Mariah Stewart - Last Words

Mia waited patiently outside the manager’s office in the rear of the apparel store where Colleen Preston had worked. The national chain clearly catered to young women-there were racks of colorful summer merchandise and accessories. The store sold everything from straw hats and flip-flops to summer formal wear. At the glass counter to the right of the door, several of the employees gathered, speaking in hushed voices. Judging by their furtive glances in her direction, Mia assumed the topic of conversation was the reason for the FBI’s presence.

Clarise Holden, the store manager, appeared in the doorway, offering an apology. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Agent Shields. I was on the phone with the national office. We’re all so upset about Colleen…”

“Understandable. I’m sorry you weren’t notified directly. Hearing about it through the news has to have made it even harder for you and your employees.”

The store manager, a thin woman in her thirties, re sponded flatly. “It’s been a terrible shock to us all. Colleen was such a cheerful person, so nice to the customers, even the crankiest ones. She never complained about her hours or anything else.”

“Ms. Holden, are you aware of anyone who might have been bothering Colleen?”

The woman held up a hand laden with silver rings. “I already answered all these questions for Chief Daley. Have you spoken with him? I’m assuming you’re working with him?”

“I did read the statement you gave to the Ballard police,” Mia said circumventing the question. She had not contacted the local police, and had not spoken with Daley. “You told him you really didn’t know much about the private life of any of the employees.”

“That’s correct. And I still don’t. I’m sorry, but Colleen just came in here and did her job. She didn’t hang around before or after her shift, and we never had a conversation about anything that didn’t pertain to her employment here.”

“Was she friendly with any of the other girls who work here?”

“Danielle Snyder. They worked the same shifts and sometimes took breaks together.”

“I’d like to speak with her. Is she in this morning?”

“She is. I’ll get her, if you’ll excuse me.”

Mia moved her handbag from the floor to her lap to permit the older woman to open the door. Clarisse Holden stood in the doorway and waved to someone, then stepped back inside the office. A moment later, a young woman in her early twenties stepped into the room. She had red hair and blue eyes and freckles, and under other circumstances might have appeared perky.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked warily.

“Danielle, this is Agent Shields from the FBI. She wanted to ask you a few questions about Colleen.”

“I already spoke with the police,” Danielle told Mia.

“I know you did.” Mia turned in her chair to make eye contact with the young woman who appeared flustered. “But I wanted to talk to you for a minute about Colleen.”

“Okay.” Danielle nodded.

“We’re trying very hard to find the person who killed her, Danielle. I know you’ve been asked this before, but if you can think of anyone who might have been bothering her, someone she might have mentioned, even one time…”

Danielle shook her head. “She never said anything about that.”

“How about someone from one of the other stores in the shopping center? Was there someone who came in to see her? Did she ever mention that anyone in particular got on her nerves?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Ms. Holden said you and Danielle often worked the same shifts. Were you working the day she disappeared?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the last conversation you had with Colleen?”

Danielle’s eyes misted, and she nodded. “Yes. She was talking about going away that Friday with one of her girlfriends from high school. They were going to Ocean City for a long weekend. They’d rented a condo or something.”

“Do you know who the other girl was?”

“I only met her once. Jessica Flynn. She and Colleen had lunch together the day before…before Colleen disappeared.”

“Do you know how I can reach Jessica?”

“I think she lives in Ballard. She just moved back home, I remember that. She had been living in College Park, but she came back because she got a teaching job with the local school district. She got her master’s in May, I think she said. She stopped in here a few times since she’d moved back. She and Colleen were pretty tight.”

“Thank you, Danielle,” Mia said. “You’ve been very helpful.”

“Can I go back to work now?” she asked.

“Yes,” Mia told her.

“And thank you, Ms. Holden.” Mia pushed back her chair and stood. “I appreciate your time.”

“Of course.” Clarise Holden stood as well.

“By the way, the parking lot behind the store…is that accessible to the general public?” Mia asked.

“Yes. Each of the stores has so many parking spots allotted for their employees, but occasionally a customer will park back there. It’s not a private lot, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Mia thanked her again for her help, and left the store. Danielle was huddled with a coworker near a display of beach bags, discussing, no doubt, her interrogation by the FBI.

Mia got into her car and drove to the back of the shopping center. Behind the stores, parking was a narrow strip, two rows deep, with an entrance and exit a mere one-car width. Each store had a solid metal door opening out to the parking lot, but none had a window. Unless someone else was leaving their store at the same time Colleen had left, no one would have seen if she’d met up with someone when she left work that day. According to the statements taken by the Ballard police, no one saw anything.

She thought it might be worth a shot, so she drove back around to the front of the center and went store to store, but learned nothing new. No one had seen Colleen leave that day.

On her way into St. Dennis, she called information and got a number for Jessica Flynn’s parents’ home. Jessica was at home, and agreed to meet with Mia immediately.

“Anything that can help,” she told Mia.

Following the directions Jessica gave her, Mia arrived at the Flynn home in less than fifteen minutes. Jessica was waiting for her on the small front patio. When Mia pulled into the driveway of the split-level home, Jessica walked to meet her. She was tall and pretty, a confident looking young woman with a mane of light brown hair and a tan she must have been working on for several weeks.

“Hello, Jessica,” Mia said after she’d gotten out of the car. “I’m Agent Shields. Thanks for agreeing to see me right away.”

“I don’t really know what I could tell you that might help, but you can ask me anything.”

“I just have a very few questions, Jessica.”

“Call me Jessie, please.” The girl pointed toward the house. “We can sit up there, if you want.”

“That would be fine, thank you.” Mia followed her to the patio and sat on one of the cushioned chairs. “Jessie, I heard you had lunch with Colleen shortly before she disappeared.”

Jessie nodded. “I drove over to the store on Monday, the day before…before.” She swallowed hard. “I had to give her money for the place we were renting on this trip we were taking. We were leaving on Friday for Ocean City for the weekend, and Colleen was going to see the guy who owned the property to pay him.”

“Was she meeting him that day?” Mia bit her bottom lip. This wasn’t reflected in the police file she’d read.

“No, I thought she was going to see him Wednesday.”

“Do you have a name? Do you know where she was supposed to meet him?”