“She didn’t get along. We have two other daughters. We get along with them. Emily is at Mount Holyoke. Carla is captain of her soccer team.”
“Do you know anyone she might have been with?” Jesse said.
“No.”
Jesse looked at Hank Bishop. He didn’t speak.
Jesse said, “Any thoughts, Mr. Bishop?”
Bishop shook his head.
“Do either of you know anyone named Gino Fish?” Jesse said.
Sandy Bishop said, “No.”
Jesse looked at her husband. Hank Bishop was looking at the gray-green carpeting between his feet. He shook his head.
“Vinnie Morris?”
“No.”
“Development Associates of Boston?”
“No.”
“When she ran away, do you know where she went?”
“No.”
“Could I get a list of her friends?”
“She never brought her friends home,” Sandy Bishop said. “Except Hooker Royce, and he didn’t last long.”
“Do you know why?”
“She couldn’t hold on to a boyfriend any better than she did anything else,” Sandy said.
“Do you have any theory about how she died, or why?”
“No,” Sandy said. “And we don’t want to keep talking about it. We mourned Elinor’s death long before this. We don’t want to go through that pain again.”
“I understand,” Jesse said.
“No. I don’t think you do,” Sandy said. “But whether you do or don’t, all we ask is that you leave us alone. We have nothing else to say.”
Jesse looked at Hank Bishop. Hank was still looking at the carpet. Jesse closed his notebook and stood. He tucked the notebook and the Bic ballpoint into his jacket pocket.
“Thank you for your time,” Jesse said.
Neither of the Bishops said anything. Jesse walked through the color-coordinated pastel living room to the front hall and opened the front door and went out and closed the door behind him.
Outside it was a bright summer day flavored with the faint smell of ocean drifting up from a beach he couldn’t see.
The female of the species, Jesse thought.
Chapter Thirty
Vivian Snyder came into Jesse’s office with Molly. Her left arm was in a cast. She had two black eyes and Jesse could tell that there was packing in her nose. Jesse got to his feet.
“Sit down, Mrs. Snyder,” he said.
When she had eased into a chair, Vivian Snyder looked at Molly.
“I don’t want her here,” Vivian said.
Jesse nodded to Molly. She went out, leaving the door open. Jesse was quiet Vivian looked uncomfortable in her chair. She looked around the office. File cabinets, coffeemaker, computer, window overlooking the parking area in front of the fire station.
“You married?” Vivian said.
“No.”
“Ever been married?”
“Yes.”
Vivian nodded as if what he had said were significant. Jesse waited.
“The bastard has been hitting me for years,” Vivian said.
“Why do you stay?” Jesse said.
“I’m Catholic. I’m not supposed to get divorced.”
“Have you talked with your priest?”
“No. I didn’t want nobody to know.”
