LIVING ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER: 33

It did not make sense. What connection did Adriana have to Allen Grey and the store? Sharon was not able to connect them. "We are missing something. I wonder why the other detective quit?" Sharon said to Stuart.

"Corruption? Does Adriana have any connection to the police force?" Stuart asked.

"Not that I know of, but we need to leave that possibility open," she said.

Sharon still remembered how much pressure was applied when a murder took place while she had been posted in Maury County and the victim was from one of the posh suburbs. She, therefore, knew that prostitutes, drug dealers, and people committing other crimes, or if caught in gang crossfire were viewed as a low priority, but a young and beautiful blond was a high priority. Or was she? Why had not the police pursued the murder to a greater extent?

"The fact that the chief told them to let the infidelity rumor stick tells me that it was not important to solve the crime. It was important to make the crime go away," Sharon told Stuart.

"Why?" he asked back.

"She is different from the rest of the socialites from Nashville, Tennesse Township, but still she is not the type of person the media usually forgets about. She is an attractive, upper, middle-class white female. Why was she shoved out of the spotlight so soon?" Sharon asked Stuart.

"For some reason, she does not fit into that society," Stuart suggested.

They looked at each other and simultaneously asked, "Why?"

"Okay. You do some background searches on Adriana and her family. I will keep my date with Adriana's parents," Sharon told Stuart.

                                                                          ***********

Sharon took the road down to the freeway and headed for SweetWater. During the drive, she thought about the information she had found online about Adriana's parents. Ryan and Julia Davies were a middle-aged couple living in a typical, southeastern SweetWater suburban existence. Both were retired school teachers, active in the Church activities that sat two blocks from their home. They were also world travelers and well-known philanthropists. Sharon had found several write-ups on them in their hometown newspaper. Adriana's brother Nicholas had been featured a few times when he played high school football and his parents seemed to make regular appearances in the paper. Adriana had five entries in the paper. Her birth was announced, notices about the birth of her two children, an announcement about her marriage to Chase Reed, and her obituary. 

It took her about two hours and forty-five minutes to get to SweetWater. The Davies' colonial bungalow sat on the main road. As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed that the garage door was up and a snazzy red Chevrolet Corvette sparkled and shone in between an organized system of shelves and tools. Also a blue, Toyota Camry sat at the edge of the driveway. Sharon pulled her red Toyota Avalon, beside the Camry and headed to the door.

Julia Davies, Adriana's mother opened the door before she could knock. She looked to be five foot six inches, about 125 pounds, and resembled an aging Barbie doll. She had the stereotypical blonde hair and blue eyes, and her body was sleek and toned. However, her face was worn, with wrinkled folds of skin, and she bore the same faint hardness that Sharon had noticed in Adriana's photographs. She forced a smile, revealing deep crow's feet around her eyes.

"Hello, Mrs. Davies. I am..."

"Sharon Stone. Yes, I know. Please come in," she said to Sharon.

Mrs. Davies led her to a white leather couch in the living room through a long hallway lined with family portraits and individual headshots of Nicholas. Red plush carpet crushed underneath her boots, making her feel like she was walking on clouds. Pictures of the family were also clustered on the mantle. There was Nicholas in a football jersey during younger, happier times. Adriana was pictured with the kids, minus Chase, smiling that blank smirk. Her eyes appeared just as empty as they did in the picture Sharon had of her.

"So, Chase has hired someone to try to find out who killed his wife. Well, it is about time," Mrs. Davies said.

Strange choice of words; his wife, not their daughter, Sharon thought.

"Yes, he is dedicated to finding Adriana's killer, and I am determined to help him get justice for her," Sharon said.

Mrs. Davies let out a hard, angry chuckle.

"Mrs. Stone, I admire your determination, but you and Chase cannot have the same goal," Mrs. Davies told Sharon.

"Why is that?" Sharon asked.

"Because he killed my Adriana!" she replied.

"What makes you say that?" Sharon questioned her.

"He is a doctor, with money, power, and looks. There is no way he would have chosen Adriana over all the other girls that wanted him unless he had a plan. He profited from her death. He is happy she is gone," Mrs. Davies replied.

Not the most subtle analysis of the crime, but she was a mother grieving her child. Contrary to Mrs. Davies' analysis, Chase had not profited from Adriana's death. The couple had relinquished life insurance because they had a trust, and a great deal of wealth generated from Reed's empire.

"I would like to learn more about Adriana. What makes you think that Adriana and Chase were not a good match?" Sharon asked.

"Adriana was... different. She was not like your average girl. Early on, we knew she had some trouble processing information, and she struggled in school. It was odd because she loved school, but she was never successful. Teachers enjoyed having her in class, but Adriana was lucky to get 'C' grades. Nicholas has always been the smart one," Mrs. Davies revealed.

Sharon considered inquiring about Ryan Davies, Adriana's father but decided to wait for Mrs. Davies to reveal whether or not he would be present for the meeting.

"We always thought she would end up with some nice boy, a Protestant, factory worker, one who liked beer, and football of course... To sum up, a blue-collar boy, you know what I mean?" Mrs. Davies told Sharon.

Sharon's stomach churned. Categories bothered her. 

"So, you thought Chase was out of Adriana's league?" Sharon asked.

Mrs. Davies let out an uncomfortable laugh, threw her head back in sarcastic amusement, and placed a strong, steady hand on Sharon's knee. "Mrs. Stone, you think this is some story of a nice lady shot in a bad neighborhood; a random thing. But I will tell you, this was some type of revenge plot. Chase caught Adriana cheating on him and made her pay the ultimate price. See, Adriana had a craving for... well, there is no other way to put it... black men." Mrs. Davies' voice had decreased to a whisper as if she were revealing a dirty secret.

"Do you have any evidence that Adriana was having an affair?" Sharon asked.

"No, but I know she was. Adriana was very sneaky," she replied.

Not exactly the portrait most mothers would paint of their daughters. Sharon felt a tinge of sadness for Adriana. Her family did not seem to think that her murder was a great injustice. Her brother and mother seemed to blame her. Sharon was also getting tired of people being so sure of Adriana's infidelity. There was nothing that pointed to her being unfaithful, and yet even her own mother was ready to accuse her of infidelity.   

A/N: To be continued...