Page 6 of Wild Idol
It was the next afternoon when Brenda confirmed the identity of the girl in the dumpster. Dental records were a positive match, as I suspected. I told Daniels where he could locate her mother, Iris. He contacted local law enforcement to do the death notification since she was in Europe.
I had looked up Haley’s social media profile to see if I could glean any information. The last post on her profile was a selfie with a sad face. Posted the night of her death, the caption read:Another boring night at home.
It struck me as odd, given the way her night turned out. I figured it was a bit of misdirection to throw off suspicion if her mother was keeping tabs on her socials. I’m sure she didn’t want her mother to know she was out bar hopping.
It didn’t take much snooping to find several photos with her best friend, Taylor Monroe. With a little magic from Isabella, we had Taylor’s current location.
Jack and I headed over to Vanden and parked in the Founders’ Court. We hustled across campus to the Wharton Tower. The summer session had just begun, and there was considerably less traffic on campus than usual, but still plenty of cute coeds in short shorts and tight tank tops. Ponytails bounced as they scurried across campus among the red brick Georgian architecture reminiscent of an Ivy League College.
There were worse places to be. A compelling argument for continuing education.
We walked across the quad and made our way to the upscale dormitory. The lounge area had all the amenities, including a coffee shop, sandwich shop, and a quick mart. The smell of hot java swirled. College students lounged on couches, sipping coffee, studying, or glued to their phones.
We took the elevator up to the 16th floor and knocked on Taylor’s door.
Music filtered out, and footsteps shuffled down the foyer. A gorgeous girl with light eyes and brown hair answered the door without a second thought. She wore a lacy black tank top and jean shorts.
I flashed my badge. “I’m Tyson Wild. This is Deputy Jack Donovan. Are you Taylor Monroe?”
She gave a cautious nod. “I’m not in any trouble, am I?”
I flashed a disarming smile. “No. You’re friends with Haley Reid, right?”
She nodded, and concern tensed her face. “Is she okay? I’ve been trying to get in touch with her, but she won’t call me back. It’s really strange. Her mother called, looking for her. I told her I didn’t know where she was, but she didn’t believe me.”
“I hate to be the one to break the news, but…”
Taylor’s skin went pale, and her eyes brimmed when I told her. It didn’t take long for the tears to spill over. She broke down into sobs, her eyes spurting.
When she pulled herself together, I asked, “Do you know where Haley was last night?”
She hesitated again, then nodded. “She went to the Pearl Room.”
“She was a little young to be going to bars.”
Taylor looked at me like it was a silly thing to say. “Please. We’ve been going clubbing since we were 14. You’d be amazed at what a little makeup can do.”
“I’m sure.”
“Did she go alone?”
“I think so.”
“Why weren’t you with her?”
Taylor frowned. “I should have been with her. I had an exam at 8 o’clock this morning. No way I could have gone out last night. I’m not doing great in that class.” Sorrow tightened her face. “Now I feel totally guilty.” The tears streamed. “She might still be alive if I’d been with her. I’d totally fail a class for her. I’m such a terrible friend.”
Taylor slumped.
“It’s not your fault. Do you know if she was meeting somebody at the club?”
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Well, we had met this guy who works at the Pearl Room. He told us about this VIP party. Sable Fox and a few other celebrities were supposed to be there. He said he could get us in. Haley was a huge Sable Fox fan.”
“The pop star?”
“She lives here on the island, you know?“
“Who’s the guy?”
