Chapter 45
CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE
Andi was still trying to absorb the words a hiker came across her body this morning when Duke’s phone rang again.
Still standing near the SUV, he glanced at the screen, then tapped it to speaker. “Mariella. You’re on speaker again.”
“Sorry—I ended that call too soon,” Mariella said. “Matthew is here at the hotel with me, and he has an update also.”
A soft rustle sounded before Matthew’s voice came on the line. “Hey. Things are moving fast.”
Andi leaned against the SUV, suddenly grateful for the solid metal at her back. “What’s going on?”
“Two things. Firstly, I confirmed Miles’s alibi. He was online gaming last night. He didn’t do this.”
“Good to know,” Andi muttered. “What else?”
“I also spoke to someone with the LAPD,” Matthew said. “You mentioned Detective Hawkins in San Francisco was . . . difficult. I was hoping LA would be different.”
Andi crossed her arms. “I have a feeling there’s a but coming.”
“A big one,” Matthew said. There was a distracted pause. “Which sounds like the start of a bad joke, but I promise it’s not.”
“Matthew . . .” Duke warned.
“Right. Sorry.” His tone sharpened. “The detective here warned us to stay out of it. Said we’re not law enforcement, that we complicate active investigations. He was . . . blunt, to say the least.”
“And biased,” Andi said. “Let me guess—he doesn’t like true crime podcasters.”
“That came through loud and clear,” Matthew said. “He said people like us hurt more than we help, that we turn real suffering into entertainment.”
Andi’s jaw tightened. “That’s rich.”
She struggled with that concept at first—monetizing crime. But she knew her motives—and they’d never been about money.
She was only a part of this podcast so she could help others.
“He did, however, say he would look into it,” Matthew finished. “So he didn’t totally dismiss me.”
“What about the FBI?” Duke asked. “Did you reach out?”
“I did,” Matthew said. “But getting someone to take me seriously has been harder than I expected.”
“But now Jen is dead.” Heat crept into Andi’s voice. “This isn’t speculation anymore. This is homicide.”
Brief silence stretched over the line.
Then Mariella’s voice cut in from the background, quieter but firm. “Maybe they’ll take us more seriously now.”
Andi wasn’t so sure.
If anything, the walls felt like they were closing in—the police were pushing them away just as the danger sharpened.
Somewhere between Portland and LA, a killer had just proven he was willing to finish what he started.
Andi balled her hands into fists.
Whether law enforcement liked it or not, they were already in this.
And she had no intention of backing out now.
Duke didn’t like where this was going.
An ominous feeling gripped him as he and Andi grabbed Chinese food for everyone and then headed back to the hotel.
By the time they reached Mariella’s room, the rest of the team was already there. Matthew sat on the edge of the bed with his laptop open. Ranger leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Simmy and Mariella were at the small table, clearing space.
Duke set the bags down and took a seat, popping the lid on his container. He barely tasted the food.
“All right.” Mariella took her chopsticks and stabbed a piece of broccoli in her container. “Let’s talk.”
They started laying things out—Seattle. Portland. San Francisco. LA. Gina missing. Jen found dead. Kate gone. The resistance from police. The tightening timeline.
They didn’t get far before someone knocked at the door.
Rupert, Duke confirmed before opening the door.
Their manager burst inside like a storm dressed in an expensive jacket, phone clenched in his hand, face flushed with a mix of anger and panic. “We have a problem.”
Everyone stilled. Duke wasn’t sure he wanted to hear whatever Rupert had to say. They had enough problems without adding any more.
Rupert didn’t wait for an invitation to continue. “Another true crime podcast just dropped an episode. A big one. They’re talking about the disappearances of three women.”
Andi straightened. “What do you mean?”
Rupert exhaled long and slow. “This podcaster mentioned a pattern—women whose homes were broken into before they disappeared. Then he mapped the locations where these women went missing. Seattle. Portland. San Francisco.” He looked around the room, eyes sharp now.
“He mentioned that these were the same cities where you all had been at the time of their abductions.”
A cold knot formed in Duke’s gut.
“The podcaster didn’t outright point his finger at you guys as being involved,” Rupert continued. “But he heavily implied it and suggested this wasn’t coincidence.”
Silence slammed into the room.
“You’re saying—” Mariella started.
“I’m saying that the idea is out there,” Rupert finished, his eyes narrowed. “The idea that you all might be involved—or at least connected. Now that the idea has been released into the wild?” He shook his head. “It won’t stay contained.”
Duke looked at Andi.
Had the killer fed this information to the podcaster? Or was the killer himself the podcaster?