with Tick. She trusted him, despite everything, and they’d always worked well together. “Shouldn’t we wait for Tick or Cook?”
Schaefer shook his head. “Tick called into dispatch a few minutes ago. Power outage at his place last night—his clock didn’t go off and he overslept. He’s running late. And Cook works a split shift today—he won’t be in until twelve.”
Well, she didn’t have a choice, did she? “Then let’s go talk to the parents.”
* * *
A discreet housekeeper ushered Caitlin and Schaefer into the Gillabeaux’s elegant living room. Light bounced off gleaming hardwood floors, and tasteful accoutrements gave the room a magazine-photo quality. Caitlin glanced at the portraits hanging in a neat row above the couch. Amy looked down on the room with the same reserved smile and wicked eyes from her senior photo.
Eloise Gillabeaux rose from a tapestry wing chair to greet them, her face ravaged by grief, dark circles under her eyes, deep lines cut into the papery skin around her mouth. “Good morning, Investigator.”
Schaefer nodded. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, this is Special Agent Falconetti, from the FBI.”
Caitlin kept her smile soft, taking the woman’s hand. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for agreeing to see us this morning.”
Eloise drew in a shaky breath. She sank into the chair, hands clenched in her lap. “I-I just want you to find the monster who did this to Amy. I’ll do anything I can to help.”
Caitlin took the wing chair nearest the couch. Schaefer remained standing, resting his arm along the fireplace mantel. She balanced her notebook on her knee and smiled again. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, I need to know everything you can tell me about Amy. Her friends, her schedule, even if it doesn’t seem important.”
“She was our baby,” Eloise said, tears glistening on sparse lashes. She swallowed and blinked rapidly. “We had four boys and then Amy. She was always Daddy’s little girl…she was very much like Tommy, too. Strong willed, but she loved people. She was very popular.”
Caitlin nodded. “Did she have close friends? Someone she would confide in?”
Eloise dabbed at her eyes with a crumpled, lace-trimmed handkerchief. “She’d just moved last semester into an apartment near the college. Her roommate was her best friend from high school, Laurie Gold. Laurie is the one who called us when Amy didn’t come home Tuesday night.”
Her voice broke over the words, and Caitlin leaned forward. How awful losing a child was. A cold pain settled around her heart, but she shut it off, tucked it away. Focus. She needed focus. “Take your time, Mrs. Gillabeaux. Whenever you’re ready.”
“This is just so hard to believe,” Eloise sobbed, and Caitlin reached out to touch her clenched hands. “Why would anyone want to hurt her? Amy loved people…she was always wanting to help others. That’s why she volunteered at the center—”
“The center?”
“The women’s crisis center. Amy volunteered there two days a week, when she didn’t have classes.”
Caitlin nodded and jotted the information down. “Did Amy have a boyfriend?”
Eloise shook her head. “Oh, no. She wasn’t ready to settle down yet. Her father used to tell her she had to date at least twenty-five men before she would be ready to make a decision regarding marriage. She would just laugh and tell him no one would compare to her daddy.”
The revelation brought on fresh tears and Caitlin waited for the woman’s composure to be restored before continuing. “Did you see Amy on Monday?”
“No. She went to church with us Sunday and spent the afternoon here. We usually talk on the phone every day, but I didn’t…I didn’t call her Monday.”
Caitlin closed her notebook after removing a business card. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, this is my card. If you remember anything at all, even if it seems unimportant, please call me. My cellular number is there, or you can reach me at the
Schaefer shook his head. “Tick called into dispatch a few minutes ago. Power outage at his place last night—his clock didn’t go off and he overslept. He’s running late. And Cook works a split shift today—he won’t be in until twelve.”
Well, she didn’t have a choice, did she? “Then let’s go talk to the parents.”
* * *
A discreet housekeeper ushered Caitlin and Schaefer into the Gillabeaux’s elegant living room. Light bounced off gleaming hardwood floors, and tasteful accoutrements gave the room a magazine-photo quality. Caitlin glanced at the portraits hanging in a neat row above the couch. Amy looked down on the room with the same reserved smile and wicked eyes from her senior photo.
Eloise Gillabeaux rose from a tapestry wing chair to greet them, her face ravaged by grief, dark circles under her eyes, deep lines cut into the papery skin around her mouth. “Good morning, Investigator.”
Schaefer nodded. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, this is Special Agent Falconetti, from the FBI.”
Caitlin kept her smile soft, taking the woman’s hand. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for agreeing to see us this morning.”
Eloise drew in a shaky breath. She sank into the chair, hands clenched in her lap. “I-I just want you to find the monster who did this to Amy. I’ll do anything I can to help.”
Caitlin took the wing chair nearest the couch. Schaefer remained standing, resting his arm along the fireplace mantel. She balanced her notebook on her knee and smiled again. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, I need to know everything you can tell me about Amy. Her friends, her schedule, even if it doesn’t seem important.”
“She was our baby,” Eloise said, tears glistening on sparse lashes. She swallowed and blinked rapidly. “We had four boys and then Amy. She was always Daddy’s little girl…she was very much like Tommy, too. Strong willed, but she loved people. She was very popular.”
Caitlin nodded. “Did she have close friends? Someone she would confide in?”
Eloise dabbed at her eyes with a crumpled, lace-trimmed handkerchief. “She’d just moved last semester into an apartment near the college. Her roommate was her best friend from high school, Laurie Gold. Laurie is the one who called us when Amy didn’t come home Tuesday night.”
Her voice broke over the words, and Caitlin leaned forward. How awful losing a child was. A cold pain settled around her heart, but she shut it off, tucked it away. Focus. She needed focus. “Take your time, Mrs. Gillabeaux. Whenever you’re ready.”
“This is just so hard to believe,” Eloise sobbed, and Caitlin reached out to touch her clenched hands. “Why would anyone want to hurt her? Amy loved people…she was always wanting to help others. That’s why she volunteered at the center—”
“The center?”
“The women’s crisis center. Amy volunteered there two days a week, when she didn’t have classes.”
Caitlin nodded and jotted the information down. “Did Amy have a boyfriend?”
Eloise shook her head. “Oh, no. She wasn’t ready to settle down yet. Her father used to tell her she had to date at least twenty-five men before she would be ready to make a decision regarding marriage. She would just laugh and tell him no one would compare to her daddy.”
The revelation brought on fresh tears and Caitlin waited for the woman’s composure to be restored before continuing. “Did you see Amy on Monday?”
“No. She went to church with us Sunday and spent the afternoon here. We usually talk on the phone every day, but I didn’t…I didn’t call her Monday.”
Caitlin closed her notebook after removing a business card. “Mrs. Gillabeaux, this is my card. If you remember anything at all, even if it seems unimportant, please call me. My cellular number is there, or you can reach me at the
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