LIVING ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER: 4

 Sharon began a battery of questions. "Let us start with that morning, the incident had happened. Did anything out of the ordinary happen that day?" Sharon asked Chase.

"Adriana was herself; nothing out of the ordinary. A bit agitated and confused with the kids perhaps, but that had been the case for a while. Rob was three and Tiara was two at the time. We had just hired a housekeeper and part-time nanny to help, Adriana," Chase said.

"Was this something new?" Sharon asked.

"It had been going on for a few weeks. The kids are eighteen months apart. I think Adriana was just exhausted from the stress of the previous four years. It was hard for me to be there as much as I wanted to be. I had joined the new hospital only a few months back, and the workload was much heavier than it was at the previous assignment. That is why I had suggested that we get her some help.        

"When was the nanny scheduled to leave that day?" Sharon asked Chase.

"Seven p.m. Neither of our kids has ever napped much during the day, so they go to bed early. The nanny was initially scheduled to work a few hours a day, but by that time, she was working from one p.m. to seven p.m. and that too, it was five days a week, that she would come in," Chase said to Detective Sharon.

"Tell me about the hours that led up to your departure for work that day. Any details, regardless of how small it may be, might be helpful," Sharon said.

"We bathed and played with the kids. After that, we headed for lunch and spent time at a park. Adriana told me she was going to run errands, get a manicure, and meet a friend for coffee," Chase said.

"So, the nanny was there to watch the kids while Adriana ran errands?" Sharon asked.

"Yes. She was originally just going to do housekeeping for us, but she really clicked with the kids. And Adriana needed more time to herself," he informed.

Having two toddlers is stressful, and indeed taxing, so it made sense that Adriana needed a break, but it also brought up questions about what she did during those breaks, Sharon thought to herself. 

"Do you think Adriana ended up in Maury County, about one and a half-hour away from Nashville, in an incredibly poor section of the County, of her own free will?" Sharon asked.

"I don't think so, but she was driving and her car was found unscathed. That makes me think she had to have driven there herself, which leaves me with more questions. I don't know...Maybe she got lost or something, but there really is no excuse for her to have been there," Chase told Sharon.

Interesting way to phrase the explanation, Sharon thought. A good reason did not have to be present. Sometimes people are irrational and sometimes, people have secrets. Maury County was a wasteland of firebombed houses, drug houses, and party stores. There wasn't any real reason for nonresidents to be in the area.

"Adriana was meeting a friend... Melanie, correct?" Sharon asked him.

"Yes, Melanie Jackson; her best friend. The other woman in the photograph, remember?" Chase asked her.

"Did Adriana make it for coffee?" Sharon asked.

"No, but she called Melanie and told her she was running late. That was around three p.m. She sent another text message around twenty past four. That was the last activity on her cell phone," Chase informed Sharon.

"Is Melanie in Maury County too?" Sharon asked him.

"No. She lives in Huntsville, not too far from there," Chase replied.

"Do you know where they were meeting?" Sharon asked him.

"No. At the time it did not seem important," Chase replied.

"I will need her information," Sharon said.

Chase nodded and an awkward pause filled the office. Sharon was not sure where to start with this case. She hoped it was not an infidelity case gone wrong, but from what she was hearing, the possibility could be there. She would have to rule that off, first. Most of Sharon's work came from former trophy wife turned soccer moms who wanted proof of infidelity so that they could get a sizable divorce settlement. Men were notoriously bad cheaters, so those cases were always simple and fast. But women who cheated on their husbands... Those cases could be tough, and solving a murder that took place in a city that vies for the murder capital of the country every year was an entirely different story, Sharon thought.

"Does Adriana have a family in the Maury County area?" Sharon questioned him.

"Yes," he replied.

Sharon waited, but nothing came.

"May I have their names?" she asked him.

"I would rather leave them out of it," he suggested.

"That is not possible. If you want me to take the case, I need all the information, that I can lay my hands on. Things might get uncomfortable. If you don't want that, we cannot move forward," Sharon said a little firmly.

A pained look came across his face. Murder can drive a serious wedge between family members, but there was no getting around talking with them.

"Mr. Reed, I understand how hard this must be for everyone involved, but I will need to talk with Adriana's family. Did she have any siblings? Are her parents alive and staying in the same area?" Sharon asked Chase.

"Adriana has a brother, Nicholas Davies, but they were not close. I doubt he would be knowing anything. Her parents-Ryan and Julia Davies, live in Sweetwater, Tennessee, but we rarely saw them," Chase told Sharon.

Sharon paused and allowed Chase to babble on about the insignificance of Adriana's family. The curious thing about marriage is that it provides a false sense of familiarity, with your spouse. You live, eat, and sleep with your spouse. The repetition of seeing that person every day creates the untruth that you know them so well, better than anyone else, and maybe you do, but then again, maybe you don't know them as well.

"I would still like to speak to Adriana's brother and parents, just to be careful. May I have the contact information for Nicholas, Melanie, and Mr. and Mrs. Davies?" Sharon asked, forcing a smile that she hoped was reassuring.

Chase continued the unbroken eye contact. A few silent, motionless minutes passed before he pulled out his phone. His pupils appeared faded and coarse, with a hidden pain behind them. His moments were stiff but enigmatic for a man of his height; calculated and mechanical. He gave Sharon the information and slipped back into that blank stare. She could almost hear the wheels in his head rotating.

"Do you need money now?" Mr. Reed asked.

"Just the advance. You can transfer the money online when you get a chance," Sharon said.

They both shook hands and she walked him out, informing him that she would be in touch when she had information to share. After that, Detective Sharon gently closed the door and took a moment to compose herself. The past bubbled up in her soul. Losing a spouse was one thing, but losing a spouse and having no idea why they were gone was unbearable. The feeling was all too familiar. She shook off the thought and called Stuart into the office.

"We have got a case," she told him.

"Yes!" he said.

"Don't get too excited. We are in over our heads," Sharon told her brother-in-law, knowing well that this could prove a very difficult case of her profession.