Olivia shoved Nate toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
CHAPTER SIX
Mercy, Ohio was exactly like Nate had pictured it in his head- 10,000 people crammed into 20 square blocks. Every front yard was neatly trimmed, cars sparkled in the driveways, and children played in the street. Neighbors eyed them suspiciously as they passed.
“Do I have ‘kidnapper’ stamped across my forehead?” Nate asked.
“You walk like a cop,” Olivia answered easily.
“What does that even mean?”
Olivia shrugged. “It’s not easily definable. You just know it when you see it.”
“Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Cops are the good guys.”
“This town has exactly one sheriff and two volunteer deputies. The last time these people saw an outsider cop was the day after Rosie’s murder. When people see you, they don’t think ‘good guy.’ They think, ‘I wonder what tragedy has struck Mercy this time’.”
Nate wasn’t sure if Olivia was right, or if she was just giving him a hard time, but he tucked his hands into his pockets and tried to look less like a cop anyway.
“So do you have a destination in mind, or are we just taking an ambling stroll through town?”
Olivia tucked her hand into Nate’s elbow, like an old lady needing help crossing the street. “A little bit of both, actually. There’s something I want you to see.”
Nate was surprised at how much her grip tightened over his arm when they entered an abandoned park. Her footsteps slowed, too, until they were barely moving forward.
“This is it, isn’t it?”
Olivia nodded. “This is where Rosie died.”
It was an empty park now, with rotting trees and overgrown weeds, but Nate could picture what it had looked like back then. For one thing, he had looked at the crime scene photos at least a hundred times. But also, this park was just like the parks he had played in as a kid- open areas for playing tag, monkey bars and swings, and a small shelter house to duck into when it rained.
“There.” Olivia dropped Nate’s arm and nodded toward the swings.
Nate remembered from his research that Rosie had been found on a bare patch of ground just past the swings. He followed Olivia slowly, taking in their surroundings. After all these years, there was unlikely to be any remaining evidence from the crime, but his training had taught him to always see everything, even if it seemed futile.
Olivia stopped at the edge of the worn grass and knelt before it. Her hand grazed the blades and her eyes grew moist. After being friends for so long, Nate knew exactly what she was thinking at that very moment- she was picturing her sister’s blood soaking into the ground.
“Liv.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure you want to be here?”
She looked up at him with unblinking eyes. “I came to this spot every single day after her death until I moved away. This was where she took her last breath.”
“Why do you always say her death and not her murder?” Nate knew from his experience dealing with murder victim’s families that they often couldn’t get over the brutality of their loved one’s passing. Olivia instead spoke of Rosie like she had just drifted off to sleep.
“The murder was just the act. Her death was the tragedy.” Olivia stood up and brushed dirt from her knees. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to find her murderer more than anything.”
“I know.” Nate watched Olivia settle onto one of the swings, her feet kicking up dirt as she pushed off.
“Rosie and I used to come here when we were kids.” Olivia kicked higher and threw back her head. “She loved to swing. Said it felt like she was flying.”
Nate took a seat on the swing next to hers and watched her swing. She was laughing and her hair flew madly over her face. Watching her, Nate could see what she must have been like before Rosie’s murder and how much life and joy had been taken from her.
“You should swing more often,” Nate advised, unable to keep a smile from his face. “It looks good on you.”
Olivia stopped pumping her legs and let the swing come to a stop. She brushed her hair from her face and looked at Nate. “Am I a miserable person?”
“What?” Nate’s head snapped back. He certainly hadn’t been expecting a question like that. “Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
She shrugged and twisted a toe into the ground. “I know I’m not fun to be around. I mope a lot. I have a hard time letting people in. I don’t like meeting strangers. I hate small talk.” She looked at Nate earnestly. “I don’t mean to be so miserable, really. But I know that I push people away. Even you.”
Nate didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think Olivia was a miserable person, but most of the things she said were true. She kept a very close circle of friends, and that was it. She rarely even dated and the one guy she had actually been seriously involved with had left her when she turned down his proposal after they had been together for four years. When Nate had asked her why she hadn’t wanted to get married, she didn’t have an answer.
“I don’t think you are miserable, Olivia. But I do think you have a hard time letting people really get to know you.” Nate knew her better than anyone, and even he found himself on the outside looking in more often than not. “Look, I love you just the way you are, but I’m an idiot so you might not want to listen to me.”
“You’re not an idiot, Nate.” Olivia smiled sadly. “You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t be best friends with an idiot.”
“What about that girl, Casey, from grad school. She was pretty stupid.” Nate was rewarded with a happier smile from Olivia.
“She wasn’t stupid. She was in grad school, after all.”
“Really? She was getting a masters in art, and she didn’t know Van Gogh’s first name.”
Olivia laughed at the disbelieving look on Nate’s face. “Okay, fine. She wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier. And I wouldn’t exactly call her my best friend.”
“Hey, Liv. There’s something I need to ask you.” Nate had been trying to decide on the best way to bring up his plans without upsetting her. So far, he’d come up with nothing, so he was just going to be direct. “I want to talk to some people while we are in town, about Rosie’s murder.”
“Which people?”
“I’d like to start with your dad.” Nate waited for Olivia to shoot him down, but she just gave him a long look. “Only if it’s okay with you.”
“Good luck with that.” She laughed. “If you can get him to talk, it’s fine with me. Who else?”
“Some other family members that were close to Rosie. I think your cousin would be a good source. I’m not sure how much she’ll want to gossip about her dead cousin on her wedding day, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Just wear a tight fitting shirt and smile a lot,” Olivia advised. “I can put you in touch with Crystal, too. She was Rosie’s best friend.”
“Good. Thanks.” Nate felt better now that Olivia was onboard with his plan.
“One condition.”
He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy. “Yeah?”
“I want to go with you when you talk to them.”
“Olivia, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Nate knew he had to tread carefully. When Olivia had her heart set on something, it was almost impossible to convince her otherwise. “You’re too close to this case. People might not be willing to talk if you are there.”
Olivia shook her head. “It’s no use, Nater. I’m going with you. I might be close to this case, but I also know it better than anyone. Even you.”
“You might hear things about Rosie that you won’t like.” People often remembered the past differently as years went on. Rosie’s friends might not be as clouded by their grief now and they might divulge secrets that could hurt Olivia.
“I can handle it.” Olivia’s jaw was clenched and her eyes narrowed. It was her determined face and Nate knew better than to keep trying to fight it.
; “Okay, fine. But let me do the talking.”
Olivia held out her hand, and Nate shook it.
“I want you to remember this moment, Nate. This is the moment when you and I became partners.” Olivia grinned triumphantly.
“I’m expecting the world to stop spinning at any time.” Nate sighed. “So when do we start? Should we wait until after the wedding?”
“No way. We start right now.”
Olivia’s dad was watching a baseball game on television and he barely looked up when they entered the room. Nate took a seat on the couch and Olivia grabbed them each a beer from the kitchen.
“Dad, Nate has something he wants to ask you.” Olivia sat next to Nate, her hands fidgeting with the label on her beer bottle. It was her nervous tell.
Ed sighed loudly and turned off the television. “I figured this was coming. How far along are you?”
“What?” Olivia dropped her beer, scoping it up before it spilled.
Nate would’ve been impressed by her reflexes if he wasn’t frozen in shock.
“You’re pregnant, right? Nate wants to make an honest woman out of you before the baby comes?” Ed grunted as he shifted in his chair. “I’m not exactly happy about this situation, but you’re a grown woman and these things happen.”
“Dad, for the love of all that is holy, please stop talking.” Olivia’s face was a brilliant shade of red. Under other circumstances, Nate would’ve found it funny.
“It is okay, Olivia.” Ed glared in Nate’s direction. “I would’ve preferred to have met your boyfriend before the unplanned pregnancy, but-”
“I’m not pregnant, Dad!” Olivia’s voice was shrill. “I’m not with child, and Nate and I are not dating. That’s absurd.”
“You don’t have to be so harsh,” Nate muttered.
Olivia glared at him. “Really?”
“Wait a minute. If you’re not pregnant and you’re not dating, why is Nate here?”
“Well, Dad,” Olivia coughed over the words.
Nate was done playing games. “I’m sure you heard about the murder in Chicago that was eerily similar to your daughter’s murder.”
“Nate.” Olivia put a cautioning hand on his arm.
“I heard about it.” Ed’s face betrayed no emotion.
“I’m looking into the case, and I’d like to ask you a few questions. Sir.” Nate suddenly felt very nervous. It probably had something to do with Ed’s unwavering stare.
Ed didn’t react right away. It wasn’t clear whether he hadn’t understood Nate, or if his muteness meant that he was silently plotting Nate’s demise. Olivia was the one to end the quiet.
“Dad, I really think Nate might be able to help.”
“Dozens of men have investigated Rosie’s death over the years, Olivia.” Ed cleared emotion from his throat. “I’m sure you’re a fine detective, Nate, but it’s been fifteen years since my daughter was murdered. I don’t see how you could possibly help find her murderer.”
“Maybe I can’t, Sir. But I won’t know until I try.” Nate could tell that Ed was wavering, about to slam the door shut. This might be his only chance. “Olivia is my closest friend, Ed. This is important to her, so it’s important to me. I promise, I won’t take a lot of your time. I just want to ask a few questions.”
Ed leaned back in his chair, its rhythmic rocking the only sound in the room. Nate couldn’t be certain, but he sensed that Olivia was holding her breath. Outside the open window, a dog barked.
“Dad. Please.” Olivia’s voice was the faintest whisper.
There was a loud creaking noise as Ed pushed out of his chair. “Don’t get worked up,” he cautioned them. “I’m just getting another beer. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. I’m not going to just answer your questions. I’m going to tell you everything I know.”
He returned from the kitchen with a beer for each of them and settled into his chair. When he started speaking, his demeanor was that of a parent telling a bedtime story to a small child.
“Rosie came into the world with a smile on her face, literally.” He looked at Olivia. “Not like you. You were a screamer.”
Olivia shrugged.
“She was a happy child. Never threw tantrums and had no problems sleeping through the night. My wife and I thought that she would be our easy child, that Olivia would be the one we’d have to worry about.
“But when Rosie turned fifteen, everything changed. She started acting out, having nightmares, and weeks would pass without her smiling at all. We never did figure out what caused such a drastic change. Your mom thought it was teenage hormones, but I always suspected something else was going on with her.”
“She quit tennis and cheerleading,” Olivia remembered.
Ed nodded. “And her grades suffered as well. She became a different child.”
“Do you have any guesses as to what might have caused such a drastic change in her personality?” Nate said.
“At the time, we were clueless. After her murder, we mentioned these things to the police and I overheard some of them speculating that Rosie might have been…” Ed struggled over the words. “They thought that she might have been sexually abused.”
Nate nodded silently- it was an all-too-common story in his line of work. The drastic mood swings and lifestyle changes certainly indicated some sort of emotional turmoil in Rosie’s life.
“Do you think that was possible?” Nate knew how sensitive this subject could be to the family of the victim.
“Back then, I thought it was ridiculous. It seemed like the police were drawing a blank with Rosie’s murder and they were looking for a way out. But now… yeah, I think it was possible.” Ed sighed painfully. “Admitting that is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It makes you feel like such a failure as a father. I should’ve protected my little girl.”
“Any idea who might have been preying on Rosie?” Nate said.
“If I knew who was doing that to her, I’m the one that would be in jail for murder.” Ed’s eyes burned as he took a long swig of beer. “So, no, I don’t know who might have been hurting her.”
“What about neighbors? Teachers? Anyone that Rosie didn’t want to be with alone?” Nate knew that it was likely someone close to the family. Someone that Ed wouldn’t have suspected.
“I’ve gone over and over everything these past fifteen years. No one sticks out as a likely candidate.”
Olivia interjected, “What about her diary, Dad? Did you or Mom ever read her diary to learn what was troubling her?”
“I never even knew she had a diary until after the murder. You mentioned it to the police, and we tore up the house looking for it.” Ed twirled the beer bottle between his hands. “We never did find it.”
“What do you remember about the day it happened?” Nate needed to keep the conversation focused. He wasn’t sure how long Ed would be able to tolerate this trip down memory lane, and he wanted to make the most of their time. “What was Rosie’s demeanor that day?”
“She was happy.” Ed’s face twisted into something resembling a smile. “Rosie was a senior, and she’d been accepted at her dream school. We had her acceptance letter plastered on the refrigerator.”
“I remember she took down my history report to make room for it.” Olivia smiled, but she sounded a little bitter.
Ed’s eyes closed as he drifted deeper into his memory. “Rosie went to school on time. Her teachers confirmed that she was in all of her classes that day. Friends that ate lunch with her said she was in good spirits. I didn’t see her again until supper time.”
“Spaghetti,” Olivia remembered. “Rosie spilled sauce on her white sweater.”
“That’s right.” Ed’s eyes flew open. “I forgot about that.”
Nate was pleased that they were both remembering insignificant details. The accuracy of their memories could be key to revealing the truth about what happened that night.
“What happened after supper?”
“Jill and I went o
ver to a friend’s house. They were having a housewarming party and we knew it might go late, so we asked Rosie to watch the kids. She told us to have fun, and that was the last time we saw her.”
Nate wished that he was carrying his trusty notepad and paper. He was certain something that he heard tonight was going to make a difference. “Did Rosie have a boyfriend?”
“No.” Ed said at the exact same time the Olivia said, “Yes.”
“Rosie never mentioned any boys,” Ed said defensively.
“Not to you. But who do you think she was talking to on the phone every night?”
“Who was she talking to?” Nate had read all of the police records and hadn’t seen any mention of a boyfriend.
“Dylan Masters.” Olivia added more for Nate’s benefit. “Rosie’s best friend was Crystal Masters. She had an older brother, Dylan. Our caller ID would show that a call was coming from the Masters’ line, and Mom and Dad just assumed it was Crystal. Rosie made sure she answered right away, so they never figured it out.”
“It would be nice if you wouldn’t talk about me like I wasn’t sitting right here,” Ed grumbled.
Olivia shrugged apologetically. “Rosie was a teenage girl, Dad. She kept things from her parents.”
“So Rosie was dating this Dylan kid? How long was that going on?” Nate realized that while Olivia and Ed had both finished their beers, he had yet to touch his.
“About six months, I think. Rosie never actually told me about it, but I was a snoop back then. I eavesdropped.”
“Only back then?” Nate quipped. Olivia was still good at sticking her nose into other people’s business.
Olivia ignored him. “She kept it a secret because Dylan was always getting into trouble back then. Nothing serious- shoplifting, underage drinking.”
“What else do you need to know?” Ed asked, feet tapping the floor impatiently.
“Do you remember anything odd occurring in the few weeks prior to the murder? Any strange people lurking around the house?” It was a long-shot, but sometimes people witnessed things that seemed insignificant, but were actually quite important.
Ring Around the Rosie (An Olivia Thompson Mystery Book 1) Page 4