once.”