Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [55]
“Fine.” Resolved, Beth kept her focus on the man in front of her, excluding Braden from her awareness as much as she could. “What, exactly, can I clear up for you?” Beth had no idea she could produce such chilly sarcasm.
“Thank you.” He briefly flipped through the papers he had, though Beth could tell by the speed of the shuffling that he wasn’t looking for anything so much as where to start. “We understand you grew up in Boston?”
“That’s right.”
“It says here your mother died when you were fifteen, but we don’t have any information about your father.” He let the question hang in the air.
“I never met him.”
Short and to the point. Don’t volunteer anything.
“Never?”
“No.”
“Okay. What about after your mother died, where did you go?”
“Your background check didn’t tell you?” Beth asked, angry and unwilling to give them anything on her friends and family that they didn’t already know.
“I’m more interested in what you have to say.” He relaxed back into his chair, a mannerism so like his son, it felt as though she was speaking to Braden’s future self. “My mother made arrangements for me before she died.” When she was certain he wasn’t going to accept that as an answer she continued. “I moved in with family friends. I finished high school. Went to college. End of story.”
“Right. The Colliers.” His face softened again. “They had a daughter about your age, didn’t they?”
“They don’t have anything to do with this!” Vibrating with hurt and anger, Beth surged to her feet, fists clenched. She’d be damned if she allowed this nightmare to be dragged back to their door.
“Please sit down.” He uncurled from his relaxed position in the chair, but didn’t rise. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” His gaze remained warm and steady, his voice calm, and Beth found it difficult to hold onto her anger. “And I’ve no intention of bothering them, unless I can’t get the answers I need from you.” He let the threat hang between them.
Collapsing back onto the bed, Beth tried to slow her racing heart. She pushed her hair back from her face, ignoring the way her fingers trembled against her skin.
“Rachel. Her name was Rachel.”
“The two of you were close?”
“Yes.”
Sisters.
“I’m sorry. I understand she died a few years ago.”
Beth squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the sincerity in his voice. “Yes.” She wasn’t even sure if the word had left her lips, but he must have heard her because he reached across the space between them and gently squeezed her hands.
“We need to know what happened, Elizabeth. We have our suspicions, but we don’t have the details.”
“I can’t.” She didn’t think she’d survive if she had to tell the story. She hadn’t spoken of it to anyone since those first few weeks in the hospital. She’d put it away, ignored it for so long…
“I can’t.” Her voice cracked and shame colored her cheeks. She felt the sting of tears and clenched her eyes furiously against them.
“Alright. Why don’t I fill you in on what we know? You can correct any details we’ve gotten wrong.”
Beth nodded and focused on the carpet between her feet as his voice filled the room with everything she didn’t want to think about.
“We know you graduated from Boston University, cum laude, with a degree in architecture.” He paused and squeezed her hand again. “Well done, by the way.”
Beth nodded. It seemed a lifetime ago.
“Shortly after graduation, you and Rachel went abroad. Backpacking through Europe?”
“Yeah.” The word was thick across her tongue, as though her entire mouth was swelling so she wouldn’t have to speak of it.
“Now here’s where we start to speculate. We know you were in Europe for a few weeks, but came home early.” He paused, curling his fingers around hers. It shocked her to realize he’d never let go. “We know Rachel died.” Her fingers flexed involuntarily in his hand.
Beth forced open her eyes as Rachel’s lifeless brown gaze swam to the forefront of her mind.
“How did Rachel die, Beth?” His voice was soft and kind. The question sliced through her heart