Kenhardt - Secrets 5

‘I just came from your ex-husband’s house,’ Joe said once they were seated and ready to speak. ‘Are you up to answering some questions about Anya?’ Mary - Ellen closed her eyes at the mention of her daughter’s name. ‘Of course. Anything I can do to help you catch whoever did this.’ Joe nodded and brought out his notepad. ‘So you believe this was intentional then? Someone did this to the girls?’ Mary - Ellen stared at him for what seemed like hours. ‘I’m not and idiot - I know what everyone is saying. That the girls killed themselves. The whole town believes it. Doesn’t make it true.’ ‘What do you think happened?’ ‘Someone did this to them. They were murdered.’ ‘Who do you think would do something like that?’ Joe asked. ‘I don’t know, Detective. I assumed that was your job.’ ‘Did Anya have any enemies? People she didn’t get along with?’ ‘Of course not. She stuck to her close group of friends. Haddie Taylor and Kiera Barnes - those two were her best friends. She has a few others as well. Rachel Dunn, Gabriella Pratt, Miera Bowman. But no enemies. Anya was a sweet girl. Got along with everyone,’ her voice faltered and Chloe leaned in closer to her mother. ‘Do you know if she was ever bullied at all?’ ‘Not that I’m aware of. I’m the first to admit that parents are not perfect. Especially parents of teenagers. There are probably lots of things that we miss. And it’s our jobs not to miss it. But bullying? I sure hope I didn’t miss that.’ ‘So Anya never mentioned anything to you? No visible signs of depression or self - harm?’ Mary - Ellen shook her head. ‘Not at all.’ ‘Chloe,’ Joe said. ‘Did you notice anything? Or did your sister ever mention anything to you?’ ‘No, nothing. We were close. Anya always came to me for advice or just to talk. I swear, she told me everything. And if there were any problems. I’d know. But there was nothing. No boy problems. No girl drama. No bullying.’ Joe jotted this down. ‘It’s just odd,’ Chloe spoke again. ‘All three of them. Together. Have you seen anything like that before?’ ‘No. I haven’t,’ Joe said. ‘And you’re right, it’s odd. That’s why this case is so peculiar. Two people, it could be a possibility, especially in this fashion, the location, etc. But it was three of them. Three is very rare for suicide, statistically. And there was no note. No indication that the three of them did this themselves.’ Mary - Ellen began to cry again. Chloe rubbed her mother’s arm and handed her more tissues. ‘If someone did this to them,’ Joe began. ‘They did it for a reason. I’ll need to find out everything I can about the girls’ lives. Who they communicated with the most, if they had gotten themselves into some sort of trouble,’ ‘Isn’t that victim blaming?’ Mary - Ellen asked. ‘Why is this their fault?’ ‘I didn’t mean …’ ‘People kill for all sorts of reasons,’ Mary said. ‘Clearly someone had it out for those girls. And the reason for that is not on them.’ ‘Yes, I understand that.’ Joe said. ‘But the entire situation is very perplexing. It happened at school, during school hours. If someone wanted to harm those girls, they could have planned it differently. On a weekend, in the evening. But they chose to do it in broad daylight where everyone would see.’ At those words, Mary broke down again. What Joe didn’t say aloud was that the whole scenario was very odd for a murder. Perhaps they really did jump! Joe watched her for a moment, then cleared his throat, ‘I’ll leave you for now,’ he said so he stood. ‘But I’ll most likely be back very soon. When I return, I’d like to have a look around Anya’s room, if you don’t mind. See if there are any clues or indication as to why the events of yesterday happened. Do you know if she kept a journal of a diary?’ Mary wiped her eyes and looked up. ‘I’m not sure. We’ll have to look around.’ ‘If you do, try not to move anything. Leave all her belongings as they are. I’ll be back possibly later today or tomorrow. Until then,’ Joe paused. Well, again, my condolences. And just try to stay strong. It’s a terrible time. If you remember anything else, or think of anything that you believe might be useful, please don’t hesitate to call me,’ Joe handed Mary his card. House Four, the Barnes. Just down the road from the Taylor’s, the Barnes lived on a four acre property with a large pond and a horse stable. Patrick and Vivian Barnes came from old money and didn’t bother trying to hide the fact. Locals said they flaunted their possessions, ensuring that everyone was aware that they were the Barnes. Kiera was their eldest, Followed by her younger sister, Kelsey. Chocolate brown hair and striking blue eyes ran in the family, a chocolate Lab to go along with their aesthetic. But as far as Joe could tell, today they were just a regular family, grieving the loss of their daughter. Patrick and Kelsey sat on the couch of their elegant living room. Vivian entered moments later, carrying a tray with mugs of tea. She handed one to Joe, who had insisted that she not bother getting drinks for everyone, but eventually obliged once he realized she wasn’t going to give up. He went with Earl Grey. Vivian sat down on the couch next to her husband. None of them touched their teas. Joe took a small sip, then placed it on the glass table that sat in the center of them, assuming his would go untouched from that point on as well. Tea, like most things in the Barnes home, was just a formality. ‘Why Don’t you tell me what your daughter was like.’ Joe said, fiddling with his pen between his fingers. It was just after 14:30pm. At least this was the last time he’d have to do this dance today. ‘Kiera was brilliant,’ Vivian said, then stopped as the tears came. ‘I’m sorry,’ she held a tissue to her eyes. ‘I just …I still can’t believe she’s gone,’ her voice broke and she began sobbing. Patrick placed his hand on her thigh, a look of sorrow engulfing his face. Kelsey sniffled, trying to hold back her own tears as she watched her mother. ‘I’m sorry,’ Vivian said once she collected herself. ‘Don’t apologize,’ Joe told her. It was quiet for a moment. ‘What was the question again?’ Vivian asked. ‘Just tell me about Kiera. Your relationship with her, her friends, what she was like.’ ‘Kiera. Yes. Well, Vivian began again. ‘Kiera was always so full of life. If you asked anyone who she was, they’d be able to tell you. Full of life and ambition. Always smiling and laughing. She truly was remarkable.’ ‘She always had this big smile on her face,’ Patrick said. ‘When she was in the 8th grade she had to get braces. And she swore that she would never smile with her mouth open again. But that didn’t last long. Not even the braces could contain her smile. She let it shine for the world to see.’ ‘And she was funny,’ Kelsey added. She was two years younger than Kiera - only fourteen. ‘She always knew how to cheer me up and make me laugh.’ ‘The two of you were close?” Joe asked the sister. She looked exactly like her. Kelsey nodded. ‘Two peas in a pod,’ Patrick said. ‘We were so glad the girls were close,’ Vivian explained. ‘You never know with girls. One day they’re princesses, the next, they’re pulling each other’s hair out,’ she smiled slightly. ‘But not Kiera and Kelsey. They got along so well, even when they were babies.’ ‘What about her friends? Did Kiera get into any disagreements or arguments? Ever have any enemies?’ ‘No, not at all. The girls,’ Vivian said. ‘You know, Haddie and Anya, they were her best friends. The three of them spent all of their time together, And they never fought. They were all such polite, respectful girls.’ ‘And a part from that friend group, did she have many other friends?’ It was quiet for a moment as the three Barnes thought about this. ‘You know, I can’t really think of anyone else right now,’ Patrick said. Vivian agreed. ‘Come to think of it, she didn’t have many other friends. Just Anya and Haddie.’ She paused. ‘But when you have a friendship like that, how many others do you really need?” ‘What about boyfriends?’ Silence again. It was Vivian who spoke first. ‘Boyfriend? No. Kiera was focused on her schoolwork. She wanted to go to UCT.’ Joe looked at Kelsey, hoping perhaps she’d speak up, in case she knew something her parents didn’t. But she only glanced at him, not saying a word. ‘Did any of the girls have boyfriends?’ Joe asked. ‘Haddie,’ Vivian said. ‘She was dating Oliver Harries.’ ‘Everyone thought they were going to get married,’ Kelsey added. Joe internally scolded himself for not finding this out sooner. Why didn’t the Taylor’s mention a boyfriend? Perhaps it was because Joe never asked. Why was he just thinking of boyfriends now? This was crucial information. He jotted down the name, Oliver Harris, and made a mental note to pay him a visit. ‘So if the girls didn’t have any enemies,’ Joe said. ‘Who do you think would do something like this? Who would want to hurt them?’ It was quiet again. ‘Honestly, Detective,’ Patrick said. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know who could have done such a thing. I don’t know who killed my daughter …’ he closed his eyes and brought a hand up to shield his face. ‘Kelsey,’ Joe said, looking at her. ‘Did Kiera ever mention anything to you? Anyone she was angry with? Scared of?’ Kelsey shook her head. Joe looked back at the parents. ‘Did Kiera ever experience any mental illnesses? Depression, anxiety, eating disorder…?’ ‘No,’ Vivian said quickly. ‘No, Kiera was perfect. Nothing of that sort.’ Again, Joe looked to Kelsey hoping she’d interrupt with some more information. But she remained silent. Perhaps he’d have to speak with her later. Separately. ‘Well,’ Joe said as he stood. ‘I’ll leave you for now, obviously give your family some time to mourn and be together in this time of tragedy. But I will most likely be back either later today or tomorrow, if that’s alright with you.’ ‘Of course,’ Vivian said, standing as well. ‘Anything we can do to help you find the monster that did this.’ ‘I’ll need to look through Kiera’s room, see if there’s anything that can indicate what exactly happened yesterday. So please, if you are able, leave everything as it is.’ ‘Of course.’ Joe nodded his head and Vivian led him to the door to see him out. Once he was outside, he glanced back and met her eyes. She was staring at him so desperately, pleading with him, silently, to find her daughter’s killer. The only problem was. Joe still wasn’t sure if that was another person, or if it was Kiera herself. It was just after 15:00pm. Joe was having mixed feelings about each of the families he had spoken with so far. Of course all parents speak highly of their children. Of course all parents of a deceased child speak highly of them. But with these families, everything seemed too perfect. No enemies. No arguments. No boyfriends -with the exception of Haddie - and no known mental illnesses. In fact, every time Joe mentioned mental illness or suicide to the parents, they got defensive. As though he were a terrible person for even suggesting such a thing. Was this simply a coping mechanism to deal with their daughter’s deaths, or were there things they were keeping from him? Joe didn’t know what to think. When he first arrived on scene the day before, he knew that something was off. The dispatch call had detailed that three girls were plunged off the roof of their school. His initial assumption was that they’d been pushed. But then getting to the school, hearing what everyone was saying - they were all convinced it was suicide, And that began to muddle his perception of the case. With the absence of a suicide note and no plausible cause for suicide, all fingers were pointing at this being a murder. But even then, it was a rare and unusual homicide. Broad daylight, roof of the school. It wasn’t pre-meditated. If the killer had planned this out, they could have done a much better job. This implied that the killing was a last - minute decision, perhaps even accidental. Something happened on that roof yesterday morning. Someone got those girls up there and either pushed them or had them jump. But who would do that? To all three of them? And more importantly: WHY?