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Nico already knew all this about Sandra Brown. Sally-Ann had dug the info up from the notes in Tia’s police file. Their intel indicated that Mrs. Brown had divorced her husband well before Tia died and he no longer lived in Burnie. But there was a surviving son, Taj, who still resided in town, and it was interesting that she hadn’t mentioned him.
“Okay. Well, if you’re sure you don’t want us to call anybody? Not even your son perhaps? Then we can continue.” Lacey slotted the subtle question nicely into the conversation, almost as if she’d read his mind.
“No, I’m fine. Taj will be at work. I don’t want to worry him, he’s been through enough already. Carry on with your questions.” Nico was a little surprised at her offhand reference of her son. But the way she screwed up her face when she mentioned him made him wonder at their relationship. It almost looked as if she was irritated by Lacey’s mention of her son. Either that or she was afraid for him. Wanting to protect him from something.
“Right then. So can you tell me, in your mind, was there ever any doubt that Tia took her own life?” Nico asked. Most people would find this a hard question to answer, but Mrs. Brown took it in her stride.
“No, none at all,” Sandra replied flatly. “She was a troubled teenager. She was suffering from anorexia and depression. I took her to see numerous psychiatrists, but none of them made the slightest difference. In the end no one could help her.” At this, Sandra seemed to lose a little of her composure. But then she sat up straighter. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but Tia really did take her own life. So if you’re hoping to perhaps link her with these two murders, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
Nico had indeed been angling toward that conclusion, but she didn’t need to know that. He’d been hoping if there were any doubt at all about Tia’s death, maybe—and it was a big maybe—they could reopen Tia’s case and start looking into it as a possible homicide. If there was any uncertainty that Tia might not have killed herself, any suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, then it might point to murder instead. It was a flimsy link, but a murder four years prior with a very similar MO could point to the same killer.
After a short silence, Lacey took charge of the questioning again. “Don’t you think it’s a little strange that these two girls were found so close to where Tia chose to end her life?” she asked, tipping her head slightly on the side, as if the idea had just occurred to her.
“No. At best, I think it’s pure coincidence. And at worst, I think it’s someone trying to play a trick on you. Try and make you think there’s a connection, perhaps put you on the wrong path.”
“Right.” Nico eyed her with skepticism. “I believe that you regularly visit the tree where Tia died.” It was documented that Mrs. Brown had erected a small memorial at the base of the tree a few months after her daughter’s death.
“Yes. I leave fresh flowers at least once a week. I was last there on Sunday.” Sandra gave a curt nod but wasn’t forthcoming with any more information.
“And you didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary when you visited?” Nico enquired. It was a long shot, but she might’ve seen something. If Zoya was killed on Sunday as they suspected, Sandra might’ve come across the killer and not even realized it.
“No.” Mrs. Brown dropped her gaze. “Everything was calm and peaceful. I tend to go right on dusk, after most people have left the reserve. It’s quieter then. I saw no one at all, if that’s what you’re asking.”
This line of inquiry seemed like it was a dead end. Nico pretended to study his notes.
“Can you tell us where you think Tia’s depression stemmed from?” Lacey spoke into the silence. “What I mean by that, was she struggling at school, was she being bullied?”
“You don’t need a reason to have depression,” Sandra answered coldly. “It’s a medical illness, not an affliction.”
“I know that,” Lacey began. “But sometimes when things are bad at school it can exacerbate the symptoms. Tia was in her final year, and that can be very stressful. Did Tia have many friends she could rely on? Did she have any hobbies she was interested in to give her something else other than school to distract her?”
“Tia didn’t have many friends. And no hobbies either. When her depression became really bad, all her shitty friends deserted her. They were useless.” Sandra’s lip curled with disgust. “Toward the end, all she wanted to do was sit in her bedroom and not eat, and hide from the world.”
It sounded like a very sad existence, and Nico felt sorry for the girl.
Lacey continued, “What about at home? Her relationship with you and her brother. Sometimes—”
“Are you saying she was unhappy at home? Are you implying that I made my daughter unhappy? That I was the reason she killed herself?”
Whoa, this conversation had taken a turn for the worse. Nico held up his hands, “Sorry, Mrs. Brown, my colleague meant to imply no such thing.”
“I think you should leave now.” Sandra Brown stood and glared down at them, finger pointing toward the door.
Shit. Now they’d done it. He glanced at Lacey, but she just shrugged. They really had no choice but to go. As she towered over them where they sat on the couch, Nico was made aware of the woman’s physical presence. She was almost intimidating, with her deep scowl and threatening stance. She was clearly unafraid of the two cops in her living room.
“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Brown,” Nico said stiffly as he got to his feet. “If you think of anything else that might be important, please don’t hesitate to call me.” He handed her his card, and he and Lacey filed out of the room and down the front stairs as the door was summarily slammed behind them.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to antagonize her with my question. But I should’ve realized. She’s a very prickly woman,” Lacey mused as they walked back to the cruiser.
“Not your fault,” Nico replied. “Everyone handles their grief differently. But she certainly seems to have taken Tia’s death hard. Shut out the world. Probably holding onto a bucket load of guilt if her reaction was anything to go by.”
At least Lacey was talking to him, even if it was about the case, and Nico felt relief flow through him. “Did you notice there were no photos of the son? Not even any photos on the walls.” he asked as they both ducked into their respective seats in the vehicle. “Any ideas on why that might be?” he asked.
“Yeah, I did.” She bit her bottom lip as she considered his question. “It was almost like a shrine to her daughter. If I were the brother, I’d be a little peeved. I think we should talk to him. Get his perspective on the whole sad saga.”
“I agree.” Nico pulled out his phone and made a call. “Sally-Ann,” he said when she answered. “Can you give me the address of Taj Brown, please? Both work and home. Lacey and I have decided we need to pay him a visit.” There was silence in the cab as he waited for her to find the information and tell him she was sending it through to his phone. “Oh, and Sally-Ann,” he said, just before she rang off. “Can you do a deep dive into Tia’s file? See if anything doesn’t ring true. I’m not sure what we’re looking for, but the mother seemed very guarded and abrupt. Perhaps look into Tia’s past. See if we interviewed any friends or other relatives who might’ve given their thoughts in an interview. A different perspective. Check on the dad, too. I believe he’d moved out of town by that stage, but I want to confirm his whereabouts. Thanks.” He rang off.
“Why do you want to keep looking into this?” Lacey questioned. “Mrs. Brown just assured us this was a suicide. And if it was, then it has no relation to the double murder we’re investigating. Do you think there’s a chance Tia was actually murdered, and it was made to look like suicide? Are you going to reopen her case?”
