Chapter 23
Christian’s mother invited me inside, and I accepted, looking around as I stepped into the home.
Boxes sat stacked along the walls, some sealed, others left open with their contents spilling out.
A jacket hung over the back of a chair, and a pair of men’s shoes rested near the door, positioned like their owner might return at any moment to slip them on.
Christian’s mother closed the door behind me and said, “I’m Bernice.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m sorry to hear about your son.”
“Why don’t we sit, and then you can tell me why you’re here?”
I followed her into the den, taking a seat on the couch.
She sat next to me.
“I’m packing up some of my son’s things,” she said. “It’s taking longer than I expected. It isn’t right, you know? Burying one’s own child.”
I knew the feeling.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked.
I already knew about the car accident, but I was hoping for more details.
“He was driving home from work, and the police think he was on his phone at the time,” she said.
“Why?”
“He’d started writing a text message, one he never finished or sent. He lost control of the car, and … well, you know what happened after that.”
A silence settled between us.
“I didn’t know about the car accident until a few minutes ago,” I said. “I was coming here to ask him a few questions.”
“About what?”
“His ex-girlfriend, Mia Bennett.”
Bernice’s eyes flickered with recognition. “I know Mia. Haven’t spoken to her in some time. How is she doing?”
“Her sister, Wren, was murdered last month.”
Bernice pressed a hand to her chest, her head shaking. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“To make things even worse, Wren was killed inside Mia’s house while Mia was away at a conference.”
“How awful.”
“Do you know Mia well?”
A faint smile crossed her lips. “Christian was crazy about her. I’ve never seen him so in love with anyone like he was with her.”
“Why do you think it didn’t work between them?”
She leaned back, crossing her arms. “Christian could be intense, which can be too much for some people.”
“That matches what I’ve been told.”
“When Mia started thinking about ending things, she called me.”
“I wasn’t aware the two of you were close.”
“I wouldn’t use the word close, but we saw each other from time to time.”
“What can you tell me about the call?”
“We had a long conversation. She was kind and thoughtful. She said she didn’t want to hurt my son, but she couldn’t stay with him any longer. I respected her for that and for her honesty.”
“What did you think about their relationship?”
“I hoped they could find a way to work through their issues,” she admitted. “But I also knew my son, and he could be stubborn at times, and a bit … I’m trying to think of the right word …”
“Impulsive?” I asked.
“I suppose that’s as good a word as any.”
She reached for her cell phone, opened it, and began flipping through pictures. Then she turned it toward me, showing me a photo of two men, both smiling. One was tall and slender. The other was broader in the shoulders and had similar features but with a cleaner, more put-together look to him.
“These are my boys,” Bernice said, pointing. “Christian’s on the left next to his older brother, Jeremy. They used to be close.”
“Used to be?”
“They had a falling out a couple of years ago. I don’t even remember what started it.
Something small that grew into something big.
The saddest part is they never resolved their issues before Christian died.
Now they never will.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she wiped it away.
“Jeremy’s been struggling with that fact.
Losing his brother without making things right while he had the chance hasn’t been easy for him. ”
“I can imagine,” I said.
She clicked the phone off and slid it inside her pocket.
Sensing I’d taken up enough of her time, I stood. “Thank you for speaking with me.”
“Will you do me a favor? Tell Mia I’ve been thinking of her, and that I’m always here if she needs anything, even if she just needs to talk.”
“I will relay the message. I don’t think she’s aware of what happened to Christian.”
“I thought about reaching out to Mia many times. I just wasn’t sure what to say, and now that she’s lost her sister … well, I feel just awful. They may not have ended their relationship on the best of terms, but I know she still meant a great deal to him.”
“It may be hard for her to take, but she needs to know what happened.”
Bernice walked me to the door, and as I stepped outside, she placed a hand on my shoulder. “I wish you luck in your investigation.”
As I stood at the door, a question circled in my mind. “Who was Christian trying to text before the accident, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she studied me as though trying to decide whether the question deserved an honest answer. “It was Mia.”
“Mia?”
“Yes. I’ve seen the message. He said he still missed her, still thought of her every day.”
I walked back to my car, allowing the weight of what she’d just said to settle over me.
One by one, the names of my suspects had begun to fall away.
Karl.
Renee.
Christian.
Every path I followed seemed to split in two directions, one promising answers. The other leading nowhere. With each passing day, the truth felt harder to find, like it was just beyond my grasp.