"Do you feel able to speak to us for a minute?"
"Sure, sure. Come in."
Moving uncertainly, as if in a dream, Mrs. Knight stepped back and allowed them inside.
The home was spotless. May felt comforted that Mrs. Knight and her family were obviously getting a lot of help and comfort from neighbors. In the small lounge, flowers lined the mantelpiece, and she saw an array of pies and cookies on the dining room table through the archway.
"We've been monitoring the hotline," May said, quickly giving the explanation for why they were there. "Based on a call we received, I'd like to find out what your daughter's activities were over the past couple of weeks, before she went missing."
"Her activities?"
"We're trying to pinpoint a common thread," May explained.
"Oh. Oh, I see." Mrs. Knight sighed. "Well, she went to the college in Snyder to practice singing. She had lessons there every week."
May noted that down. "Go on?" she said.
"She also had a part-time job at the local coffee shop, Beans." Mrs. Knight added. "She worked there on Saturdays. It helped pay the bills."
"Okay?" May said.
"She'd been doing a lot of swimming," she said. "With the weather warmer, she was practicing, hoping that she could get onto a team when she went to college. She did a lot of road cycling. She used to love to ride. She'd often go out on the road with friends."
"Did she belong to any clubs?"
"Yes, she belonged to the local swimming club here in Snyder. She didn't belong to a cycling club." Mrs. Knight frowned. "She went camping a few weeks ago with friends, at the campsite outside of Harrisville. Adventure Lake, I think it's called. And she went sailing a couple of times. She was enjoying that. She rented a sailboat from the marina in Caspian - that's the town to the west of here. I'm not sure what the name of the rental place is. I’ve never been a sailor myself."
"Thank you."
Scribbling furiously, May felt encouraged they now had many more leads.
"That's all I can remember," Mrs. Knight said. "If there's anything else, can I call you?"
"Of course."
Knowing she was now stepping far out of line, May handed over one of her contact cards.
"I'm glad you came around. I wasn't ready to speak to anyone before," Mrs. Knight admitted. "But now, I'm eager to do whatever it takes. If I can find out who - who did this terrible thing - and stop any other parents from suffering the same tragedy, at least it will be something," she said, smoothing her hands over her face.
"You've been so helpful. I am sure this information will be valuable," May said.
She glanced at Owen, who nodded. It was time to go.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Knight," May said. "I'm so sorry."
Mrs. Knight nodded, sniffing.
May got up and headed out of the door, wishing she was brave enough to give the woman a hug.
They got into the car, and May headed onto the road.
"That was interesting," Owen said. "I felt so sorry for Mrs. Knight. Seeing how sad and traumatized she was, shows me we're doing the right thing."
"I hope so."
"We're beginning to have some leads to follow. So, what's the next step?
"I think we should speak to the other victim’s parents," May said. She now felt committed to their path. They couldn't back down now but must press forward. "The other victim was Shelby Ryan. We need to ask her parents the same questions, and hopefully we can pick up the similarities in their versions."