CHAPTER SEVEN
Polly’s brother lived just outside the town of Bottom’s Bridge, in a house that was surrounded by overgrown grass and two junked trucks stacked up on cinderblocks. The house itself was quite nice, though. And when Jack knocked on the door, Rachel caught a whiff of roses coming from a flowerbed to the left-hand side of the porch.
The door was answered by a man who was clearly related to Polly. The resemblance was uncanny, right down to the piercing brown eyes. He regarded both with vague disinterest for a few seconds and then said, in a tired sigh: “Yeah?”
Rachel had to remind herself that this was technically Jack’s case, so she made herself take the back seat. She remained quiet and stood to the side as Jack introduced them.
“I’m Agent Jack Rivers and this is my partner, Agent Gift. We’d like to ask you some questions about your sister, if that’s okay.”
He looked annoyed at once and made no attempt to hide it. “We already talked to the cops two different times,” he said. “I’m not sure what else you’re expecting to get out of us.”
“Us?” Jack said. “So is your sister here?”
“She is. And she’s a mess. So I don’t see why talking about it over and ov—”
“Kevin, shup up and let them in,” a haggard female voice called out from the back. Kevin rolled his eyes, shook his head, and opened the door wide. He did so in an exaggerated motion, as if making sure not only the agents, but anyone else who cared to come in, could enter.
Rachel and Jack walked inside, finding the house still and quiet. It had the feel of a place that had just been dealt bad news. It was a sort of stale feeling in the air that Rachel had long ago gotten accustomed to. The brother—Kevin, presumably—passed by them as they entered the living room and sat down in a well-worn armchair. At the same moment, a woman of about thirty or so stepped into the room through the adjoining kitchen.
“Is there new information?” this woman asked. The tired desperation in her eyes made Rachel badly want to be able to tell her that they did have some news for her.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said, “but we don’t. And I do understand that the cops have been by to speak with you,” he added, looking over to Kevin. “But as the burau is now on the case, we’d like to ask some questions as well.”
“Of course,” the woman said.
“I take it you’re the sister?” Rachel asked.
“I am. Melissa. I had been taking Polly to her chemo treatments at the start of it all. But she responded to the meds well and really didn’t need the help. So I stopped. But I shouldn’t have. I know I shouldn’t have. If I’d been with her yesterday, this…this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You don’t know that,” Kevin snapped. He then looked to the agents and said, “Forgive her. She’s wrecked and she tends to be a bit dramatic about things.”
“Polly is dead,” Melissa said. “You understand that, right?”
Kevin said nothing to this, electing instead to look at his fingers and pick at one of the nails.
“You said you were taking her to treatments,” Jack said. “Did she insist you stop or was it something you decided on your own?”
“Oh, no, that was all Polly. She hated the idea that someone was going to wait on her. I live outside of town, and I was trying to arrange things where I’d be able to work remotely so I could be with her, sort of like a caregiver. But she wouldn’t have that. And besides…she wasn’t having any severe side effects from the chemo. Even the nurses and doctors said that after the first few doses, she’d likely be fine.”
“Does that mean there was hope of remission?” Rachel asked.
“Well, I mean, I always held out hope. But the doctors were very upfront about the fact that it would take nothing short of miracle for her to fully beat it. Their best hope as of about a week ago was that she may be able to live another year and a half. The doctor she’d been seeing had mentioned two potential experimental procedures, one of which is starting to be utilized and working wonders in Sweden, but…but, no. I don’t think remission was a real possibility.”
“In terms of family members, is it just the two of you?” Jack asked.
“Just us,” Kevin said dryly.
Wiping a tear away, only to be followed by another, Melissa said, “Yes, it’s just us. Dad was never around and I have no idea where he even is. We haven’t seen him for fifteen years or so. Mom died of breast cancer pretty early. No aunts or uncles…just us.”
“Do either of you know if Polly was dating anyone?”
“If she was, she kept it a secret,” Melissa said. “But really, I doubt she was seeing anyone. She’s pretty lousy at keeping secrets.”
“Any close friends she may have had a falling out with?” Rachel asked.
“I’m ashamed to say I don’t know. She had friends, sure, but Polly always kept to herself. She was very much an introvert.”
“Kevin, have you lived around here your whole life?” Jack asked.