Lovely Girls(58)

“Is that something you normally do?” Detective Reddick asked.

“No,” Alex said. “But I wanted to clear my head and get some exercise. Our tennis team hasn’t had practice since Coach Townsend was arrested.”

“Where’d you bike to?”

“Nowhere in particular. I don’t know the area that well. I just rode around.”

“How late were you out?” Detective Monroe asked.

“It was late.” Alex glanced at me. “Like, around one?”

The two detectives exchanged a look, and my heart began to thump rapidly. I should never have let them in the house, I thought.

“You were out riding your bike until one in the morning?” Detective Monroe repeated. “That seems late to be out exercising.”

Alex nodded. “I got a little turned around. Like I said, I don’t know my way around that well yet. We just moved here a few months ago.”

“You weren’t worried that your daughter was out in the middle of the night?” Detective Reddick asked me.

“I was worried. I tried calling her,” I said. “And I went to look for her. Drove around for a bit, in case she was lost.”

This last part wasn’t entirely true. It had never occurred to me that Alex had gotten lost, and I didn’t believe that part of her story. She’d always had an excellent sense of direction. But I thought it sounded better than the alternative—which was that I’d been worried about Alex’s state of mind. Her mental health. What she was capable of.

“But I’d turned my ringer off, so I didn’t hear my phone ring,” Alex said.

I was struck by her composure. I was a nervous wreck, while Alex seemed almost serene. She sat very still, had her hands folded in her lap, and was answering every question the detectives posed to her in a calm, measured tone.

“Did you meet anyone while you were out biking until one in the morning?” Detective Reddick asked. I wondered if he always sounded so skeptical.

“No,” Alex shook her head. “I wasn’t meeting anyone.”

“Did you know Callie Nord?” Detective Monroe asked.

“Yes, we were in the same class at school. And we were on the tennis team together,” Alex said.

“Your mom told us that she and a few of her friends had bullied you,” Reddick said.

Alex nodded. “They hung a Ken doll with x’s over his eyes in my locker.”

“Why a Ken doll?” Detective Monroe asked.

“He was supposed to represent my dad. He died last year,” Alex said flatly.

“And you’re sure it was”—Detective Reddick consulted his notepad—“Callie Nord, Daphne Hudson, and Shae Thacker who put the doll in your locker?”

“I’m sure. They waited in the locker room to see how I’d react when I saw it. They thought it was hilarious. I’m also pretty sure they’re the ones who printed out hundreds of copies of an article about how my dad died and pretty much papered the school with them.”

“Why would they do that?” Detective Monroe asked.

“I really think maybe it would be better—” I began, not even sure what I was going to say.

“It’s okay, Mom.” Alex looked down at her hands. “My dad died in a car accident. I was driving, and I ran a light at an intersection. It was my fault he died.”

“It was an accident,” I said reflexively.

“And they used his death to bully you?” Detective Reddick looked appraisingly at my daughter. “That must have really pissed you off.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, of course. It was really mean. I don’t even know why they were going after me. I never did anything to any of them.”

“Did it piss you off enough that you decided to do something about it?” Reddick asked. “Enough that you wanted to kill Callie Nord?”

“All right, that’s enough,” I said, standing.

Alex ignored me. “No,” she said calmly. “I wasn’t mad at Callie. She apologized to me for her part in all of it. I think she really was sorry. After that, she stopped hanging out with Daphne and Shae.”

“And you forgave her, just like that?”

“Well, I don’t think we were ever going to be best friends, but yeah.” Alex shrugged. “We were fine. If you want to find out what happened to Callie, you should really talk to Daphne Hudson and Shae Thacker. If anyone would know what happened to her, they would.”

“Why’s that?” Detective Monroe asked.

“They were all really close. But I think Callie started to see what kind of a person Daphne really is. And it bothered her. Callie once told me that Daphne made her do things. Things she didn’t want to do.”

“It sounds like you have a lot of insight into Callie’s life,” Detective Monroe said. “Any idea why she would have gone to the beach that night?”

Alex hesitated and for the first time looked flustered.

“How would I know that?” she asked.

I knew it was time to step in. “This interview is over. If you want to speak to Alex in the future, I want her to be represented by an attorney.”

The detectives looked at one another, and then Detective Monroe nodded.

“Would you be willing to give us your mobile phone?” Detective Reddick asked Alex.