Bonnie Parker was getting nowhere with the Taylors, and she was pretty sure by now that there was nowhere to get. The mother, Janice, was holding up better than her husband, who hadn’t managed to get his head out of his hands often enough to contribute more than mono-syllabic answers to the detective’s questions.
‘Everything just seemed completely normal,’ said the woman, going over the same ground yet again. ‘Olivia went up to do her homework, she probably spent her half-hour on the computer and then when we went up to read to her we found her...just...just...’
‘Makes no sense,’ said Mr. Taylor. ‘No sense at all.’
Parker looked at them in turn. Rich and privileged, but good parents by all appearances. She was in corporate finance, but had said she was always home to walk Olivia to and from the school bus stop. Her husband worked in administration at the Gibson factory, and he made a point to be home by six to do his share of the parenting.
Parker tried again. ‘And you’re both sure she had no problems at school?’
‘Nothing we’d ever heard of,’ said Mrs. Taylor. ‘Her grades were fine, she seemed to have plenty of friends, she never mentioned any problems with other kids. She was happy, always happy. Her teachers were always pleased with her.’
‘I just can’t believe it,’ said her husband.
‘And she never mentioned any arguments, unpleasantness on the internet?’ asked Parker.
‘Never. She was too young for the social media sites, and they were blocked on her computer anyway. She could email her friends, chat to them and she played a couple of games, but never for very long. She preferred sports, playing with the cat, practising piano.’
‘What games did she play?’ asked Parker.
The parents looked at each other, and this time it was Mr. Taylor who answered. ‘Minecraft, I think. And there was one about horses. Oh, and Farmville.’
‘Did she spend money on them?’
The woman shook her head. ‘No, she couldn’t have. We’re not the kind of people who leave our credit card numbers around and then never check the bills. Olivia wasn’t that interested anyway.’
Parker thought again. Her own kids played Minecraft and Farmville, and they were both harmless. No chance of cyber-bullying making anyone’s life a misery and driving them to desperation. It was sites like Facebook and Twitter where bullies thrived and most sensible parents kept their children well away from them. ‘I’m sorry I’ve had to ask these questions at such a difficult time, but we have to look into any sudden death. We’ll probably send an officer to ask a few questions at the school, and it’s up to the coroner to make the decision, but from what I’ve seen it’s not a homicide matter, it seems Olivia took her own life. All I can say is I’m sorry for your loss.’
‘Sorry?’ snapped the father. ‘What good is that? My daughter’s dead, and I want to know why.’
His wife put her hand on his arm, pressed gently, and he was quiet. ‘Thank you, Ms Parker,’ she said. ‘We appreciate what you’ve done. As I’m sure you’d expect, we’re looking for answers now. I’m sure you’ll let us know if you find anything.’
Parker nodded and got up to leave. She had the awful feeling that Olivia’s parents were never going to find their answers, and nor was she.