“Oh, that poor woman. Poor Adrianna.” She buried her face behind her hands. “I’m sorry. I can’t…”

“That’s okay,” Marge told her. “Take your time.”

Oliver stood up. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Marge tried to distract her. “I noticed you’re wearing scrubs. Are you a surgical nurse?”

“Thoracic.” She wiped her eyes with a napkin. “Anything to do with the chest.”

“Is that what Adrianna did?”

At the mention of her friend’s name, Mandy let go with a fresh set of waterfalls. “She’s in the NICU. Neonatal intensive care. She’s a…she was a pediatric nurse. She was great at her job. We used to call her the baby whisperer. But even when she worked with older kids, they loved her.”

“I see.” Marge took out her notepad. “And you’ve known Adrianna for six years?”

“Around six years.” Oliver came back with water and a new tissue box. Mandy thanked him for both items. “I was just telling your partner that I knew Adrianna for around six years. We went to nursing school together.”

“Where at?” Oliver asked. “C-SUN?”

“No,” Mandy said. “We went to the Howard Professional School. Originally Adrianna was just going for an LVN, but I told her that she was smart enough to go all the way for an RN. It was a lot harder, I’m not going to lie, but I convinced her that it would be worth it.”

“Wow, that was awfully nice of you,” Marge told her.

“It was partially for selfish reasons,” Mandy said. “We met the first day of orientation and hit it off right away. I figured it would be easier if I had company. I helped her over a couple of rough patches, but she took her own tests and did well.”

“You sound like a good friend,” Oliver told her.

“At that time, we were very good friends.”

“But not so much anymore?” Marge asked.

“You know how it is…” Mandy’s eyes darted back and forth. “Things change.”

“Like what?” Oliver said.

“We drifted apart,” Mandy said. “Aside from work, we stopped hanging out.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing really…just lifestyle issues. Adrianna has…” Mandy licked her lips. “She has a lot more energy than I do. She likes to have a good time.”

“She’s a party girl?” Marge suggested.

“That’s making her sound cheap,” Mandy said. “She liked her fun. I mean, I do too, but I guess I need more sleep than she does.”

“Did her fun include drugs?” Marge said.

Mandy hesitated. “I guess she’d be like a recreational user.”

“Did it ever interfere with her work?”

“Never!” Mandy was adamant. “She was a miracle worker with those babies.”

“What do you know about her boyfriend?” Marge checked her notes. “Garth Hammerling. What do you know about him?”

“He works here at St. Tim’s. He’s a radiology tech.”

“How well do you know him?” Oliver asked.