Lily wiped her eyes with her forearm then took a drag.‘Don’t quote me on all this, because all I got was second hand info from Rose, alright?’
Ella nodded.
‘So Jared started off just fine.He had a decent job, treated her okay, and Rose got pregnant with Leo.Not long after he was born, things went bad.Got controlling, you know?Checking her phone, timing her showers, getting pissy when she was five minutes late.Real piece of work.’
A portrait Ella could sketch from memory.She'd met dozens of Jared Novaks over the years, men who hid their real intentions behind bouquets of flowers.'Right.'
'Then they split.Rose couldn't take his macho crap anymore, so she packed up Leo and bounced.She came here, got waitress gigs, and hit the open mic nights when she could.It was tight, but she was making it work.'
‘How long were they together before Leo came along?’Ella asked.
‘About two years.And before you ask, no, he wasn’t like that at first.It wasn’t until Rose got pregnant that he changed.Anyway, he swooped in playing Daddy Of The Year and sued for custody.’
Ella added it all to her mental file.She was getting a read on this Jared Novak and she didn’t like his vibe at all, not to mention this seemed alarmingly similar to Amber’s ex.
Ripley asked, ‘What grounds did he have to sue her?’
Lily breathed in enough cigarette chemicals to destroy her lungs right there.‘Depression.And the judge ate it up.Suddenly all Rose’s quirks became proof she wasn’t fit.The bout of postnatal after Leo, the scratches on her wrists.Hell, Jared even tried to use her music against her, said their boy didn’t need to be raised by some wannabe rockstar.’
‘Slow down,’ Ella said.‘Scratches on her wrists?’
Lily stubbed her Marlboro out so hard the ember skittered to the floor.She grabbed another one.‘Rose used to cut herself, back when we were teens.’
Ella didn’t like this picture at all. The conflicting elements were mounting too high.‘Suicide attempts?’
Lily scoffed.‘No.Rose just thought it was cool.Rebellious.Luckily she saw sense not long after.’
‘But the scars remained,’ Ella said.
‘Yup, and that son of a bitch Jared used it against her.He had the money for some shark lawyer, so Rose had to settle for every other weekend and that was only if Jared deigned to show up.Half the time he’d call at the last minute with some excuse.Broke her heart every goddamn time.’
Jesus, Ella thought.This poor woman had been dragged through the ringer and then some.Ella wanted to reach across the cheap pressboard table and take her hand but she held back.Tears pricked at Lily’s eyes but she blinked them away.
‘Did Rose ever push back?’Ripley asked.
‘No, the case wiped her out.Financially, emotionally, the works.She didn’t have the muscle to go another round with Jared’s lawyer.Besides, if she kicked up a fuss, Jared’d just use it as proof she was hysterical.He had her coming and going.’
‘How was she in the days leading up to...to what happened?’Ella asked, valiantly ignoring the headache pounding at her temples.
Lily’s brow puckered in a frown.‘Quiet.Sad.More so than usual, I mean.She’d always get bummed after Jared’s weekends with Leo, but this was different.She seemed like she’d had enough.Like she’d finally given up hope.’
Ella glanced at Mia but she was busy taking notes on her cell.And she had the audacity to pretend she wasn’t interested in a murder investigation, Ella thought idly.She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.‘Lily, do you know who Rose was with the night she died?’
The sister shrugged.‘No clue.She went out around nine and said don’t wait up.That wasn’t unusual though, she’d often go to Roxy’s for their emo night on Sundays.’
Ella chewed the inside of her cheek and weighed her next question.There was no easy way to phrase this, but it had to be asked.‘Lily, are you aware of anyone who might’ve wanted to hurt Rose?Anyone with a grudge, a score to settle?’
Lily wilted a little more.Her shoulders slumped like the air had been let out of her, but Ella saw the anger just below the surface.
‘None beside Jared, as far as I know.She wasn’t the type.Too damn nice for her own good sometimes.’
Ella took a moment to process it all.This wasn’t the Rose Michaels she expected.Ella had imagined a quiet girl, a church-going type.‘Was Rose seeing anyone new?’
‘No.She was out a lot, but she kept telling me she was done with men.I figured maybe she was telling me, you know...’Lily made a vague hand gesture that could’ve meant anything from gay to Amish.‘It ain’t exactly the French Quarter around here.Maybe Rose thought I’d judge if she started bringing home a girlfriend.’
Mia hummed and made another note.Ella thought everything through, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the evidence bags.She found the ballet dancer from Rose Michaels’ scene and held it up, watching Lily’s face carefully for any sign of recognition.A quivering lip, a twitch in the eye.A lot of interviewees switched their weight to their opposite leg when confronted with a striking visual aid too.
‘Lily, do you know what this figurine might go to?’
