Crossing Over

Chapter 11

"Before we start, " Andra asked, "Do you mind if I record this? It won't go any farther than Cameron and I. I just want to make sure I keep the facts straight."

"That's fine." He said nodding. He gave Andra a moment to collect her notebook and pen. Once she was settled she hit record on her phone and nodded in his direction.

Conrad paused for just a moment gathering his thoughts and then began to speak. "The first thing to understand before we get started is that Inglewood is a different kind of town. I have seen many strange things there. Do you know," he asked honestly, "that the murder rate in Inglewood is almost twice as high as other cities its size?"

Cameron leaned forward on the edge of the couch his interest piqued. "Why though?" He asked. "Why in Inglewood? What makes it different?"

"Son, I wish I could tell you, but I honestly don't know myself. My family and I had only lived in town a few years when Savannah died. My wife had sensed it before then. She said it just gave her a bad feeling. Bad mojo that's what she called it."

"When this thing with Savannah happened it felt wrong from the beginning. I couldn't quite figure it out. It was like having an itch you couldn't scratch. Knowing that none of this was right but the answer was just out of reach somewhere. I just couldn't figure out what we were missing." He ran a hand across his mouth and took a deep breath before starting again.

"We interviewed Savannah's friends, or what was left of them, and they all verified what you've already deduced from her yearbook photos. Something had been off with her for a long time, but whatever was going on, she never shared it. At least if she did, no one was telling us."

"What we do know was that she went out that last night with Greg Billings and Melanie Harlow Savannah's best friend." Andra who had been studiously taking notes sat up a little straighter at the mention of Melanie's name. "Wait, I remember reading about her. She replaced Savannah on the volleyball team after she quit."

"That's right," Conrad answered. "The two girls had been friends since grade school, but Melanie was always living in Savannah's shadow. Their friends seemed to think that Melanie had become jealous of Savannah over the years. Whether Savannah realized it, I'm not sure. What we do know is that when Savannah began to pull away from everyone Melanie wasted no time in taking her place. In fact, Greg and Melanie were dating at the time of Savannah's death."

"Dating?" Andra asked in surprise. "Everything I've read said that Greg and Savannah were together."

"Oh, they had been to be sure," Conrad answered. "They'd had an on again off again relationship since junior high. Sometime in the months before Donald died, they broke up for the last time. He and Melanie began dating shortly after."

"So let me get this straight? Greg and Savannah break up and he starts dating Savannah's best friend. Then several months later she agrees to be their third wheel at a party?"

Conrad gave Andra a bitter smile. " I know. It makes no sense but it seems that's exactly what happened. Greg and Melanie said in their respective interviews that they had convinced her to go out that night. Greg said he thought it would do her some good to get out for awhile. Numerous eyewitness accounts put Savannah in the car arriving with them that night."

The more he talked, the more anxious he became. Andra could see how hard it was for him to discuss this with them. Conrad walked back to his chair and sat down and then, running a hand across the back of his neck, he started again.

"All reports have them arriving at the party around eight. Once there, Savannah went off on her own. No one laid eyes on her again for at least forty-five minutes maybe longer. Everyone we interviewed who was present at the party agrees that when she did reappear  an altercation ensued between her and Greg."