Where the Blame Lies(27)

Zach grabbed a tissue box at the end of the table and handed it to Tessa. She dabbed at her eyes. Zach had gone home and showered and managed to grab a couple of hours of sleep, woken by the call that Aria Glazer’s dental records matched those of the DOA from the basement. He’d delivered on his promise—he’d given that poor girl back her name. Now he was bound and determined to give her parents and loved ones the closure of knowing why they were grieving, and who had committed such a disturbing crime against a young woman with her whole life in front of her. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Zach said, though he’d said the same thing earlier when he’d called Aria’s roommate with the news of the ID, and asked if he could meet with her. He’d driven to the small town twenty minutes away in Kentucky and delivered the news in person to Aria’s parents. Working-class people who lived in a small house with a nicely kept lawn. They’d looked shell-shocked with anguish. It was the very worst part of his job, hands down.

Tessa sniffled and wiped at her nose as she nodded. “Thank you. I’ve called a couple friends who worked with us at Aster. We’re going to get together tonight, remember Aria, you know? Just reminisce about her.”

“I’m glad.” He paused. “You worked with Aria at Aster. Is that where you first met her?”

Tessa nodded. “Yeah. We hit it off and it just so happened we were both looking for a place to live. We found this rental pretty quickly.” Her eyes moved toward the back of the apartment. “Our friend Genevieve is staying in Aria’s room for now, paying her share of the rent. I guess she’ll be able to move in permanently.” Her voice broke on the last word as sadness washed over her expression.

Zach gave her a moment to compose herself. “Tessa, I know Aria was your friend and may have asked you to keep secrets for her the way friends do, but if we’re going to solve this case and bring Aria’s murderer to justice, I need you to be totally upfront with me now about anything you know that might help us find who did this, even if you didn’t mention it before.”

“Like what, Detective?”

“Anything. Was Aria upset about something around the time she disappeared? Even something minor? Did she feel threatened by anyone?”

“The detectives who came here after her disappearance asked all those questions.”

“I know, but sometimes in retrospect, and now that you know she was abducted by a person who meant her harm, memories surface, things take on a new context, small run-ins or even relationships that didn’t seem important take on new meaning.”

Tessa bit at her lip before meeting Zach’s eyes. She shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. “She’d been seeing someone, oh I don’t know, about eight months or so before her disappearance. I didn’t mention it because it didn’t seem relevant, and it was totally casual from what I could tell. She’d started dating a new guy she met at the gym—her boyfriend, Chad, who you guys questioned—and she was happy at the time of her disappearance. The other detective who came here asked about her possibly disappearing on purpose—running away or something—but I told them that didn’t fit. Aria had gone through a rough patch six months before, dropped the night classes she’d been taking, started drinking a little more than usual. Nothing too severe, you know? And then it was over. At the time of her disappearance, Aria was the happiest I’d seen her in a long time. She even told me she was falling in love with Chad. No way she would just up and purposely disappear. No way.”

“Aria was taking classes that she’d dropped?”

Tessa nodded. “Yeah, she was taking some night classes at UC. She stopped going and when I asked her about it, she said it was no big deal, the timing just wasn’t right and she’d think about signing up for them again the next semester.”

“Did you mention this to the other detectives you talked to?”

Tessa shook her head, her eyes widening slightly. “Is it relevant? She’d dropped the classes long before she disappeared. And she was on her way home from work in Hyde Park when she . . . before she was taken.”

Zach nodded. “It might not be. I’m just trying to get a full picture of Aria’s life.” Zach already knew from the missing persons file that the boyfriend had been questioned extensively, but he’d had an alibi. He’d been visiting an ailing grandmother who subsequently passed away the week Aria had disappeared. He hadn’t even been in the same city. And regardless, from all accounts, they were a happy couple. At least, that’s what the file said. “Who was the person she was dating before Chad? About eight months before you said?”

“I don’t know. She was dismissive about it. And I don’t think dating is the right word. I thought it was mostly a bootie-call situation. She’d leave all dolled up, but she was always home a few hours later. I thought she was just hooking up with some random.” She bit at her lip, looking to the side.

Zach made a mental note to see if Aria’s cell phone records from the phone that had disappeared along with her, had been pulled from that far back. He figured they hadn’t been. But they might be able to figure out who the “bootie call” was, based on her call logs.

“Someone she may have met at work?” Zach asked.

Tessa shook her head. “We both have”—her eyes widened and she flinched—“had a no-dating policy as far as customers. Too messy.” She looked down at the tissue in her hands.