Chapter 42
CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO
Andi’s phone rang just as she finished answering another question from the officer taking notes in Kate’s apartment.
Mariella.
Andi stepped into the hallway before answering. “Hey.”
“Hey, where are you?” Mariella’s words tumbled over one another. “Rupert is spiraling. The TV interview is in—” she paused, then lowered her voice dramatically “—forty-two minutes, and you’re not here yet.”
Andi pressed her eyes closed. “Mariella . . . we went to Kate’s apartment. She’s missing.”
“What?”
“The police are here,” Andi continued. “I can’t just walk away right now.”
Mariella didn’t hesitate. “Listen, don’t worry about Rupert. I’ve handled bigger divas with smaller hairlines. I’ll keep him busy.”
Relief loosened something tight in Andi’s chest. “Thank you.”
“You focus on what matters. I’ve got the rest.”
Good old Mariella. She’d grown a lot since this podcast had started.
They ended the call, and Andi drew in a long, steadying breath before heading back inside.
She finished speaking with the officers, who took them much more seriously than Hawkins initially had back in San Francisco, and then she stepped back.
Andi let her gaze drift again, several snapshots on the shelf by the TV catching her attention. She stepped closer to see them.
There was a photo of Kate laughing at what looked like a rooftop party. Another of Kate hiking, arm slung around another woman. A group shot at a café, sunlight spilling across the table.
Then there were several of Kate with a man—dark, curly hair and thick muscles. Based on their body language, they were a couple.
Nothing at the apartment indicated she was married or that anyone lived here with her.
So who was this guy? She needed to find out his name.
She pulled out her phone and brought up Kate’s social media accounts. She began searching for the people in those photos—image by image, reverse searches, hashtags.
The same photos appeared on social media, posted months earlier. Different angles. Different captions.
She tapped through profiles until she had names.
Then she texted Matthew.
I found the names of some of Kate’s friends. Can you pull their addresses?
Matthew’s reply came almost immediately.
On it.
Andi slipped her phone back into her pocket.
Kate hadn’t vanished into thin air.
And Andi wasn’t done looking for her.
Not even close.
Duke and Andi stepped from Kate’s apartment complex and out into the bright LA day.
The moment their feet touched the sidewalk, it hit him.
That familiar tightening at the base of his skull.
The subtle prickle along his spine.
The feeling of unseen eyes watching him.
Duke slowed without meaning to, his gaze sweeping the sidewalk, the parked cars, the balconies above them.
People moved past—joggers, a couple arguing quietly, a man unlocking his bike.
Everything appeared ordinary and unremarkable.
Still, the feeling didn’t fade.
“You sense it too, don’t you?” Andi’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He didn’t bother pretending. “Yeah, I do.”
Her steps slowed. “How long?”
“Since San Francisco,” he admitted. “On and off. I didn’t want to read too much into it.”
“And now?”
“Now it’s undeniable. We’re being watched. Followed. Studied.”
They stopped near the curb. Duke turned slowly, taking in the street again.
He didn’t see any lingering stares or obvious tails. Just movement and noise and sunlight.
Andi followed his gaze. “I don’t see anyone. You?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean much.”
She folded her arms, tension visible in the set of her shoulders. “We need to figure out why we keep ending up at the center of this. Seattle. Portland. Gina. Now Kate. It doesn’t make sense.”
Duke met her gaze. “Not unless we’re somehow connected to it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Let’s talk that out.”
“What if this is someone you helped put behind bars? Or someone I crossed paths with? Or a case we worked—together or separately—that didn’t end the way someone wanted?”
Andi nodded slowly. “If we can figure out that connection, maybe we can figure out who’s doing this.”
“Exactly.”
She took a breath, steadying herself, then squared her shoulders. “But right now, we need to find Kate. If this man grabbed her then we don’t have much time. At least, that’s what my gut’s telling me.”
Duke didn’t argue.
He trusted his instincts. And right now, every one of them was telling him the same thing.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t circling them anymore.
The person behind these crimes had already locked in on his team, and they were also in danger.