CHAPTER: 28
1034 Words
"Did Adriana have any enemies?" Detective Sharon asked Nicholas.
"Probably. She was strange. Not real warm and fuzzy. She was kind of a loner," he said.
"When was the last time you saw Adriana?" Sharon asked him.
"I think it was Memorial Day. It was right around the time my wife Amy and I started trying to work things out," Nicholas said.
"Was Adriana herself? Did anything seem off?" Sharon asked.
"She was a little quiet and she looked distracted, but she was in the kitchen with the girls, my mom, and Amy most of the day. I was out with my brothers-in-law; Amy's brothers. Chase breezed in and out, claiming he had to work," Nicholas said.
"You mentioned that Adriana was rebellious during high school. Was she ever estranged from the family?" Sharon asked.
"Yeah... she ran away in high school and was gone for years. Eventually, she showed up on my parents' doorstep," Nicholas replied.
"Did she ever talk about where she was during that time?" Sharon asked.
"Nope, she just left and stayed away for years. I was pretty pissed at her for putting Mom and Dad through that s**t; did not really talk much to her when she returned. Eventually, Amy encouraged me to make amends," Nicholas said.
"Do you think your sister had any ties to the Eastern part of Maury County?"
"The place where she was killed? Well, I figured she had to know someone there. I have never been there, but I hear it is pretty sleazy. She could have been having an affair, but there is really no telling what Adriana was up to over there. She was not always the best judge of character... Could even have done something stupid, like offered a ride to someone," Nicholas said.
"Do you know her friend Melanie?" Sharon asked.
Nicholas's face softened. "Yeah... I know Melanie. She is a good person.."
"That is what I have heard. What is your relationship with her?" Sharon asked him.
"We don't have a relationship, but I have met her a few times. She used to come to my parent's house now and then. She and Adriana would take trips together, hang out at the house... She was a good influence on Adriana; helped her get her s**t together," he said.
Nicholas's face was calm and pleasant when he spoke about Melanie. Could there have been a twisted sibling love triangle? Sharon thought. Nicholas loved Melanie... Adriana loved Melanie... so someone had to be taken out of the picture?
"When was the last time you saw Melanie?" Sharon asked.
"Well, let me... Hey, what is this? Why are you asking about Melanie? I thought you wanted to know stuff about my sister," Nicholas said.
The waitress returned with their food. She set the plates down cautiously, noticing that Nicholas was becoming increasingly agitated.
"I just want to make sure I have a clear picture of who Adriana was. For that to happen, I have to know about her friends and family," Sharon tried to explain.
"Well, all you need to know is that Melanie was good to her. She was an amazing friend, so no need to go barking up on that tree," Nicholas said.
"Okay. Did you know that Melanie lived in Eastern Maury County for a time? She lived about two blocks from where Adriana's body was found," Sharon stated.
"No. I did not know that, but I do not see how that could be relevant. I know that Melanie lives in Huntsville and has been living for several years," Nicholas said.
Yes, she was reaching, but she had investigated too many murders to believe in coincidence. What did it mean that Melanie had once lived so close to the murder scene? It meant something; Sharon just was not sure what.
"Did Adriana have any skeletons in the boyfriend closet? Men who could have been angry that she left them behind?" Sharon asked him.
"Sure. As I said, she dated bad boys," Nicholas replied.
"Do you remember any names of men she dated?" Sharon asked him.
"Not really. As I said, we were not close. In fact, the less I knew about Adriana's shenanigans, the better. I have got to get back to work soon," he said.
Sharon ate as fast as she could and thanked Nicholas for the meeting with her. "Mr. Davies, if you remember anything else, please let me know."
"Yeah," he said, pushing away from the table, cigarette pack already in hand.
"Thank you," Sharon said, but Nicholas was almost at the door, by then.
************
The meetings had produced mixed results, Sharon thought. She was not sure if they were further ahead, behind, or exactly where they had started before the interviews. She turned on her cell and called Stuart.
"Progress is slow on this end. How are things going for you?" she asked.
"This is not going to be an easy one. I have not come up with much, but I am headed to Sweet water to talk with Adriana's old coworkers. She was a substitute teacher who landed a long-term sub position. The school could not find a permanent teacher for the spot, so she made it through the entire year. Does not sound like it was a good experience for the principal," Stuart said.
"Okay. Well, get whatever you can from them, and we will meet tomorrow morning. I am heading to the office to do some super-sleuthing," Sharon said.
"Internet?" he asked.
"You got it!" she said.
Since Sharon did not have a suspect, she decided to search for information on Melanie and Nicholas. He was a bitter sibling with his own problems, but his anger about her teenage angst may have been more about his temperament and less about how he truly felt about Adriana. Melanie, on the other hand, had worked hard to present a picture of complete stability and calm; however, she was very guarded when Sharon asked about her life, and she had once lived in the neighborhood where Adriana's body was found. At this point, everyone was a suspect, but Melanie and Nicholas did not really fit the profile of the suspects.
A/N: To be continued...
- Writer
