“No. Everything, I knew about this place, I forgot.”
His lip twisted. “Can’t say as I blame you. I’m actually your cousin, on your mom’s side. Bennett Higgins. You look so much like your father…” He paused. “That’s not something you want to hear. You’re here to talk to Moran?”
“Yes.” I nodded and tried to muster a give a damn for a cousin I didn’t remember. There was nothing. I wanted to see my sister and find out what happened.
He picked up the phone and dialed back. We could all see a man in a suit stand from his desk and head over to us. He looked tired, and I knew exactly how he felt. It was only because I’d crashed from the adrenaline that I’d gotten any sleep at all.
“Mister Donner,” the detective said, holding out his hand. “I’m Detective Moran. Thank you for coming back. Were you able to find someone to help you with the concerts you were missing?”
“Called in a favor from a friend,” I said. “Sir, I really want to find out what’s going on here.”
He pushed the door open and motioned me back. “We’ll talk in one of the interrogation rooms. These are?” He tossed a chin at the two men with me.
“Mel Garvin, my best friend, and Robert Philips, my sister’s new lawyer.”
They shook hands and he herded us into a room, leaving the door open. He sat in the chair and looked at me. “I’d like to offer my sincerest condolences on the death of your parents, Mister Donner. They—”
“Please, Detective. Save the platitudes. I didn’t know them anymore. They kicked me out of the house at thirteen, and I stopped caring about whether they were alive or dead years ago. Anyone who would kick a thirteen year old out of the house because he was gay isn’t worth the air wasted on expressing grief.”
He gave a curt nod and glanced at Philips. “I had given him the report earlier, but I have the feeling Mister Philips wants me to tell you what’s going on.” He nodded once and Moran took a breath.
“A neighbor called 9-1-1 when they heard screaming. The Pollis family had said they’d heard yelling and crying previously, but this was above and beyond anything that they’d heard from the Donner house before. They thought they heard someone screaming that they were going to kill someone, so they called.
“This part is all corroborated by the family’s statements. While they were waiting for the police to show up, there was a lot more screaming. It was joined by slamming and banging, and according to the daughter, the sound of someone getting hit. It culminated in gunshots. One, then a series of about five. Just as our cruisers pulled up, there was one last shot.
“Officers Quinto and Valk entered the premises through the open front door and found Violet standing over her deceased father with the gun in her hand. She was clearly in shock and was only able to give her name. Eventually she mumbled your name. But she hasn’t said anything else. Our officers can’t even question her.”
“Shock?” Philips asked.
“Most likely. She wouldn’t even talk to her lawyer off the record. Nothing. Not a squeak, not a peep. She’s also had nothing to drink and nothing eat since we brought her in last night. She’s here on a seventy-two hour hold, and if she doesn’t talk soon, she’s…well, we’re going to have to charge her with murder.”
I scrubbed my hands down my face. “Please, let me talk to her? Alone? Off the record?”
“You’re welcome to try. I’ll have her brought to one of the interrogation rooms,” Moran said. “Wait here, please. It’ll be a minute.”
He left us there, door open. My head hit the table, and I just wanted to cry and grab her and run away.
“What do you think happened?” Philips asked.
“I wasn’t there,” I mumbled at the floor.
“Conjecture,” he demanded. “I don’t care.”
I glanced at the massive figure of Mel on the other side of the table from me and he’s expression was the permission I needed to give Philips his conjecture. “He was already starting to hit my mother when I was kicked out. I think I had placed too much faith in him growing up, to think he could accept that his son was gay.
“Things were getting rough. People don’t think of Maryland as coal country, but way out here, it is. Dad was the foreman of a good crew, but coal was already dead, and nothing was going to bring it back. One by one, the company was letting his crew go. There were only so many they could fire before Dad had to work the seam himself. Once he was back on the seam, he knew it was only time until he was let go.
“Maybe that was part of the reason why he kicked me out. A good excuse as any to have one less mouth to feed. I don’t know if they let him go, or if he found another job. I’ve thought vile things about him since I left. I don’t know how much accurate conjecture I can give you. I hated them for a very long time. But…
“I think he was hitting Mom. I think it was over something that Violet wanted or needed. Probably needed. He had us working chores from the day we could walk, both Violet and I.” I put a hand to my head and then shrugged. “Beyond how it started, I couldn’t even begin to tell what happened.”
“Was Violet violent?”
“She was six, Mister Philips. I don’t know who she is now.”
Nodding, he scratched his nose. “You need to talk to her alone and get her to talk. She needs to tell us what happened.”
I let out a sigh. “I know. I hope she doesn’t hate me.”
