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“The B&B rate was nonrefundable,” Kim replied as she finally released her daughter’s hand in exchange for a napkin. She reached over and took one out of the silver dispenser. She took a moment to blow her nose and then wad the napkin into a small ball. “Luna wasn’t inexperienced, Ms. Sloane. She knew what she was doing, and she was always prepared with the proper supplies.”
“Did Luna mention anything unusual before she left Virginia?”
“No.”
“Did Luna have a boyfriend or anyone special in her life?”
“No,” Kim responded with a half-smile. “Luna was either working or hiking. She never had time for anything else.”
Brook noticed the way that Denise lowered her gaze. She, too, reached for a napkin. She didn’t use it the way her mother had, but instead just held it in between her hands.
“What about someone who Luna didn’t get along with? Anyone who might have felt slighted by something Luna said or did recently?”
“No.” Kim shook her head a bit more emphatically this time around. “Luna was kind-hearted, funny, and optimistic. She didn’t have any enemies. Her patients adored her, her colleagues loved her, and…”
Kim’s voice cracked, leaving Denise to fill in the rest.
“Luna didn’t have any enemies.”
“Did either of you speak to Luna when she arrived in North Carolina?” Brook asked, changing the direction of the conversation. “Either on the phone or through text messages?”
“Luna called me Friday and Saturday evening,” Kim revealed as she used the balled-up napkin to dab the corner of her eye. “After dinner. She was supposed to call on Sunday when she was on the road, but…”
“We texted a few times, and Luna sent me some pictures that she had taken on her phone.” Denise had folded her napkin to the point that it couldn’t be folded anymore. She just kept turning the white square over and over in her fingers. “Nothing about this trip seemed different than the last.”
“Do you have your cell phone?” Brook asked after she’d taken a sip of her coffee. She’d quietly set the mug back down on the table. “May I see the pictures?”
“Sure.” Denise tossed the folded napkin onto the table. She then reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. After entering the passcode she’d used to protect against prying eyes, she handed over her phone. “There are about ten or twelve photos that Luna took on Friday and Saturday. None from Sunday.”
“I called the police late Sunday night when Luna didn’t call me. I spoke to the woman who owns the B&B, of course. Mauve Benson is her name. She said that Luna never checked out, and that was when we knew something was wrong.”
Brook skimmed through the photographs. She would have to show the pictures to Riggs or Erica. Brook wasn’t familiar with the area, so she couldn’t tell if Luna had taken these photos from the trail or if she’d left the trail on her own. Most of the warrants had come through, and Bit was in the process of pulling all the information that Luna had uploaded to her phone. Forensics had the device itself to process, and then they would send the phone to Bit. Some pictures might have not been uploaded to the cloud.
“What are your plans right now?” Brook asked as she handed Denise her phone. “Are you staying in town for a while? Are you driving back to Virginia?”
“I want to see…”
“Mrs. Breen, your daughter’s autopsy is being performed today. I’ll see to it that you have the medical examiner’s name and number. You can reach out to him to make arrangements,” Brook said as she mulled over how to express her opinion without overstepping her bounds. No mother should remember their child the way Mrs. Breen would if she were to follow through with her request. “Sometimes, we’re better off remembering our loved ones as they were in life.”
“Mom, why don’t you go splash some water on your face?” Denise urged as she rubbed her mother’s shoulder. “I’ll get the information we need for the medical examiner’s office, and then we can talk about it on the drive back to the B&B.”
Kim seemed hesitant, but she eventually gave into her daughter’s appeal. Brook waited patiently for Denise to share whatever it was she knew about her sister that had been kept from their mother.
“Luna was having an affair with one of her colleagues. Her supervisor, in fact. She didn’t think mom would understand.” Denise brushed her long bangs out of the way as her eyes filled with more tears. “Kyle is a good guy. I met him once, but he wasn’t into hiking as much as Luna. He stayed back in Virginia.”
“What is Kyle’s last name?” Brook asked, keeping her tone the same as it had been during the initial discussion. Everyone had their reasons for keeping secrets. “I’ll need to speak with him.”
“Kyle Ingesson. You won’t say anything to my mother?”
Brook wasn’t one to make promises that she couldn’t keep, so she refrained from answering Denise’s question. Brook pulled out a business card. She always kept one in the small, irrelevant pocket on her blazer. She’d prepared ahead today and wrote down the medical examiner’s information on the back of the card.
“This is the phone number that you’ll need to reach the medical examiner.” Brook paused when someone entered the bar. Several someones, actually. “Denise, I understand how difficult this must be for you. For your mother. The rest of your family. Your first instinct is to remain in town, but you should know that this investigation could take weeks, months, or even years.”
Brook caught sight of Kim walking back from the restroom. The four men and two women who had entered the bar were watching her with interest. Denise followed Brook’s line of sight.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Mom, but everything that I researched about you stated that you deal with serial killers. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here. I’m going to need to prepare my mother if—”
“Denise?” Brook reached across the table and rested her hand over the young woman’s knuckles. “Your sister’s remains were discovered yesterday. Give us time to investigate her murder. I give you my word that if we find evidence this wasn’t some random act of violence, you and your mother will be the first ones I call.”
