He sneered and shook his head. When he spoke, his voice trembled in a sort of eternal yawn. No. Lauren stayed to herself these days. An introvert. It had gotten even worse as of latedrawing into herself, you know?
Any idea why?
She had a rough past. Messed up parents and all that. She was sort of a bully in high school. I guess thats what shed be classified as these days. Or maybe a mean girl. Shed been coming to terms with those mistakes as of late. I think it got worse when she got that damned high school reunion invitation in the mail.
She was anxious about going? Chloe asked.
Im not sure. It made her sad, I thinkto think about the people she had maybe been mean to.
Did the two of you graduate together? Moulton asked.
We did.
And did you go with her to the reunion?
God no. I hate that sort of stuff. Posturing and pretending to like people you mostly hated in high school. No. I sat it out.
You say she was an introvert, Chloe said. Did she not have many friends?
Oh, she had a few. Claire was one of them. And the friends she did have were like family to her. They were extremely close.
Have you spoken with them since this happened? Moulton asked.
Just one. She called shortly after she found out to see if I needed anything.
Are these friends that perhaps went to the reunion with her?
Yeah. Claire went, too. But shes also sort of an introvert. I think she went just out of curiosity.
Do you and Lauren have any children? Chloe asked. A neighborhood like this, I figured there would be at least one kid in every house.
We have two. Our oldest, Victoria, is eighteen; she just started college this year. Shewell, she chose to spend this very difficult time with her grandparents. And because she went with them, our youngestCarterwanted to go, too. Ive never had the best relationship with my in-laws but my kids being with them right now is a godsend. I feel like a terrible father, but if my kids were here, Id crumple up and just break, I think.
Is there any animosity about your children being with their grandparents right now? Moulton asked.
I want them here with mejust to see them. But Im a mess. And until the house is in better shapethats where they need to be.
You said your oldest chose to be with them during this time, Moulton said. Why is that?
She couldnt wait to get out of our house. She had a strained relationship with Lauren for the last few years. Some toxic mother-daughter stuff. Our daughtershe was having boys over, sneaking in the house at night. She was doing this as young as thirteen. Had her first pregnancy scare at fifteen. And if you do the math in your headLauren was thirty-seven. We had our daughter when Lauren and I were both nineteen.
Chloe thought the tumultuous family situation could not be making this any easier on Jerry Hilyard. She didnt think there was anything there worth digging into, though it might do some good to eventually speak with the daughter.
Mr. Hilyard, would you have any objection to us taking a look around your house? she asked.
Thats fine. The sheriff and a few of his men have been in and out a few times. The code to get in is two-two-two-eight.
Thank you, Mr. Hilyard, Moulton said. Please contact us if you think of anything else. For now, I think well speak with Mrs. Lovingston to see if she has any details to share.
Shes told the police everything she knows. Shes starting to get irritated, I think.
What about her husband? Did he know your wife well? Did the four of you frequently hang out together?
No. Claires husband works out of town quite a bit. I did FaceTime him to make sure he was okay with me staying here. And anyway, it was mainly just Claire and Lauren. They had a weekly thing where theyd drink wine on the front porch, switching houses every week.
Claire stepped into the room slowly, apparently having put the baby she had been carrying down for a nap.
And wed do the predictable things that women do. Talk about our husbands, reminisce about the past. Id tell her about the highs and lows of having a baby. And, more recently, wed talk about what she was going through with her daughter.
What can you tell us about Lauren and what might have led someone to do such a thing to her? Chloe asked.
Lauren made some decisions during high school that her parents did not particularly agree about, Claire replied. Once Lauren graduated high school and had her daughterwell, college was out of the picture.
They were embarrassed, Jerry added. They got pissed and moved to New Hampshire. They feed our daughter these brutal lies about Lauren whenever they can.
Trying to make up for the mistakes and neglect from raising Lauren, Claire said. A couple of real assholes.
Sensing the conversation headed to a bashing session, Chloe spoke up. Mrs. Lovingston, would you happen to be able to think of any enemies or even strained relationships Lauren might have had? Chloe asked.
Not outside of her family. And while they are a couple of jerks, they certainly wouldnt do this. This isthis is deplorable.
Moulton reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a business card. He placed it on the coffee table and stepped back. Pleaseif either of you think of anything else, please dont hesitate to contact us.
Both Claire and Jerry gave only curt nods. The conversation had been brief but it had taken its toll on them. Chloe and Moulton made their exit in an awkward silence.
When they were outside, heading for the car, Chloe paused for a moment on the sidewalk. She looked down the street, in the direction of the Hilyard house, and saw that it was just out of sight. Still, she was starting to agree with Moulton. Maybe it was a little too close. And if the bedroom still looked anything like what she had seen in the photographs Johnson had showed them, it seemed almost morbid that Jerry was staying so close.
Ready to go check out the house? Chloe asked.
Not really, Moulton said, the images hed seen from that case file still clearly in his mind. But I guess weve got to start somewhere.
They got back into the car and headed back the way they had come. Right away, Chloe kept telling herself that it couldnt be as bad as it had appeared in the picturesall of that crimson red among the crisp white sheets.
***It took all of twenty seconds to get to the Hilyard house. The fact that it closely resembled the Lovingston houseand most every other house on the blockwas creepy as hell as far as Chloe was concerned. They entered through the front door with the code Jerry Hilyard had given them and stepped into an absolutely still and silent house.
Knowing exactly why they were there, they wasted no time and went directly upstairs. The master bedroom was easy to find, the room all the way at the end of the hallway. Through the opened door, Chloe could already see streaks of red on the carpet and the sheets.
She was relieved, however, to find that the scene truly didnt look as bad as it had appeared in the pictures Director Johnson had showed them. First and foremost, the body had been removed. Secondly, the bloodstains had been sitting longer, making them paler in color.
They walked to the bed, careful to step over any blood splashes left on the carpet. She could see areas in the blood splatter where the coroner and initial investigators had accidentally stepped in it. Chloe looked to the other side of the room, toward a dresser and where a small flat-screen TV was mounted to the wall. She was probably watching TV when it happened, maybe purging her head of high school reunion memories