by Raven Snow
Rowen considered that while she pulled the tomato she had asked them not to include off her turkey sandwich. “I don’t know. I think I might have preferred being home schooled.”
“I nearly home schooled Peony for her last year,” Nadine continued. “She was the last of you guys to graduate. She had such a hard time all alone.”
Poor Peony. Rowen didn’t say as much out loud, but she really did feel for her cousin. She seemed to be the last in everything as far as their family was concerned. She was the last to graduate, the last to move out of her childhood home, the last to find a boyfriend worth her time. She was close to her sister, but that didn’t help. If anything, it just made things worse. Willow was spending less and less time with Peony now that she no longer lived at the Greensmith residence. Something similar had happened when Willow graduated before Peony. Peony had been left behind and was gloomy because of it.
“Well, regardless of how much of a bully she was, I hope you find out who was responsible for killing that poor woman,” said Nadine.
Lydia rolled her eyes like she still couldn’t be bothered to care. “I’m sure they will.” She nodded to the window across from them. “It looks like plenty of people are willing to come forward and testify.”
Rowen turned to look out the window. Sure enough, there were people lined up outside of the Lainswich Inquirer. Rowen hadn’t seen them when she had gone across the street for lunch. Maybe this was their lunch break as well. Maybe these people were using their time off to rush whatever news outlet would have them. Rowen had been there for a few people who had swung by. They were all like Jessi. Rowen got the distinct impression that they were looking for attention. She sighed. “If they were really willing to come forward and testify, they would be down at the police station.”
“Maybe they’ve already been,” offered Nadine, quick to expect the best from everyone.
“Sure,” Rowen agreed with a shrug. “And the ones that were turned away came here. I doubt half of them even bothered swinging by the station. You don’t necessarily get your name in the headlines by just going to the cops.”
“At least people are motivated to find the truth,” Nadine insisted, still trying to be positive. “That’ll make it easier to find the killer, right?”
“Are you kidding?” Lydia asked before Rowen could say anything. “It’s just going to confuse things, muddy the waters.”
“Maybe they think they’re doing the right thing,” said Rowen. She didn’t actually believe that, but she didn’t want to kill Nadine’s optimism. She liked that trait in her aunt. “I mean, I did talk to the police. They do seem overwhelmed.”
“Did they let you see the body?” asked Lydia before taking a big bite of her hamburger. This kind of talk didn’t affect her appetite in the least, it seemed.
“Not for long.” Rowen was thankful they had found the time for her at all. It was plain to see that Sutton was against her being there, but Ben had still allowed it. Rowen felt sort of guilty that she hadn’t sensed anything after all of that. She didn’t want to make Ben look like a gullible idiot. Not that he seemed annoyed with her. If she didn’t sense anything, she didn’t sense anything. It wasn’t like he wanted her to lie. “I think she moved on.”
“That’s odd,” said Nadine. “She seemed…” Nadine hesitated as if afraid to speak ill of the dead. “She seemed like someone who would want people to know what happened.”
“You mean, she seemed like a drama queen,” Lydia corrected. “You see that a lot in folks who were self-centered in life. They have a difficult time passing over until they feel that all their unfinished business is dealt with. And, of course, they feel like everything is their business, so they stick around for ages.”
“Hmm.” Nadine made a sound like she was saving a space for herself in this exchange. She clearly wanted to add something that wasn’t disparaging toward Teaghan. “Maybe she was embarrassed,” she ventured.
Rowen hadn’t thought of that. It made sense. “You think she was ashamed she just dropped from the ceiling like a sack of potatoes? Yeah. I mean, that wouldn’t be my favorite way to die.”
“I didn’t mean it quite like that,” Nadine muttered, though it wasn’t clear how else she could have meant it.
“How did she die?” asked Lydia. “I can’t imagine that it was the fall that killed her. She was moved there after she was murdered, right?”
Rowen nodded. The official statement had already been made, so she didn’t mind telling them. She still made a point to keep her voice down. This wasn’t exactly proper meal time conversation. “She sustained some trauma to the back of the head, but the official cause of death, I think, was drowning.”
“Drowning?” Lydia repeated. She and Nadine both looked up at that, eyebrows raised. “Where in the world did she drown?”
Rowen cleared her throat. She had hoped to avoid this particular point. “Forensics did an autopsy. Based on some of the chemicals she swallowed… well… They think she was drowned in a toilet.”
“In a toilet?” Lydia repeated this too, entirely too loudly this time. A lot of heads turned in their direction. Lydia ignored them all even as her sister’s face began to turn red. “Well that’s why she didn’t stick around right there. Would you stick around if you were drowned in a toilet?”
“I would, yes,” said Rowen. “But I can see why she wouldn’t.”
“How does someone even drown in a toilet?” asked Lydia.
“Shh,” urged Nadine. “People are staring.”
“They think there was a struggle. At the very least, she was dazed.” Rowen tried her best to speak in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “She hit her head, remember? She had been drinking some. Her blood alcohol level was kind of high. I’m not sure it was high enough for her to have tripped, somehow, hit the back of her head on the toilet, then drowned in it.”
“So definitely murder then,” said Lydia, mostly to herself, like she was trying to solve the mystery all on her own.
“Probably not premeditated, though,” Rowen added. “The disposal of the body leaves a lot to be desired. I’m thinking someone murdered her and panicked.”
Lydia arched a brow as if unconvinced by that theory. “They didn’t panic that badly. If I panicked, I would have just left the body where it dropped. Maybe I would have made a run for the border after that. Did anyone make a run for the border?”
“Not that I know of.” Lydia’s comment did make Rowen think, though. Who would have had the presence of mind to hide the body where they had? Rowen thought back to the things Jessi had said. As much as she hated to start her prying on the day of the funeral itself, she really did have a lot to get through. The big question was where to start.
Preferably not across the street at the Lainswich Inquirer, Rowen decided. It didn’t look like a good time over there. A line was still extending out the door.
Chapter Six
Rose didn’t like the idea of Rowen going off to question people already. She allowed it when Rowen told her she had already called ahead to make sure it was all right. “If you’re sure they’re not going to get offended. It does seem awfully soon, doesn’t it?”
It did seem soon, but it wasn’t like they would be the only news source vying for a scoop. At least their publication prided itself in being respectful in all the ways Channel 2 distinctly wasn’t. Rowen didn’t mention where she was going to Eric. He would have made her wait for him, and she didn’t want to waste time with that.
Rowen headed out to Dave’s house on her own. The George residence was large. In Rowen’s initial research, she had discovered that Dave came from money. His father owned an insurance company and Dave had some sort of made up sounding job title like Supervisor of New Development Financing. Whatever he did paid enough for him to live in a nice, gated community, in a fine three-story home. Before her untimely death, Teaghan had stayed at home. She didn’t have kids and her modeling career jobs seemed to be few and far between. From the sound of it, sh
e had occupied her time mostly with friends and pet projects. These pet projects of hers ranged from building additions on to the house to building additions on to the local country club. She had lived a charmed life right up until someone had drowned her in a toilet.
***
There were a couple of cars already in the driveway when Rowen pulled up. She parked on the curb so that she wasn’t blocking anyone in. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and headed for the front door. It took a couple of knocks before someone opened it. It was Trish.
Rowen didn’t recognize the woman at first. She looked a lot more conservative than she had the last time they had met. She was wearing a black jacket and pencil skirt. The waist of her jacket was ruffled, and her bleach blond hair was pulled back in a braid. It was all a little on the fancy side for a funeral, but that really wasn’t any of Rowen’s business.
“Hi there,” she said, putting on a smile when Trish just gaped at her blankly. “I’m Rowen, remember? From the Lainswich Inquirer? Mind if I come in?”
Trish frowned, her brow creasing. “You have some nerve showing up here on a day like today.” She pointed out, over Rowen’s shoulder. “Leave now. He just buried his wife. Don’t you people have any decency?”
“I…” Rowen began, stumbling with her words. Fortunately, she didn’t have to hurry to reply.
“It’s all right Trish,” said a man’s voice. Dave hurried to the door and placed a hand on Trish’s shoulder. “I’ve already talked with her. I told her she could come.”
Trish looked back at Dave. She was still frowning. There was a mildly annoyed look on her face now as well, like she had wanted this fight. “If you’re sure,” she said, her tone guarded. She looked back to Rowen, narrowed eyes implying that she was ready to get on her case if she did anything even a little out of line.
“Please,” Dave stepped to one side of the door, opening it wide for Rowen, “Come in.”
Rowen did as he asked. The inside of the home was as lovely as the outside had been. Teaghan had either decorated it herself or hired someone to do it. Dave didn’t look like the sort of guy to have an eye for this sort of thing. The furniture all looked antique but in pristine condition. It was like stepping into a period drama. Rowen half expected a servant to be standing on the other side of the foyer with a tray of tea.
“The living room is through here.” Dave led the way.
The house smelled like fresh cooking. Rowen imagined that an inordinate amount of people had dropped by with casseroles and desserts, more food than one wealthy guy could possibly need. Judging by the vigil on the football field and the people lined up outside the Inquirer, quite a few people were mourning Teaghan. Either that or they wanted to make a show of mourning Teaghan, they wanted a taste, a front row seat to Lainswich’s newest drama.
“Sit wherever.” Dave motioned broadly to the living room. He sat down in the recliner nearest the fireplace. He was still wearing a suit. It was a different one than the suit he had attended the dance in. The tie was on the table beside him. Rowen could see from there that it had been a clip on.
Rowen took a seat in a stiff armchair across from Dave. “I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said, getting that out of the way. She couldn’t help but notice the bottle of bourbon next to the tie and the half-empty glass of amber liquid.
Dave nodded. It was an absent nod, like her words hadn’t really registered. He had probably heard that same phrase repeated about a dozen times today. “Thanks,” he said, distracted.
“How was the funeral?” asked Rowen, spacing her words so that they left her mouth carefully. She wanted to make sure that question came from a place of concern for his well-being. She genuinely wanted to know how the funeral had been for him, for everyone there. The pain on his face was clear. It was the sort of pained expression that made Rowen feel intensely uncomfortable. It made her wonder what she would do if something ever happened to Eric. She didn’t wish that sort of loss on anyone.
“You weren’t there?” asked Dave. He reached to the side table and picked up his glass. He took a sip.
“I don’t think so.” Rowen thought back to what she had heard from Rose and the others this morning. She shook her head feeling more confident now that she had given the matter some though. “No, no one from the Lainswich Inquirer was at the funeral. Why?”
“Channel 2 was there,” Dave sighed, putting his drink back down. “They weren’t in the graveyard or anything when we put her in the ground, but they were all set up across the street.” He shook his head. “I should have told them to clear out, but I didn’t.” He hesitated then. “Are you sure you weren’t at the funeral?”
“A Greensmith was definitely there.” Trish entered the room and sat on the sofa. She tucked her feet up beneath her. She was wearing tights but not shoes. “I know I saw at least one of them.”
“Oh.” Realization hit Rowen all at once. “That was Peony. She was there with Tina. She wasn’t there as a reporter or anything.”
Trish gave a little humph. Either she didn’t believe Rowen or she didn’t want to believe her. Either way, she kept shooting her looks that suggested she wasn’t going to put up with much. She was just looking for an excuse to chase Rowen back outside.
Dave nodded. “Right,” he said, like all Rowen had said made total sense. “It was nice to see Tina there. She and Teaghan hadn’t spent much time together in a while.”
“In years,” Trish corrected. “I’m surprised she showed up at all, honestly.”
“I’m sure Teaghan meant a lot to her,” Rowen said in Tina’s defense. “At the very least, she was a big part of her childhood.”
Trish gave another humph. “Well, it’s a shame she didn’t deign to spend time with us until it was too late.”
Rowen wanted to point out that it was more likely the other way around. Tina had grown up too much for them. She was no longer the petty, reputation-obsessed person she had once been. Granted it had taken a traumatizing event for her to realize that, but still. “I’m glad she was there,” said Dave, which quieted Trish down. “There was a good turnout.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Rowen. “A lot of the town seems pretty affected by this.”
“How could they not be?” asked Trish. “She was such a big part of everyone’s lives.”
Rowen wasn’t entirely certain that was true. She knew she hadn’t thought about Teaghan much since high school. When she did think of her, it was mostly just to hope that she wasn’t doing well. It looked like Rowen had finally gotten her wish. “The funeral happened awfully quick.”
Dave nodded. “Forensics…” Here he stopped talking for a moment. It was like talking about what happened reminded him of things already forgotten. The reality of his new life probably hadn’t truly set in yet. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Forensics was finished with her pretty quickly. After that, I really just wanted to get this whole thing over and done with. It cost a small fortune, but…” He stopped speaking again. He shook his head. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of her in some freezer somewhere. She would hate that.”
Knowing that Teaghan had already moved on, Rowen wasn’t sure she would have any way of knowing what was being done with her body. She didn’t point that out, though. “I imagine the community has been very supportive?” she asked instead.
“They have.” Dave reached for his drink again. He took another sip. “That’s partly why I went ahead and invited you here. People keep visiting. Channel 2 is going to film whether I let them or not. I might as well let you in. I might as well answer any questions you have for me. I know the whole town is wondering. They’re just afraid to ask for themselves. Maybe talking to you will help.”
“I would have gone with Channel 2,” said Trish, making eye contact with Rowen as she spoke.
Dave shook his head immediately. “I don’t want to be on TV right now.”
“That’s understandable.” Rowen removed her recorder from her purse. “Do you mind if
I record this? Just audio. I’m not going to publish it on the blog or anything. I just like to record conversations so that I can refer back to them later.”
Dave looked at the recorder without responding for a few seconds. “Sure,” he said, finally. “I guess that’s fine as long as you’re not using it for anything else.”
“I’m not.” Rowen set up the recorder. “I’d like to ask you some questions now, if that’s all right. Is there anything you would like me to avoid? Subjects, I mean. Is there anything off limits?”
“If you have to ask-” Trish began.
“Just go ahead and ask whatever,” said Dave, gripping the arms of the recliner. “I’ll let you know if it should be off limits.”
Rowen started with an easy question. “When did the two of you get married?” she asked.
Dave’s gaze went distant like he was considering all those days gone by. “It’s been a while,” he said. “We got married not long after high school. We weren’t even old enough to drink yet. Not that we didn’t have a few drinks after anyway.” He smiled at the memory, and his eyes seemed to moisten. “Trish was one of the bridesmaids.”
Trish nodded. “Me, Tilda and Tina.” She squared her shoulders a bit. “I was the main bridesmaid. It was such a pretty ceremony. There were tons of people there even though it was one of those destination weddings on the beach, you know?”
“That sounds wonderful.” Rowen figured that Dave’s parents had paid for it. She didn’t ask that particular question, but she did segue into a semi-related one. “Did your parents like Teaghan?”
Dave hesitated. “They… They thought we were a good couple.”
“They got used to Teaghan after a while,” said Trish, being blunt. “They were kinda mean at first. They thought she was after his money, but you know Teaghan. It’s not like her parents were ever broke. I mean, that’s crazy, right? Like that was why she was with him for all those years.”
