unzipped it. A red-and-white cheerleading uniform was folded neatly on top. She pulled it out. It wasn’t a regular cheerleader uniform: the top was a tiny racer-back bra-top, the skirt was extra short, and the matching panties were not quite complete. Ren laid them out on the bed. She pulled out the next outfit. It was a tiny sailor suit, with cutaways at the sides, and other places, places that meant that neither of these costumes were for a regular costume party.
Ren looked into the bag to see the rest. It was filled with lingerie: red, black, stockings, suspenders, lace, satin, rubber.
31
Ren called Bob in to the bedroom. ‘How did nobody find this?’ said Ren. ‘It was tucked away like Russian dolls in the laundry room. Size 2, so they’re not Connie’s. They’ve got to be Shelby’s. And, unless Shelby was planning on getting arrested for indecent exposure, these little numbers were for private viewing only. And there are more.’
As she opened the bag wider, a sweet smell wafted out. She stared into the bag. ‘You know something,’ she said, ‘I stumbled on a TV show for teens recently — regular day-time scheduling, and the nanny in it caught the fifteen-year-old daughter watching porn, because the guy she liked had a previous girlfriend who was “really experienced” and she didn’t want to let him down when they had sex for the first time. So … yup, things are different these days. But … this … this is like a stripper’s bag.’
‘Surely, our pretty little cheerleader wasn’t a stripper …’ said Bob.
‘I hope not,’ said Ren. ‘Bob — maybe it’s just us. I mean, is this just a teenage girl’s bag for a night at her boyfriend’s house? I know I always hid my … things … from my mother when I was younger.’
Bob raised an eyebrow.
‘Not
Bob smiled.
‘One of the Royces obviously found this bag,’ said Ren. ‘And I’m guessing it was Connie.’
‘We need to go talk to her,’ said Bob. ‘Do you think Shelby ever even brought this bag out of the house?’
‘It’s a very cool bag,’ said Ren. ‘I wouldn’t just use this as storage if I were her.’
Ren turned the bag sideways. ‘I didn’t see this bit,’ she said. She unzipped a section at the bottom of the bag that was meant for laundry. She reached in and pulled out the contents. Bob looked down, then they both locked eyes.
‘There’s our answer,’ said Bob.
‘In this kind of bag,’ said Ren, ‘well that’s just a whole pile of wrong.’
Connie Royce sat on the edge of the sofa, shattered, not looking at the bag beside her.
‘I found it at the back of her wardrobe on Saturday night,’ she said. ‘I was going to ask her about it when she got back, but …’ Tears welled in her eyes. ‘And after everything that happened, I just … they were very private things, I didn’t want you to think badly of her. She’s a good girl. I didn’t want to think that her underwear … or whatever you would call these … was relevant.’
Ren laid a hand on Connie’s arm. ‘I understand why you kept this from us,’ said Ren. ‘But you really need to be honest. You need to tell us everything — no matter how bad it might sound to you. Nobody here is going to think ill of Shelby. We don’t judge anyone, we couldn’t do our jobs if we were in the business of judging people. Everyone we’ve spoken to says such lovely things about Shelby, she seems to have been a very special young lady. That’s all that matters.’
‘Thank you,’ said Connie. She held a tissue up to her nose. ‘Thank you. I … I was Shelby’s age when I met Cal … I was young. But we fell in love. That man out there is the love of my life. I’ve had a wonderful life, I don’t regret a thing … I didn’t regret a thing. But I still wanted Shelby to do more, to go out and see the world …’
‘Can I ask, did you have a reason for looking in Shelby’s wardrobe on Saturday night?’ said Ren.
‘For cigarettes,’ said Connie. ‘I know she smokes. Cal was at work, and I wanted to sneak a cigarette. I haven’t smoked in years …’
‘Was there anything else going on with Shelby that you can think of?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Connie.
‘You said in your interview that Shelby didn’t have a boyfriend,’ Ren said. ‘Are you sure about that?’
‘As sure as any mother can be with a girl that age,’ said Connie.
‘Did you have any suspicions that she might?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Connie.
‘What did you think when you saw the bag?’ said Ren.
‘I thought, well, me and Shelby are going to have to sit down and have a talk.’
‘OK, we’re going to take this bag away for now,’ said Ren. ‘We’ll return it when we’re done.’
‘Saturday night,’ said Connie, ‘I was looking at my daughter, thinking how cute she is, with the ponytail elastic thing wrapped around her wrist, and I knew she’s going to twist her hair into a high knot later, and wrap it in that thing, and there’ll be little wispy bits spiking out the top, and she’ll be reading stories to whoever’s kids she’s looking after. And a couple of hours later, I find this bag. I’m just … so confused. And then she’s gone. She’s gone. And here I am with a bag of … this. And she’s gone.’
‘These are just clothes,’ said Ren. ‘Remember that. They don’t change a thing about your relationship with Shelby.’
‘Secrets change relationships,’ said Connie. ‘Secrets do.’
Bob and Ren walked into the command center and laid Shelby Royce’s bag on the table at the top of the room.
‘This is Shelby Royce’s,’ said Ren.
Everyone went over to it.
‘Yikes,’ said Cliff.
‘Gloves please, people,’ said Bob, eyeing his men.
‘There are kids’ picture books in the compartment underneath it,’ said Ren.
‘What was going on with her?’ said Gary.
‘We don’t know,’ said Ren. ‘Her mom had found it in the back of Shelby’s wardrobe on Saturday night and hid it in a bag in a laundry bag in a laundry bag. She didn’t want us to be affected by it, to think badly of Shelby, which is understandable. I wish I wasn’t thinking about the “whore” poster right now.’
‘We all are,’ said Gary.
‘But what was she doing with all this?’ said Robbie.
‘Thanks for directing that my way,’ said Ren.
Robbie blushed. ‘Sorry … I … just …’
‘I’m kidding,’ said Ren. ‘She could have been wearing it for someone in particular, she could have been photographing herself, videoing herself, doing stuff on line, or … selling herself …’
‘A lot of visitors come to Breck,’ said Gary. ‘If she had links in a hotel … she could make herself available.’
‘That creepy Labati kid could be lining men up for her,’ said Ren. ‘When he’s not too busy trying to line himself up for her.’
‘She didn’t have the bag with her on Saturday night,’ said Robbie. ‘Does that mean she had no plans in that sense? Could Mark Whaley have expected she would, and got mad at that? Maybe he had been here before and we just didn’t know.’
‘We have to get these high school kids to talk,’ said Gary. ‘I think I’ll go with an unorthodox maneuver …’
‘Mark Whaley raped her, or she was a ho and seduced him, he shot her, killed himself, Laurie Whaley’s been
