She looked again at the list and nodded. “I’ve got the mother. Let me see what she has to say.” And, with that, she picked up the phone and called the mother’s phone number. When a woman answered, Kate identified herself.
“Oh dear,” the woman said, “my… my daughter really can’t handle another investigation into this.”
“Okay, I was just hoping to get a few questions answered.”
“Please don’t call her. She’s really unstable.”
“Unstable in what way?”
“Overcome with grief.”
“Even after a year?”
“One never gets over the loss of a child, Detective.”
“I get that,” she said quietly. “I’m not trying to upset her. Could you tell me how bad things are with her?”
“Her sight is failing for one thing. It’s bad, and now all she does is cling to the memories of her daughter.”
“Hang on a minute. Did you say she’s losing her sight?” And her heart confirmed her head, and something, a knowingness, came through.
“Oh yes,” the mother replied, “absolutely.”
“Was it from the accident?” Kate asked hesitantly.
“Yes, she had a severe brain injury. Some of the blood vessels were damaged. It’s been a slow process, and, over this last year, she’s become quite… quite blind.”
“So she had her daughter with her at the time of the accident?”
“Yes, my daughter was attending the university. She was an assistant professor, trying to finish her master’s degree. My granddaughter was at a day care there. They frequently rode her bicycle back and forth, the baby in the carrier behind her. She was killed, and my daughter was injured.”
“Do you mind me asking what your daughter’s mental state is like at this point?”
“How would you feel?” she snapped. “If the darkest days of losing her daughter weren’t bad enough, now she’s lost her sight as well. And probably her husband. I’m sure their divorce is also imminent.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. I’m sure she must be riddled with grief.”
“She’s grieving for everything, for the loss of her daughter, the loss of the life she knew, for the loss of her sight, and now for the loss of her marriage.”
“How do you feel about the divorce?”
“I don’t really want to say. I know they were having trouble beforehand, but, with the loss of our little Jillie, it’s just been too much. There was a lot of blame happening early on, but my daughter was in and out of the hospital for a long time, and she really couldn’t handle too much arguing. She got very depressed and just sank into a well of grief.”
“Outside of her eyesight, is she injured?” she asked hesitantly.
“I don’t really know what you—”
“Does she have further permanent injuries, other than her vision?”
“No, if you mean broken legs or injured spine, no. She does have a sore shoulder all the time. She’s never been very strong to begin with, and I know that lifting heavy objects really puts a strain on her back now.”
“Right, and the driver was charged?”
“Yes, but it was a pretty minor charge, and I believe he’s already out,” she said in disgust.
“Was there a reason given for the accident?”
“I guess he needed new glasses. It was a momentary lapse of judgment, and he hadn’t seen her coming. I don’t know. I mean, obviously he was charged, and he ended up pleading guilty. I’m sure he’s devastated over everything. But, as somebody who has a permanent loss from something like that, it never seems like it’s enough.”