LIVING ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER: 17

"Do you think this person was familiar with the area?" Stuart asked.

"She came while Chase was not at home, and did not stay long, so it is possible, but it is hard to say one way or another. Maybe Adriana was communicating with the woman," Sharon said.

"You think they were friends? Dealer and addict? Or something else?" he asked.

Sharon wrote the options on the whiteboard, adding question marks behind each choice.

"There were no drugs in her system at the time of death, but we should not completely rule that out. Past drug usage is a possibility. Friends? Well, that is possible but unlikely. Associate makes more sense. I had called and left a message for Adriana's friend, Melanie Jackson, the one she was supposed to meet for coffee the day she was murdered, but she has until now not returned my call. She might be able to give me a more accurate picture of Adriana's social life," Sharon said. She stuck the marker back on the edge of the whiteboard and went back to her desk.

"How was the murder book? Anything earth-shattering was found there?" Stuart asked.

"No. But the detective told me something interesting. He said that Adriana's family was not forthcoming with information. The only person who was willing to help was the sister-in-law. He told me to talk to her if I want a lead," Sharon said.

"That is weird. What about the husband? Was he completely ruled out?" Stuart asked.

"He was never really a viable lead, but they did investigate him. He was rude, but no one really suspected him. The other interesting thing is that the other Detective on the case quit because of the politics surrounding the investigation," Sharon shared with him.  

"Did he elaborate on that? As to what type of politics?" Stuart asked.

"Chase's parents did not want to be interviewed. The detectives were encouraged to leave both sets of parents alone. First gently, but after the second attempt to set up interviews they were told to stop and discontinue. Eventually, a rumor got started about Adriana having an affair, and the boss kind of wanted them to let that rumor grow and expand. One of the detectives, Archie Thompson consequently quit. I am sure there was more to it, but to have a detective quit must mean it was a pretty bad scenario. There is like a code of silence about that kind of stuff at the precinct. The fact that Detective Mike Jackson told me so much showed he was truly trying to help. I am sure we will find out more about whatever cover-up there might be, over time," she said.

"Hmm. What is our next step?" Stuart asked.

"Hopefully, the Detective that quit will call me. He is on the other side of the country now, so he might not care about NPD politics," Sharon said.

"What would you like me to do?" Stuart asked.

"We need more information on Chase. I don't think he murdered his wife, but he is odd. He drinks martinis at ten in the morning, does not want to accept the fact that his wife may have known someone while he did not. Total denial. There could be something there. He could have been acquainted with the killer and had not realized it," Sharon guessed.

"Okay. Well, I can work on his digital info, maybe see if he has a dark side or something," Stuart suggested.

"Great. I will look into the Reeds. I am curious about his family and where their money comes from? Also, Chase is a doctor. People know him. Adriana's murder could be some type of dispute?"

"You think Chase is contemptible?" he asked.

"Not really, but he comes from a wealthy family. Sometimes those folks step on toes," Sharon said.

Stuart loaded in a few spoonfuls of Thai noodles into his mouth before grabbing his jacket and heading out. 

                                                                  ********

Sarah opened her laptop and started searching for biographical information on the Reed family. A simple internet search for Chase Reed pulled up hundreds of hits. Sharon browsed through the listings and clicked on an announcement about his high school graduation. Back then Chase had worn an unkempt page-boy cut, that made him look much younger than a high school senior. A slight grin rumpled the right side of his mouth, but his eyes seemed to be stern and serious. The Reeds had bypassed public school and sent Chase to a private school in Nashville. He had excelled in math, science, and English, and played football. Below the first picture, there were many smaller ones. One contained a tall leggy blonde with the same pageboy haircut as Chase's, identical eyes to her son, and a stiff arm around his shoulders. Another photo showed Chase and his father, a man who was at least five inches shorter than his son, with dark brown hair and cool blue eyes.

Another photograph was a family portrait that contained all three of the Reeds and resembled drab photographs typical of those taken in the early 1920s with no smiles or emotion on their faces. By all accounts, Chase was just your average rich doctor, born and raised in a prominent Nashville Township family that had been in the area since the late 1700s. At least that was how it appeared on the surface. The second hit in the search provided personal information on the family. While Chase's paternal side of the family seemed to follow an established pattern of wealthy family succession, his mother was anything but conventional.

Based on Elizabeth Reed's birthdate, she was now seventy-six years old. A woman ahead of her time, Elizabeth's story was a true rag to riches tale. Her parents had emigrated from the U.K in the 1920s and lived in a working-class neighborhood on the west side of Sweetwater. Elizabeth won a scholarship to a prestigious private school, then went on to the Tennessee State University, and became a doctor. That meant she had attended medical school in the 1962s-which was a truly remarkable feat.

In addition to being a surgeon, Elizabeth had not given birth to Chase until she was forty-two years old. There were several pictures and videos too of Elizabeth Reed. She was at least six foot two, blonde, and blue-eyed, slender and regal. Elizabeth had been a celebrity in her own right. As a female doctor and mother, she would have been a darling of the media. Sharon clicked on a blurred video of an interview with a local news channel. Elizabeth Reed was dressed in a black suit jacket and a crisp white shirt. One long shapely leg was crossed over the other, and a flat black shoe dangled in the air. Her tone was even and smooth as she answered the interviewer's questions.         

A/N: To be continued...