Chapter 44
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
Miles Whitaker stood just inside the doorway of his apartment, one hand braced against the frame, like he’d opened the door mid-thought and hadn’t quite caught up to why two strangers were standing there.
Andi noted his details. No phone in his hand. Keys on the entry table. Jacket half on, half off.
“Can I help you?” He glanced at his watch as if hurried. “I just came home to grab something, and I don’t have time for a sales pitch—”
“We’re not here for a sales pitch.” Andi held up one hand, slowing the moment before it hardened. “I’m Andi, an old friend of Kate’s.”
Something in his expression shifted—surprise first, then alert and concern.
She introduced herself and Duke, watching Miles’s eyes flick briefly to Duke’s shoulders, then back to her face.
“We were supposed to meet for breakfast this morning,” Andi continued. “She didn’t show. That’s not like her. And when we went by her apartment—”
Miles’s hand dropped from the doorframe. “Something happened.”
It wasn’t a question.
“She never stands people up.” His words came faster now. “If Kate didn’t show, there’s a reason. She even told me how excited she was to see you.”
The confirmation landed heavy in Andi’s chest. “When did you last talk to her?”
“Last night after dinner.” He ran a hand over his face. “She called me right before she did a showing. We said good night then because I had an early morning. You said you went by her apartment?”
“The door had been left open,” Andi said.
“That doesn’t sound like her.” He stepped back, opening the door wider. “Please, come in.”
They stepped inside.
Miles’s apartment was neat but lived-in. Maps lined one wall, brochures were stacked on a side table, and hiking boots waited by the door. A wide window framed a slice of Los Angeles, sunlight catching glass and concrete in the distance.
Duke stayed near the entry, as he always did.
“Miles.” Andi kept his focus on her. “Did Kate mention anything strange happening lately? Anyone bothering her?”
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate this time. “The day before yesterday.”
Surprise washed through Andi. “What did she say?”
“She told me she felt stupid saying it out loud,” Miles continued. “But she thought someone had been watching her when she went into work.”
The words settled into the room like dust.
“Did she say who?” Andi asked. “Or when?”
“No. She said it had happened the day before also, and she’d convinced herself she was overtired.” His voice tightened. “I told her to trust her instincts. That I could drive her to work if she wanted.”
“And did you?” Duke asked.
Miles hesitated—just a fraction too long. “No. She said she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
Andi nodded. “That sounds like Kate.”
Duke crossed his arms. “Where were you this morning?”
Miles didn’t bristle. He answered immediately—and that mattered. Andi noticed it even before she understood why.
“I was at the office by six a.m. I got promoted recently—more backend work now. There were three other people there. I can give you names.”
“Please do,” Duke said.
Miles pulled out his phone without complaint and texted them some numbers.
“Miles, I know this is a strange question, but did anyone break into her apartment recently?” Andi asked.
“Break in?” He made a face. “No, I think she would have told me that.”
That meant this guy was changing his methods. Maybe he’d broken into Gina’s place with a plan to take her then. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Or maybe with Kate he hadn’t had time.
Either way, it wasn’t good.
Miles’s face paled. “Kate is always very careful. Something must have happened to her.”
Then his expression crumbled as he covered his face with his hands.
Duke closed the door behind them and followed Andi down the apartment building’s narrow front steps.
The air felt heavier than it should have.
The city droned around them—traffic, voices, the distant wail of a siren—as they reached the sidewalk.
Duke had just unlocked the SUV when his phone buzzed in his hand.
Mariella.
He answered without slowing. “You’re on speaker. Andi’s with me. What’s up?”
There was no preamble. No attempt at lightness. “They found her.”
Duke stopped short. “Found who?”
“The woman from Portland,” Mariella continued. “Jen Watkins. A hiker came across her body this morning. Her death . . . it’s being treated as a homicide.”
Every muscle in Duke’s body tightened. “How did she die?”
“I’m not sure. A press release just dropped, but the details are limited.”
Duke closed his eyes as he absorbed the news. “Let me know if you hear anything else.”
“Will do.”
He ended the call and looked at Andi. Her eyes darkened with a mix of grief and dawning horror.
“I can’t believe she’s dead,” she murmured.
“Me neither. This changes things.”
“Yes, it does.”
They were no longer racing against time.
They were chasing a killer who was one step ahead of them.