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Ethan walked over to a sitting area in front of a square white and blue coffee table. The handles were actual rope knots. A local had crafted it, because there were flyers on top of the hard surface with a name and number for custom orders.
Phoebe and Chloe chose the small couch, while Ethan took a seat in one of the chairs. None of them made a move to take off their jackets, though Chloe had followed suit on removing her gloves. She leaned forward and set them on the table.
"Derek said you think that Jenna was murdered," Ethan said in a tone that indicated he didn't believe that theory. "Everyone loved Jenna. She was carefree, fun, and not afraid to try new things."
"That sounds like Jenna," Phoebe murmured as her throat constricted at Ethan's description. "I'm still confused as to why my sister would keep her relationship with you a secret."
"Jenna and I ran in different circles." Ethan shifted in unease, and Phoebe sensed that his discomfort had to do with a lot more than the typical wrong side of the track’s saga. "She was the artsy type, and I was a jock. A stupid one at that. I couldn't see anything beyond my path to the pros."
"I heard about what happened in college," Phoebe said as she stretched the truth. While she had heard vague rumors in her senior year about Ethan losing his scholarship in college, she hadn't known the details until Chloe had found an article in the local paper. "Compound fracture in your freshman year."
"It happens." Ethan had leaned back in his chair, but he subconsciously rubbed his leg. He might be flippant to others, but that turning point in his life would forever haunt him. "I'm not sure what you want to know. We were involved, she drowned, and I ended up exactly where everyone thought I would—out of a job and living on a boat that I bought with the money my grandmother left me. At least I did something right."
Ethan's bitterness was transparent, but he still hadn't answered her questions. Phoebe was afforded more time to rethink her strategy when one of the baristas came over with their hot beverages. Phoebe wrapped her hands around the warm cup of Chai tea, letting the heat seep into her chilled fingers. She took a tentative sip, gathering her thoughts while studying Ethan. His weathered face and tired eyes displayed the toll the years had taken.
"I'm sure that Derek mentioned our podcast, Graveside Mysteries. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to give us an interview regarding Jenna, so we also didn't have the chance to offer him the five hundred dollars we usually give to those willing to speak to us on camera."
Chloe must have inhaled some of her coffee upon hearing Phoebe's offer, because her coughing spell lasted a rather long time. Ethan didn't seem to notice as he stared intently at Phoebe.
"Five hundred dollars?"
"You will need to sign a waiver if we use your interview during one of the episodes, of course." Phoebe made it seem as if paying interviewees was standard practice. "I loved my sister, Ethan. I want to get to the bottom of what happened, and I believe that our audience deserves to know the truth, as well. Our listeners know my background, and they know how much Jenna's death affected me."
Phoebe had gone past the point of stretching the truth. She had snapped that rubber band in half. Those who listened and watched Graveside Mysteries didn't know much about Phoebe's personal life other than the basic facts of losing a sister when she was younger. There were probably some diehard fans who had searched deeper, but Phoebe had made a point not to use her public platform as a personal diary.
"Yeah, I don't mind being on camera," Ethan responded as the enticement of five hundred dollars was too strong for him to turn down. Phoebe should have seen the signs sooner. He was in between jobs, he frequented the local pub, and he didn't own an extra pair of gloves. "It doesn't change the fact that I don't know anything about Jenna's death. All I know is that the police said she drowned in your family's pond."
Chloe had reached into her purse and pulled out the camcorder. She set her coffee down to work the device, and it wasn't long before the steady red light began to blink.
"I'm speaking with Ethan Turner," Phoebe disclosed as she looked into the lens of the camera. She did her best to maintain a professional image in front of him. "Ethan went to school with Jenna, and from my understanding, the two of them met at a bonfire months before my sister's death. Ethan, can you explain why you and Jenna kept your relationship a secret?"
"That's an easy one," Ethan said as he glanced back and forth between Phoebe and the camera. "Your father."
Phoebe was grateful that Chloe had kept the camcorder trained on Ethan. It would have been impossible to keep the shocked expression off her face.
"My father?"
"The day after the bonfire, Jenna told your father that I had asked her to homecoming." Ethan shrugged as if the information was common knowledge. It wasn't, and such an important detail was a massive wake-up call. Jenna had basically led a secret life that her family had known nothing about. "Your dad flipped. Can't say that I blame him, really. That was a week after I had gotten into a fight with Corey Lambton. He ended up needing about twenty stitches, and I would have gotten suspended had it not been for the coach."
Phoebe was still coming to terms with the fact that her father had forbidden Jenna to go to homecoming with Ethan. Phoebe recalled Jenna going with a guy named Timmy Roth.
"Look, I had a temper. I got in trouble a lot. I would have gotten into more trouble had it not been for football." Ethan rubbed his beard as it was obvious the memories from that time hadn't been all that great. "Instead of being resentful that my mother left me to hightail it out of town, I should have been grateful that I had a grandmother who raised me. Hindsight can be a bitch."
Ethan pointed toward the camera.
"Can you edit that out?"
Phoebe's nod was a bit jerky, but she got her point across.
"Jenna went to homecoming with Timmy Roth that year."
"Nah," Ethan said with a wicked smile. It was no wonder he had appealed to Jenna. "Timmy boy only went with Jenna so that he could be close to Olivia Watson. Jenna skipped the last half of the dance. We hung out on Derek’s boat with him and his girlfriend. Well, his dad’s boat. I've got to tell you, those were some of the best months of my life."
Phoebe sipped her tea to give herself a moment to gather her thoughts and collect her emotions. That was proving rather difficult when the hairs on the back of her neck were standing at attention. The warmth from her cup seemed to have evaporated, as well.
"Jenna was going away to college in New York City."
"I know," Ethan said as if such a distance between them wouldn't have been an issue. "We planned it together. My scholarship was to Syracuse. We had everything mapped out, but…well, nothing worked out in the end."
