Her Last Word
Page 39

“Let’s hope that trend continues.”
North leaned forward, holding Adler’s gaze. “Do me a favor and bury him.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The two shook hands, and Quinn’s number flashed on Adler’s display. Out in the hallway he answered, “Quinn.”
“I spoke to Ashley Ralston. She’s willing to see us now.”
“Good. Could you search rapes farther downriver during the two years before Gina vanished? Detective North remembers two.”
“Will do.”
Adler drove to the station and picked up Quinn, and together they traveled across town to a new trendy apartment complex near Rocketts Landing located east of downtown Richmond. Ashley Ralston lived in a third-floor apartment overlooking the James River.
Adler knocked on the door. Seconds later footsteps preceded the click of locks, and the door opened to Ashley Ralston. She wore no makeup, and the stress of her sister’s death was etched in lines around her mouth and red-rimmed eyes.
Adler and Quinn held up their badges. “Ms. Ralston.”
She recognized them both, and her frown deepened. “Come on in.”
She escorted them into a small living room furnished with a matching set of new furniture. A dozen moving boxes had been flattened and stacked in the corner, and several framed posters leaned against the plain antique-white walls. “I was just on the phone with the funeral home and the medical examiner’s office.” She ran a trembling hand over her hair. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. I never pictured myself having to do this.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Adler said. “Have you been able to schedule the funeral?”
“Sunday afternoon.”
He had made dozens of death notices during his ten years with the homicide department. It never got easier, nor did dealing with the grieving family’s desperate need for answers. “Looks like you just moved in.”
She shrugged. “A few weeks ago. It was supposed to be my new life after my divorce. Jennifer and I were supposed to take a trip to Paris this summer to celebrate.”
“You were close to your sister?” Adler asked.
“I haven’t seen her much in the last few years. A failing marriage distracted me, but the plan was to spend more time with her.”
“Did she talk about having issues with anyone?” Quinn asked.
“You mean like a stalker? Not until recently. Last week at our lunch a man kept staring at us. I found him annoying, but she freaked out and insisted we leave. Our food had just arrived, and I was annoyed to leave hungry. The waitress packed up our food, and we left.”
“Did the man follow?”
“No. In the car, she told me about her stalker. I asked her if she’d spoken to the cops. She said she did.”
“I remember you told me that at her home. I searched for any police reports made by your sister, but there were none,” Adler said softly.
“Really? She told me she reported this guy to the cops.” Tears welled in Ashley’s eyes. “I guess she lied to keep me from bugging her.”
“Why do you think she didn’t report it?” Quinn asked.
“Embarrassed, I guess. I don’t really know.”
“It’s unfortunate,” Quinn said.
“She was wrong to be embarrassed. That’s why we have cops, to take care of the wackos.” Bitterness twisted around the words.
“So she never mentioned a particular individual?” Adler asked.
“No. I offered her my couch, but she insisted on staying at her own place. I should have made her stay with me.”
“What about Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend?” Adler asked.
“Jeremy? He’s not the type. He’s fairly passive. And I hear he has a new girlfriend. If anything, she still had feelings for him.”
“Would there have been any reason for him to visit her a few weeks ago?”
She shrugged. “Sex. That was always great between them.” She sighed. “I wish Jennifer had talked to me more, but she learned at an early age to downplay the negative.”
“How so?” Adler asked.
“After Gina vanished, Jennifer was pretty freaked out. She always blamed herself. Said if she’d not gotten so drunk, she would have stuck around and been there for Gina. That night has haunted her, but my mother grew tired of hearing about it. So did I frankly, so she stopped talking about it.”
“You were at the river when Gina vanished,” Quinn confirmed.
“I came to pick up Jennifer and Erika. They were both too wasted to be on their own.”
“Did you see Gina and Kaitlin before you left?” Adler asked.
“I did. They were waiting with Jennifer and Erika. They were all trashed.”
“Why didn’t you take Gina and Kaitlin home?” Adler asked.
“They said they wanted to walk. It was less than a quarter of a mile away, and I had my hands full with my sister and Erika.”
“And you were alone in the car?” Adler asked.
“Yes.”
“When Kaitlin interviewed your sister, Jennifer mentioned hearing you arguing with a man,” Adler said.
“She must have had her timeline confused. I did argue with my boyfriend when we returned back to my mom’s house. He was annoyed I’d been gone so long.”
“That would be Derek Blackstone,” Adler said.
“Yes.”
“How long were you gone?”
“Fifteen or twenty minutes.”
“What was Kaitlin’s relationship with Gina like?” Quinn asked, deliberately shifting the focus.
“They fought a lot. Gina was a great kid, but Kaitlin wasn’t easy. Moody. Not a hard worker. Jennifer asked Gina once why she was so nice to Kaitlin, and Gina reminded her that Kaitlin’s brother had killed himself and we needed to cut her some slack.”
“Was Gina dating anyone?”
“Yeah, a boy named Tom Davenport, but they broke up right before graduation.”
“He’s still here in Richmond and works in finance, right?”
“That’s right. He can’t be hard to find.”
“He must have been devastated,” Quinn said.
“He was. He was really angry with Jennifer, Erika, and Kaitlin. He felt like they let Gina down.”
“Did Tom have any recent contact with Jennifer?”
“Not that I’m aware of. It’s been fourteen years. He’s grown up and matured. He knew deep down those girls were kids and would never have hurt Gina.”
“What do you think, Ashley?” Quinn asked.
Ashley threaded her fingers together. “I blame all this on Kaitlin Roe. She was a troublemaker then and she’s still one. Her damn interviews are reopening old wounds. I told Jennifer to stay away from her.”
Adler circled back to Blackstone and Hayward. “Derek, Brad, and Randy were friends.”
“Derek and Brad still are. Randy Hayward tagged along, but he was always stirring up trouble. They recognized Randy as the loser he always was.”
“So you knew Randy?” Adler asked.
“We were the same age and attended the same high school, but I doubt we spoke ten words to each other.” She reached for a tissue and twisted it in her hands.
“Why would Derek defend Randy now?” Adler asked.
“Loyalty. They’ve known each other since kindergarten. Derek is faithful to a fault when it comes to his buddies.”