Chapter 45
Kitty and Antoinette’s Airbnb, West Hollywood, Los Angeles
Lauren has come over and is making tea for us in the kitchen. I can barely think straight. All I can do is stare at Antoinette’s phone.
I have no idea what to do.
I’m completely out of my depth.
‘It’s my fault,’ I say for probably the hundredth time.
‘It’s not, Kitty,’ Agnes says but I’m convinced she doesn’t believe it.
‘It is!’ I insist. ‘We argued. I said some really mean stuff to her.’
‘You’re sisters,’ Lauren says as she places a mug of something hot in front of me. I’m loathe to call it tea because it looks more like gravy. Americans really have no idea about tea. But I give her a grateful smile anyway. ‘I fight with my sister so much, you wouldn’t believe it.’
‘You can’t blame yourself, Kitty,’ Agnes adds and puts a comforting hand on my arm. ‘Look, we need to focus on what we’re going to do. How we’re going to find her.’
Lauren slips into a chair at the table. She reaches across and places a hand on top of mine. I’m not totally comfortable with all this touching, to be honest. ‘We’re here. We’re going to help you. It’s going to be okay.’
‘Thank you,’ I say. ‘I really appreciate it.’
Agnes is fiddling with her hands now, picking the skin on the side of one of her nails.
‘What do you think about calling the police?’ she says.
What do I think?
I think I’ve got a man and the corpse of a missing star in the wine cellar.
I think if the police start looking into me, they’ll find a long trail of dead or missing men that I won’t be able to talk my way out of with a giggle and a smile.
I think that I’ll be spending the rest of my life in prison.
The police can absolutely not come here.
‘I don’t know,’ I say, hoping neither of them notices the wobble in my voice. ‘I’m worried that they won’t take it seriously. Especially when they see the PrivatePool account.’
‘You know, they probably wouldn’t do anything anyway,’ Lauren says with a little shake of her head.
‘Antoinette’s not even been missing for twenty-four hours yet.
They’d just come over and take some notes.
She’s an adult. She’s not vulnerable. And yeah, the PrivatePool thing might make them a bit … you know … judgy.’
I think of all the comments I’ve seen online.
Those awful misogynistic comments under the reports of the dead girls.
How they deserved what happened to them.
That they were sluts.
Agnes turns and looks at her. ‘Even with all the other girls off that site that are dead?’
Lauren snorts. ‘You know they’re not even linking that. Not publicly anyway.’
Agnes grits her teeth and lets out a sigh of frustration. ‘No, you’re right. It’s probably not a great idea to have the cops crawling over the place anyway.’
She’s talking about her pharmaceutical sideline, of course.
I guess calling the cops will be the absolute last resort.