Assignment - NV 100 Novel IV - Lesson #3

Chapter Two, The Dentist's Niece


"Where was she? What was she doing? Who was she with?" I was shocked at the news and questions flooded my mind. I stopped myself. I felt I should show Dave my concern and sympathy for his family. "I'm so sorry, Dave. This is just horrible news. I would understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, Rita, it's okay. The shock and horror have subsided and now we're just grieving. What's troubling me is, there are no answers yet. It's been three months. The autopsy is inconclusive regarding the cause of death. You would think extreme trauma would be the reason since four cars hit her, but the coroner's office is not releasing any information. The police are not giving us anything either. The family is so devastated that they are too paralyzed by grief to pursue the matter. They feel that finding out what happened won't bring her back, so why keep dwelling on it."

"Four cars hit her? That just doesn't make sense. Where was she?".

"This is just so sad, Rita. Heather was only 19. She went to the family's Christmas Eve party in Westerly, Rhode Island at my mother's house, with her boyfriend, Jack. She arrived with him and left with him. She lived at home with my brother and his wife near New York City in Westport, Connecticut. You know where I-91 meets the Merritt Parkway outside of Meriden? Well, that was where her body was found. Four lanes of highway merging with two more. The traffic on Christmas Eve must have been insane. The first car that hit her has not been found. The next three pulled over. What's strange is that she was found near the median and there haven't been any witnesses to come forward. Why would she choose that area to get out of the car? Did she fall out of the car? Or did she get mad and impulsively demand to be let out of the car? Maybe she was pushed. I just can't get the image of what must have happened out of my mind. How mangled she must have been."

"Maybe she was dead before being thrown out of the car.", I added. "What does the boyfriend say?"

"That's another strange thing. Jack is not talking. He says that he does not know what happened. He is miserable with grief, but won't say a word about the drive home. That night he was found at his parent's home, curled up in his bed crying."

This did not sound right at all. How could the cause of death be a mystery? "Was she drunk or on drugs?" I asked.

"The police are not releasing any information regarding the autopsy" said Dave.

"Isn't there anything else that you know about her death?"

Dave shook his head. "Only that the cars suffered quite a bit of damage to the under-carriage when they hit her. There was a search and a notice put out looking for anyone noticing this type of damage to a car. They even placed an ad in the paper, looking for witnesses. Nobody has come forward."

I said, "Somebody saw it happen and somebody knows they hit that girl first. They're out there and they need to be found."

Dave mumbled, "If only I had followed them home or insisted they stay at Mom' s house. I feel somewhat responsible."

"Dave, there was nothing that foretold this event. You cannot blame yourself."

"I guess that's true. But when something like this happens, you just keep going over and over in your head how it could have been avoided."

The poor family, I thought, losing a child in this violent manner and not having any answers. I wanted to pursue it. "Dave, do you mind if I try to find out what happened? This sounds very strange and I don't like that the family has no closure."


Word count: 651