Page 76 of Snow Creek

The other could be a killer.

Tyra Whitcomb is gorgeous. Her dark hair has obviously been the work of a stylist. I remember cutting my own hair. I had to. She has bright blue eyes and clear, pale pink skin. She’d be a lovely girl.

If she ever smiled.

I introduce myself.

“My dad says you want to ask me about Ellie.”

“That’s right. I understand you were close, and I know that my coming here might seem like an unwanted intrusion.”

Tyra shrugs her perfect shoulders. “It’s fine. I was a wreck when it first happened, but now I’m feeling okay about it. She’s in a better place.”

She shoots a look of palpable annoyance at her father.

“Dad, do you need to be here? She wants to talk tome.”

Troy begins to shuffle into what I presume is the kitchen.

“All right, but watch your tone, missy,” he says over his shoulder. “You’re getting too big for your britches.”

“Ah,” Tyra snaps behind her father’s back. “No one says that anymore, just so you know.”

We finds seats in the living room. It’s decorated in the matchy-matchy style of a bad interior designer or a woman who feasted on every home design and improvement magazine.

“This room is lovely,” I say.

“Mom’s work,” Tyra replies, rolling her eyes dismissively. “She never saw an animal print or polka dot she couldn’t live without. I hate it.”

“Your dad told me about your mom. I’m so sorry.”

Tyra’s blue eyes go from crystalline to chipped ice. She shifts her body on a zebra-striped armchair. Her fingers quietly gouge at the row of silver studs embedded the length of the armrest.

“Yes, what happened to her mom, happened to me.”

She’s cold and defensive.

“I’ve already told you people that. It’s a coincidence. That’s all.”

I give her some space. “I’m sure it was,” I say. “And really that’s not why I’m here, Tyra. I’m here to learn more about Ellie. It’s possible that she could be alive.”

She shakes her head. “She would have called me. We were best friends. In fact, I was heronlyfriend. Her parents kept her practically locked up. She used to be able to go out, and then, bam, her dad gets all weird and he makes her a prisoner.”

“All weird?” I ask.

“Yeah. Like all of a sudden, he was in charge of the world. Told her what to wear. That makeup was only for sluts. That kind of thing.”

“I heard he was strict,” I say, leaving plenty of room for her to continue.

Tyra’s fingers pick at the studs. I notice now that several are missing.

“Strict aremyparents. Mom was the worst. Dad, I don’t know. He tries to be a friend, but he’s just another know-it-all. Ellie’s mom, Carrie, went along with everything that Hudson wanted. She was weak, like she wasn’t even a person.”

I’ve decided I really don’t like this girl. I don’t show it.

“But she was a person, Tyra.”

She makes a dismissive face. “You know what I mean, Detective. She couldn’t stand on her own. Never stood up for Ellie.”

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