A Merciful Death (Mercy Kilpatrick #1)(47)

“Of course. I was horrified at what’d happened. The officer was nice and respectful, and wanted to know when I’d talked to her last and if I knew of anyone who’d want to hurt Jennifer.”

“Did you?”

“No. Everyone liked Jennifer.”

“Was she dating anyone?”

Pearl moved her gaze to stare out the window. “Not right then. She didn’t have a steady boyfriend.”

“I didn’t say steady. Did she date anyone? Even just casual get-togethers?”

“She dated Owen for a while before he married Sheila.”

“What? Really?” Mercy straightened in her chair. “I had no idea she dated our brother.”

“It didn’t last. She dated several of the guys in his circle. David Aguirre, Mike Bevins. Jamie Palmer. Nothing was ever serious, and of course none of them could have been involved in her death . . . that was done by someone crazy. Probably someone who was passing through town.”

Mercy pressed her lips together. Crazy was often discovered in plain sight.

“I’ve thought and thought about that day,” said Pearl. “I could never think of anyone who could be a suspect.” She wiped her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if our daughters would have been best friends like Jennifer and I were.”

Sadness overwhelmed Mercy. She’d never had that sort of friendship with another female. Her sisters had been her closest friends. Until they no longer were.

“Levi’s daughter is close in age to your son, right?”

“Yes, Kaylie is in the same grade as him.” A mothering look entered her eyes. “Kaylie is a bit wild. Levi does his best, but he gives her a lot of leeway that our dad never did.”

Mercy remembered the small stud in Kaylie’s nose at the coffee shop and silently agreed. And cheered.

“Levi raised her alone?”

“Yes.” Pearl hesitated. “He’s never been quite the same since Kaylie’s mother left. He really cut down on his involvement with the family. Dad and Owen have just about given up on him. I don’t think he pulls his weight. I don’t think he wants to anymore.”

A chill shot through Mercy at the thought of Levi being cut from the family’s circle.

Why does that bother me? I was cut.

She hated the thought of anyone being on their own. She’d learned to pave her own way, and it hadn’t been easy. Every day she was fully aware that she didn’t have her own community to lean on. When she’d first left, it’d been freeing, but it’d also been terrifying. Walking a tightrope without a net.

She’d compensated by working her ass off. Staying prepared.

“I caught a glimpse of Dad earlier in town,” she said slowly. “He looks the same, but older.”

Pearl tipped her head. “You look older too.” Her gaze seemed to probe, searching for Mercy’s vulnerable spots. “Mom hasn’t changed. More gray. Hell, even I’ve got plenty of gray now.”

Mercy met the gaze, wondering if she was looking at herself in six years. She knew that between her and Rose, she had the strongest resemblance to Pearl. But I haven’t raised two kids and lived on a farm with pigs.

She had an overwhelming need to break her sister out of her prison. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Are you happy, Pearl? Is Rick good to you? Is there something else you want to do with your life?”

Shock crossed her sister’s face. Then anger. “Of course I’m happy! I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do, and I’m married to the best husband in the world. We have a good life here, Mercy. We don’t need to live in the big city and buy the latest iPhones and designer handbags,” she snapped. “Don’t pity me because I still live in Eagle’s Nest. It’s a good place to live a simple life.”

Mercy saw the lies in Pearl’s eyes; she didn’t challenge them. “I was just catching up on the last fifteen years. I’m not judging you.” The lie soured on her tongue.

She looked down at her blank notepad and calmed her brain, focusing on the second reason for visiting her sister. “Did you know weapons were stolen from Jennifer’s apartment that night?”

“No.” Surprise infused Pearl’s tone. “I knew she had a few guns. Everyone does. Is that important?”

“We’re not sure. Weapons were missing from Gwen Vargas’s home too.”

Pearl sat back in her chair. “Huh.” She was quiet for a moment. “Easy to sell.”

“Yes,” agreed Mercy. “A photo album was missing from Gwen’s home, but nothing like that was reported from Jennifer’s. Do you know if anything personal was stolen? Maybe something her parents mentioned later?”

“I don’t recall,” said Pearl. “I didn’t talk to her parents except at her funeral.”

“Did the officers ever show you pictures of the crime scene?”

“No. And I don’t want to see them.”

“What if I got you some pictures of Jennifer’s room? Would you be able to tell if anything was missing?”

Pearl thought for a moment. “I honestly don’t know.”

“You practically lived there.”

A sad smile crossed her sister’s face. “That’s true. I could look—as long as they’re not pictures of . . . the body—but it’s been a long time to remember small details.”