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Dr. Schrade said, “I know she was dating and going out on occasion, but we never talked about any specific boys. Emma liked her independence and privacy. She was very careful never to post anything personal on social media.”
As we walked back into the house, and they stopped for a moment so Terri could take down a new phone number, I glanced into the music room just as Emma’s sister took a break.
I decided to take a chance.
Chapter12
I STEPPED INTOthe piano room, which had dark, mahogany paneling and a high ceiling. I wondered if it had been designed for acoustics. I could hear Terri still talking with the Schrades in the foyer.
I approached the girl at the piano and smiled. I said, “I wish I could say I knew what you were playing, but it was beautiful.”
Lauren returned my smile. She looked like her sister. I noticed a few wisps of acne on her cheeks.
“I only know classical music from watching Bugs Bunny or hearing commercials for classical music on TV,” I told her. “Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ is one of the few classical songs I can identify.”
Without saying a word or missing a beat, the teenager played the first few bars of the “Moonlight Sonata.” It was like she was a different person as she focused for a few moments.
“Ha, just like the commercial, only the sound really carries in here.”
The girl spoke for the first time. “My parents spent a fortune to build this room just right for my sister’s singing. They didn’t want it to go to waste, so now I’m supposed to practice in here hours a day.”
I said, “Your name’s Lauren, right?”
The pretty girl nodded.
“Do you want to go to Juilliard like your sister?”
Lauren shrugged. “My parents definitely want me to. Just like they forced Emma to go.”
“Wasn’t it your sister’s dream to go to Juilliard?”
Lauren took a moment. She appeared to be a serious young woman. “Emma wanted to be a star. She’d have preferred going onAmerican IdolorThe Voice. She only went to Juilliard because our parents insisted. Like they’re doing with me.”
“What wouldyoulike to do?”
“I dunno. I’m not sure what I want to do yet.”
I let out another smile. She sounded just like some of my kids. “That’s the right answer. Worry about what you’re going to do with your life when you get a little older.”
Lauren turned in her seat to look at me directly. “You’re trying to find who killed Emma, aren’t you?”
This wasn’t a random question.
I paused, nodded, and said, “Detective Hernandez and I are working on it.”
Lauren said, “This whole thing sucks. Emma could be bossy and even a little mean, but she was a pretty good sister. I miss her.”
“Were you guys close?”
“There were four years between us. But we bonded together against my parents. It was kind of fun.”
“Did Emma ever talk to you about boyfriends or dating?”
“No. Emma didn’t confide in people. She liked doing her own thing, not answering questions about it. She had a few fights with our parents about being careful in the city and checking in at least once a day. She didn’t like that at all.”
“Do you think she had a wild personal life?”
“I doubt it,” Lauren scoffed. “Emma was pretty focused. My parents paid for her apartment and food but didn’t give her much for fun. That annoyed her and she complained that the city was so expensive.
