Chapter 10 #2
“I hadn’t expected this spot to feel so isolated,” Jordyn observed finally, remembering her first impression of the spot from her earlier visit.
“I had looked at the Google maps of this street and from the overhead views, it looked much more like a traditional neighborhood. But once you’re standing here, it’s less surprising that no one saw what happened that night. ”
Her PI companion folded her arms and stared up the street before adding, “Or so they say. But consider that the people who saw might have a reason to keep quiet.”
“Are you thinking of Sophie and Fatima?” Jordyn tried to envision the well-heeled Saratogians that she’d met witnessing a murder and not saying a word.
It wasn’t all that difficult to imagine.
“Or anyone in their families. We haven’t talked about who else lives in those houses with Tara’s fellow book club members. But you mentioned they all socialize together, so there could be interconnections outside the book club. Extramarital affairs. Jealousy.”
That was a good point. Jordyn had told Natalie about the block party, and it stood to reason that the significant others could play roles that Jordyn hadn’t yet considered.
“Plus there seems to be plenty of ill will generated by The Clean Break.” Jordyn couldn’t forget what Brad had told her about the show costing him primary custody of his child.
“You think Tara could have suffered for that, even though Sophie seems to be the public face of the podcast?” Natalie began walking toward the white memorial marker.
Jordyn followed, wishing she’d brought an offering of some kind. Tara had been a fan of daisies and sunflowers, which suited her sunny nature. Jordyn had incorporated the bright blooms into a tattoo that commemorated their friendship.
“Possibly Tara was an even more enticing target than Sophie because Tara was behind the scenes. Someone looking at the program from the outside could surmise that Tara ran the show, and Sophie just acted as the talent.”
“But the members of their book club would know differently, wouldn’t they?” The leather sleeves of Natalie’s jacket creaked as she shifted position to check her phone screen before pocketing it again.
No doubt they’d spent enough time out here. They were lucky no one had driven past them.
“That’s the thing about the book club. I can’t say how well any of them really know one another. The secrets and scandals are so deep, I’d need hip waders to get through them all.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Natalie laughed. “There’s a reason I moved out of this town after my marriage fell apart.”
Surprised, Jordyn wondered about the woman’s connection to the community. “You used to live here?”
“Back when I cared about appearances and still bought into the idea that a husband and wife could be a team.” She met Jordyn’s gaze with a hard stare.
“Before I learned I was all alone operating under that delusion. Yeah, I lived in a neighborhood like this once. And every woman I knew on that block was killing herself to maintain the illusion that she was living the dream.”
Jordyn mulled that over as they reached the white cross stuck into the dirt along the road. She understood what Natalie was saying about the suburban utopian ideal. Maybe the stereotype still appealed to people in this storied town with a historic past and wealthy roots.
“As a single woman, Tara didn’t have that kind of conformist pressure. She was independent. Artistic.” Jordyn’s hand went to the saint medallion she wore around her neck as she remembered her friend.
There were a few chrysanthemums in pots behind the cross, and a woven friendship bracelet in a rainbow of colors hung from the wooden marker.
The sight of the bracelet surprised her a little since it seemed like something a younger person would leave.
Almost a year had passed, but the spot was still being maintained.
“No pressure from a husband, maybe. But from what I’ve read about the adoptive parents, the Hughes family wrote the book on conformity. It couldn’t have been an easy transition for Tara to be plucked from a foster situation to begin a new life with Randall and Lauren Hughes.”
“That tracks with things she told me,” Jordyn admitted, hating that she hadn’t offered more moral support or encouragement when Tara expressed frustration with her life. Tara had talked about her relationship with her dad feeling fraught.
Natalie said nothing, but something in her shrewd gaze suggested she guessed there was more to the story.
Jordyn took a deep breath, knowing she should share as much as possible if she wanted this woman’s help finding answers.
“But I’m sorry to say that it was tough for me to empathize with some of her problems, even as an adult, because I still carried—still carry—the old baggage of being the kid who didn’t get picked. ”
It stung to admit out loud. Jordyn had her personal demons under control, but that didn’t mean they didn’t occasionally behave badly. She’d done her friend a disservice.
If she’d been more supportive—if Tara had felt fully accepted and understood when they spoke—would Tara still be alive today? Maybe she would have confided more. Maybe Jordyn could have helped. The thought haunted her.
“Even among the wealthy elite, the Hughes family is exceptionally well off.” Natalie backed up a few steps to get a better look down the driveway that wound toward Gina’s house. The house that Tara called home in the years before her death. “From the outside, Tara’s life looked pretty perfect.”
The two-story rental property combined cedar shake siding with brick, the effect homey and welcoming. The three-car garage and extensive landscaping underscored that this was no average place in the suburbs, however. Home prices here were hefty.
“That was all smoke and mirrors though.” A bolt of fury heated Jordyn’s blood to think about someone ending Tara’s life without a second thought.
Speeding away in an expensive SUV as Tara took her final breaths alone in the dark.
“The more I learn about Tara’s life, the more I see it was far from perfect.
And, no matter what her killer might think, the crime that silenced Tara wasn’t perfect either.
Which means we’re going to find out who did this to her and make them pay. ”