Jack picked up, sounding tired.
"Hello, May. What a situation this is," he said grimly. "Too many drunk teens. Too many confused versions. How did your questioning go?"
"We’ve cleared Dylan,” May said. “And we’ve just interviewed Alyssa’s mother, who has given us another lead. It’s her ex-boyfriend, a football player called Miles Taylor. Apparently there was bad blood between them."
"That so?" Jack asked in concern.
"Miles has a record," May then explained. "We’re here at the Sevenfields police department to look it up. We’ve accessed it, but it's sealed, because he was a minor at the time. He lives in Hazelwood, at number two Lantern Lane. Do you remember that crime at all? Was it recent?"
As the county sheriff, she was sure Jack would have been involved, or else know who to call.
"Hazelwood falls under the Smoky Pines police department," Jack said thoughtfully. "I know the deputy in charge well. And the name Miles Taylor is familiar to me. I think this crime was recent. I'll give the deputy a call straight away, and let you know."
"We’ll get on our way to Miles’s residence now," May said.
Feeling thankful that she'd thought of the quickest and most sensible route to get the information she needed, she stood up and hurried out of the police department, calling a quick thank you to Anthony on the way out.
Hazelwood was one of the wealthiest districts in Tamarack County, May knew. It was about ten minutes from here, in a beautiful location overlooking the lake.
"I wonder what Miles's parents do for a living," she said aloud as they climbed into the cruiser. After the recent interference Dylan's parents had given her, she felt wary that more of the same might happen.
"If it's the Taylors I know of, they own a chain of grocery stores. Not just in Tamarack County, but other areas of Minnesota too," Owen said.
May pulled off. It was a quiet Sunday morning, with little traffic on the road. Their town was peaceful, apart from the ripples and waves she knew were upsetting the community caused by this awful murder.
"Are those the Food Emporium stores?" she asked.
"Yes. Those are the ones," Owen confirmed.
May nodded. Owning so many stores, the Taylors would definitely be well off. They might well be looking to protect their son and could easily afford lawyers.
May felt nervous heading into this confrontation.
They had no choice. They had to speak to Miles. It was an important lead. May would just have to figure out the best way to handle him, when they got face to face.
As they drove, Owen began chatting to her, and May was grateful to him for taking her mind off the worrying interview ahead.
"There's a nice little art gallery in Hazelwood," he said. "It's called Art on the Lake. It's on the main street. I've been meaning to go in there.It's a family-run business and their art is really good. They have a lot of local artists whose work is on display. Do you know about it?"
"If it's the one on the corner, I've seen it," May said. "I love art. And I need to buy some paintings for my cottage. I have always thought how pretty the gallery looks, but I've always had work to do, so I've never been inside," she admitted.
"Shame we don't have time to stop in now," Owen said. "But I'll tell you what. If you're in the area and want to go, I'll go with you some time."
She glanced at him. "We might have time to visit it when this case is closed," she said.
"There's a great little restaurant next door," Owen said, clearly warming to his plans. "Maybe one day, when the case is solved, perhaps on a weekend, we could go look at the art and then head next door for a meal?"
The tall deputy was staring at her with an expectant look on his face, May realized, as she turned off the main road, following the signs for Hazelwood. It was almost as if he seemed slightly nervous about her answer.
She was too nervous about the upcoming confrontation with the Taylors to really take in what he was saying.
"That sounds like a great plan," she agreed hesitantly.
She thought that Owen wanted to say something else, but at that moment, May's phone rang. It was Sheriff Jack.
"Did you get any information?" she asked anxiously.
"I did," he confirmed. "I spoke to the arresting officer, who confirmed that Miles Taylor was arrested, and fined, for physically assaulting one of the girls in his class. I believe he punched her in the jaw, among other things. It happened last year, when he was seventeen."