CHAPTER FIVE
Interviewing the parents of a murder victim had to be the most soul-destroying part of a murder investigation, and it always resonated deeply with May because of her own past. She and Owen drove to Alyssa’s home, in Sevenfields, in silence.
It was a glorious morning and this small town, in a valley among green hills, had always impressed May with its serene charm. Beside her, Owen’s heavy sigh told her that he, too, was feeling terrible about having to drive into this picturesque village, with its historic church, its park, its well kept homes – to talk to bereaved parents about their daughter.
Sheriff Jack had called May earlier to say the parents were headed home and were prepared to speak to her, so at least she knew they’d had a short time to take in the devastating news and had readied themselves to talk.
“Here we are.” This was their home, number three Terrace Drive. A double-story house with a bright, tiled roof and a garden exploding with colorful blooms in well-tended flower beds.
May climbed out of the car and trod up the garden path, feeling her heart heavy in her chest.
She knocked on the door, exchanging a glance with Owen that spoke volumes.
The door was opened by a woman in her mid-forties, tall and beautiful, with a tear-stained face.
“Deputy Moore and Deputy Lovell,” May introduced herself and Owen in a gentle voice. “Mrs. Darlington?”
“Yes,” the woman said hoarsely. “The sheriff said you’d be here. I don’t really feel prepared to talk, but I need to find out who did this. I need to!”
May saw her eyes flash. This woman might be heartbroken, but May could see she had a core of steel.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“My husband is with our other children,” Mrs. Darlington continued. “We have three younger children. Alyssa was our oldest. So I’ll talk to you alone,” she said.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Mrs. Darlington led the way into the home, which May was impressed to see was immaculately tidy.
She sat down on a white leather couch in the lounge and motioned for May and Owen to sit.
“Mrs. Darlington, we need to know a few more details about Alyssa’s personal life. We don’t yet know why she was targeted or who the killer is, so we’re hoping to get a better picture of this, if you’re able to tell us?” May said.
“Sure. Sure. What do you want to know? She is – was – a high achiever. She did well academically. Top grades in math and science. She liked sports. And she was a beauty. I guess, well I always thought of her as my golden girl. You know, she missed being prom queen by a couple of points?”
That intrigued May. Had this beautiful young woman gotten herself into a complicated situation where jealousy might have been a motive?
“Was Alyssa dating anyone?”
Mrs. Darlington shook her head. “No. She wasn’t dating at the time of her death.”
“And before that?” Owen asked. He was clearly also focused on getting a picture of any emotions that might have been in play. Something could have been destructive enough to trigger murder. If it had, they needed to know more.
Mrs. Darlington frowned. “She dated one of the boys in her class, Miles, for a couple of months earlier this year, but she broke up with him a few weeks ago.”
That timeframe might be important, May thought.
“What did you think of him?” she asked.
She had to wait a minute while Mrs. Darlington buried her face in her hands again, overcome by another wave of grief. Owen jumped up and passed her a handful of Kleenex from the box that had clearly been placed on the otherwise empty coffee table for this reason.
May watched, feeling deeply sympathetic. She thought Mrs. Darlington was holding things together incredibly well. She was being as helpful as she could. May hoped that in some way she was finding it comforting to talk about this.
“I never liked Miles,” she said eventually. “I wasn’t happy with Alyssa going out with him. He was a bit of a wild one. He was a star football player with an ego. He liked to drink. He liked to party. And I didn’t like him personally.”
“Why’s that?” May said.
“He was a real bully. He was controlling. He was one of those boys you don’t want your daughter to date, but of course they end up getting drawn to because at that age, they can’t make the differentiation between controlling and strong.”
May nodded sympathetically, but at the same time she was very interested in the direction this was going.