Chapter 18

(h/t The Citronelle Courier) Evie Bancroft, a 2018 graduate of Citronelle High School, has been found dead at The Manor Motor Lodge, officials say, after she came under intense local scrutiny for working as a prostitute in a Nevada brothel.

The 19-year-old’s death was ruled a suicide due to asphyxia by hanging by the Evergreen County Medical Examiner’s Office. Upon her autopsy, toxicology results revealed that she had marijuana, the anxiolytic Alprazolam (Xanax) and the antidepressant Sertraline (Zoloft) in her system at her time of passing.

“Evie was the kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me,” Lindsay Anastacio, a lifelong friend of Bancroft, told The Citronelle Courier. “I have no other words. There aren’t any. My head or heart can’t understand this. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Bancroft’s body was found in the motel at 8 p.m. December 18, Evergreen County deputy sheriff Mark Brown said, after Anastacio informed the department of a suicide letter, in an e-mail, Bancroft had written. At the time, Anastacio was at her residence in Utah. Brown stated there is no suspicion of any foul play.

Since her passing, friends and family members have come forward to memorialize Bancroft’s “gentle spirit” and “nuanced personality.”

“Evie was super funny and she had a pure heart, but she struggled with bipolar disorder and made some misguided decisions,” Clancy Tompkins, her high school sweetheart of three years, said. The couple broke up in August. “Still, I loved her. I wanted to marry her as she was the only girl I ever had eyes for; the only girl I ever even wanted to be with. My condolences go out to her mom, her dad, and her younger brother.”

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Citronelle, according to her obituary. Bancroft will be buried at 1 p.m. at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Representatives for Happy Ending Ranch, the Flagstone, Nevada brothel where Bancroft was employed, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Evelyn Klarissa Bancroft

December 2, 1999 – December 18, 2018

RIP

“They’re trying to blame me for Evie’s death. Everyone is saying it’s my fault.” Sobs tore from Lindsay’s chest as her entire body trembled. Evie was her best friend and life was never going to be the same after this senseless tragedy. How could this happen? Why did it happen? “People I went to school with have taken to calling me the town slut, that I coerced Evie into prostitution, and she’s dead now because of me. I can never come back here again.” Lindsay’s stomach twisted into a jumble of knots. “Ever.”

“It’s not your fault, honey,” Pamela said as they conversed over the telephone. “Please, don’t ever believe for one instant this is your fault. I want you to get that thought out of your head.”

“I know it’s not my fault!” Still, Lindsay wished she could crawl out of her skin and hide. Maybe put an end to all this misery the same way Evie did. “Her mom went off after Clancy and Zack told her she took a job at Happy Ending Ranch. Hillary unloaded, said some horrible things she regrets now, and it pushed Evie over the brink. And it didn’t help that Zack posted on Facebook that Evie had taken up whoring just like, quote, her best friend and fellow skank, Lindsay Suckadickio did, end-quote.” Fuck Zack! I hate his fucking guts! Eat shit and die, asshole!

A sigh escaped from Pamela. “How did your folks handle the news that you once worked at the brothel? God, Lindsay, I haven’t spoken with you since before you quit back in August. I was in Maryland rehabbing my back and didn’t even get to say goodbye. You just ... vanished. I still don’t know why you quit. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Lindsay dropped to the floor and into the fetal position as she held the phone tight to her face and ear. Just hearing Pamela’s voice again was therapy in and of itself, like a warm, soothing hug, something Lindsay was in desperate need of. “My mom and dad weren’t happy, either, and this week has been the first time I talked with them since October. They’re still not happy. No fences have been mended.”

“You’re in Citronelle now? The funeral is tomorrow? Such terrible timing with Christmas right around the corner.”

“Yes. I’m never coming back here again. But I think I’ll pass on going to the funeral. I ... I just can’t.” Lindsay huffed out a breath. “I’m afraid of being swarmed there.” I’m so embarrassed! “This is a small, tight-knit community. Everybody knows everybody, and I’m public enemy number one. I’m the outcast. The local media is after me nonstop. There’s a news van parked right outside our motel room door, for Christ’s sakes!”

“Oh, honey, you’re not an outcast.”

“Yes, I am! The high school stripped me of all my awards and took my name off the plaque, right from the wall, for being the Homecoming Queen the last two years. They don’t want to be associated with my kind anymore.” Lindsay pushed through the humiliation and found the will to continue speaking. “I walk down the street, and people, they point and stare like I’m sort of thing. Oh, there goes the hoe! One guy offered me twenty bucks if I would suck him off. Can you believe that?” Lindsay’s heart stuttered, and she contended with this falling, spinning-down feeling. “We’re leaving in the morning before the funeral. We... I have to get the fuck out of here. I have to.”

“We? Who are you with? And where will you go? Do you have a place to stay? What are you doing for work? You know, if you need any help, I’m always here for you. I’d do anything to help you. I can wire you some money if you need it.”

Lindsay glanced across the way at Sammy, who was preparing another dose of Valium, a sedative which reduces anxiety. She had been floating up to her eyeballs in relaxants since Tuesday evening. First it was the rigors and pain following the gangbang, and then something far more debilitating – word from Sammy of Evie’s e-mail, and the subsequent confirmation of the unimaginable. “No, I’ll be fine. I have a place to stay, someone to be with.”

Lindsay and Sammy’s trip to Hawaii had been cancelled. They’d spent the last several days in Citronelle, a veritable nightmare for poor Lindsay, multiple interrogations with the sheriff’s department, having to fend off harassment from Evie’s family and former classmates, and dealing with backlash from her own family. This can’t be happening. Why is Evie gone? Lindsay stared off into the distance with glassy eyes. I wish I could’ve been here for her!

“Do you have a boyfriend? A girlfriend? Is that who you’re staying with?” Pamela had so many unanswered questions from what transpired over the summer and feared this telephone call may be her last opportunity to receive any sort of explanation. “And where do you live now?”

Lindsay regarded Sammy as he leaned down and gave her a cup of water and yet another Valium. “Seattle.” She popped the capsule and swallowed.

“Seattle? Evie said you were living in Salt Lake City.”

“Umm, what?” Why did Evie say that? I told her not to! Sammy didn’t want Pamela to know about their relationship because he had plans to return to Happy Ending Ranch after the new year and party with all his favorites again, Pamela being at the top of the list. “I don’t know why Evie told you I lived in Salt Lake. I’ve never even been there.” Sammy feared Colt would perma-ban him from the house if, as a customer, he knew he snatched his top grossing girl away. “I met this awesome guy and have been living with him in Seattle since August.”