Death in Paradise

Chapter Twenty-nine

Jesse sat in the sunroom off the front parlor of the house in Swampscott and talked with Hank and Sandy Bishop.

"The dead girl we found in Paradise is your daughter Elinor," Jesse said.

Sandy Bishop's mouth was thin with denial. Her husband seemed to have disappeared behind the blank façade of his face.

"That can't be," Sandy Bishop said.

"I'm sorry," Jesse said. "But it is. We know it's Billie, and we know Billie is your daughter."

Hank Bishop's face seemed to grow tighter. Sandy 's pretty cheerleader face became more disapproving. Jesse felt as if he had misbehaved and she were going to scold him. Jesse waited. Hank Bishop opened his mouth and closed it. He looked at his wife. She continued to gaze at Jesse, the disapproval in her face unflinching. Jesse waited. Hank's breathing was audible. He seemed short of breath. He tried to speak.

"We…"

Sandy raised her right hand sharply as if she were tossing something away.

"Billie was lost to us," she said, "a long time ago."

The only thing Jesse could hear in her voice was the same disapproval that had shown in her face.

"How long?"

"She ran away from us at the end of the school year, but she had left us in every other way long before that."

"You didn't get along?" Jesse said.

"She didn't get along. We have two other daughters. We get along with them. Emily is at Mount Holyoke. Carla is captain of her soccer team."

"Do you know anyone she might have been with?" Jesse said.

"No."

Jesse looked at Hank Bishop. He didn't speak.

Jesse said, "Any thoughts, Mr. Bishop?"

Bishop shook his head.

"Do either of you know anyone named Gino Fish?" Jesse said.

Sandy Bishop said, "No."

Jesse looked at her husband. Hank Bishop was looking at the gray-green carpeting between his feet. He shook his head.

"Vinnie Morris?"

"No."

"Development Associates of Boston?"

"No."

"When she ran away, do you know where she went?"

"No."

"Could I get a list of her friends?"

"She never brought her friends home," Sandy Bishop said. "Except Hooker Royce, and he didn't last long."

"Do you know why?"

"She couldn't hold on to a boyfriend any better than she did anything else," Sandy said.

"Do you have any theory about how she died, or why?"

"No," Sandy said. "And we don't want to keep talking about it. We mourned Elinor's death long before this. We don't want to go through that pain again."

"I understand," Jesse said.

"No. I don't think you do," Sandy said. "But whether you do or don't, all we ask is that you leave us alone. We have nothing else to say."

Jesse looked at Hank Bishop. Hank was still looking at the carpet. Jesse closed his notebook and stood. He tucked the notebook and the Bic ballpoint into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you for your time," Jesse said.

Neither of the Bishops said anything. Jesse walked through the color-coordinated pastel living room to the front hall and opened the front door and went out and closed the door behind him.

Outside it was a bright summer day flavored with the faint smell of ocean drifting up from a beach he couldn't see.

The female of the species, Jesse thought.