Chapter 11 #2
She hesitated, then said, "It felt like an intimate fight."
"How so?"
"Paige started to get out of the car, and he grabbed her arm. She looked at him, but she didn't pull away. They just stared at each other, and then I thought she said something like, 'I can't.' She got out of the car and ran into the building."
"Did you ask her about it when you went inside?"
"She was in her room with the door closed. I knocked, and she said she was going to bed. She didn't want to talk. I thought about bringing it up the next day. But I didn't want to pry. If she wanted to tell me, she'd tell me, but she never did."
"When the police interviewed you, did you tell them about this conversation?"
"I did. The detective said he'd speak to the professor. But I never heard any more about it."
"Did Detective Cabot mention that he knew Professor Hale?"
Sloane's eyebrows arched in surprise. "No. What do you mean he knew him?"
"They were both competitive chess players."
She shook her head. "I don't know anything about that.
I did tell the detective that I wondered if Professor Hale was pressuring Paige in some way.
He said he'd look into it." Sloane paused.
"I wondered if the professor was the reason for Paige's suddenly increased level of stress.
She had to perform for him in public, and who knew what was going on in private.
What bothered me the most was that I thought she might be cheating on Nate, and he was such a good guy. "
"Nate told me that he asked you about Hale and you told him you didn't think anything was going on."
"That's true. I didn't know for sure, and I didn't want to get involved in their relationship. Plus, I knew it would hurt him. He really cared about Paige."
"My aunt said you've been helping with some of the set design at her theater. Hale is involved in the current production. Have you spoken to him?"
"Beyond hello or answering a question about the set, no. And I never spoke to him while I was in college. He was never my teacher. I'm not sure he even knows I was Paige's roommate. It was a long time ago."
"You've never talked about the past?"
"No. It was nine years ago, Tessa. Maybe it feels fresher to you because you've only recently returned, but I've run into lots of people since college, and we've all moved on with our lives.
I don't ever want to talk to Professor Hale about anything.
Whatever happened or didn't happen isn't relevant anymore.
" Sloane stood up as her husband came into the yard without the baby. "Are you leaving, Garrett?"
"Yes. I left Gracie with Elana. I have to go to my meeting. I'll see you later. Nice to meet you, Tessa."
"You, too." As Sloane sat back down, I added, "You have a beautiful family and a beautiful home."
She smiled. "I know. I'm really lucky. Garrett is a wonderful husband and father, and our baby daughter is all I ever wanted."
I could see the emotion in her eyes and remembered that Sloane had lost her mother young and had never seemed to have anyone around at family events.
In fact, Paige had taken her home for some of the holiday breaks.
But she had a family now. "I'm glad you're happy.
I saw the article you did in Chicago Living. "
"That was Garrett's idea. He's in real estate development, and he worked closely with an architect to remodel our home. I felt so awkward doing that interview, but it was important to him, so I had to step up."
"You always preferred the shadows, while Paige liked the spotlight."
"You liked the spotlight, too, Tessa. That's why you two couldn't get along. Why you turned into enemies. You had so much in common, but in the end, that's what drove you apart. You both wanted the same thing, and only one could win."
"Looking back, I'm not happy with the way I acted."
"I'm sure you've changed. We've all changed. We've grown up. We're not those kids anymore."
"No, we're not."
"It's pointless to look back. That's why what you're doing now isn't going to help anyone; it's only going to bring back the bad feelings. As soon as I heard what you were doing, I felt that sharp stabbing pain of sadness and grief and the wish that I could have done something different."
"Like what?" I asked curiously.
She gave a helpless shrug. "Maybe I should have asked Paige directly about Professor Hale.
Or challenged her about the drinking and the drugs.
I could have told her parents that she was not herself, and I was worried about her.
But I didn't do any of those things, and she's dead, and I can't change it. "
"Paige made her own decisions. As I recall, she didn't listen to advice. She didn't let people tell her what to do."
"Another way she was like you. You both knew what you wanted, and you went after it. I wished I could have been more like that." She drew in a breath as she dragged herself back from the past. "Do you have other questions for me? I wish I knew something that could help, but I don't."
"When did you find out what happened to Paige?" I asked.
"A police officer came to the apartment shortly after they found her body on Sunday morning.
They were looking for a way to contact her family.
They had found her phone and case on the rocks, which contained her ID, so they knew her address, but didn't have the code to open her phone, so I helped them with that. "
"Were you worried that Paige hadn't come home for two nights?"