CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
"Right now, we're focused on finding who did this," Miles said, trying not to sound too harsh. "Can you tell me what you saw when you arrived?"
Glenn took a shaky breath. "The door was open. Not all the way but enough that I knew something was wrong. Michael was always careful about locking it. I went inside and saw him on the bed. I thought he was asleep at first. Then I got closer and I saw his face."
"Did you see anyone else? Anyone in the hallway or leaving the room?"
"No. Nobody. I took the elevator up and the hallway was empty. I didn't hear anything unusual. But I mean, I wasn’t really looking for anything unusual, either."
"I have a strange question,” Miles said. “Do you happen to know if he routinely wore a Rolex?”
“Yeah, he did,” she said. “I sometimes joked about it. It’s beautiful watch, just a bit clunky.”
“And forgive the rudeness of this question, but was it…routine for him to take it off before you two were intimate?”
Her baffled expression broke through the trauma for a moment.
She looked to Miles with confusion on her face, as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
But slowly, she shook her head. “No. Not that I can recall. Actually, I think he told me once that he’d splurged on the watch after making a big deal at work, or something.
" She paused, frowning. "Why? Is it important? "
"We're just trying to understand the scene right now,” Vic said. “Did Michael ever mention anyone following him? Anyone suspicious…especially lately?"
"No. He never said anything like that."
"What about enemies? Anyone who might have wanted to hurt him?"
"He worked in finance, so I'm sure he had competitors. But he never mentioned anyone specific. He didn't really talk about work with me. It was pretty much a purely physical relationship. I don’t know if I’ll be much help with detailed stuff about his personal life. I’m sorry…"
Miles glanced at Vic, who gave a small shake of her head. They weren't going to get anything more useful here. And he was honestly feeling bad about bothering her.
"Thank you, Ms. Glenn," Miles said, heading back for the door. "If you think of anything else, please call me." He handed her his card.
She took it with trembling fingers. "Do you think he suffered?"
Miles considered lying, offering comfort. But she deserved the truth. "Well, we think there may have been some level of sedation involved to keep him…immobile. That would have prevented him from feeling much pain. He wouldn't have known what was happening."
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you for telling me."
Miles and Vic left the office and returned to the lobby. Linhart joined them, still looking a little out of her element.
"What do you think?" Linhart asked.
"Two victims in two days," Miles said. "Both killed with platinum electroplating. Both wore platinum jewelry or accessories. This is definitely Kane's work, or at least a disciple following his philosophy."
"And this one is literally showing us why he’s doing it rather than leaving a poorly veiled manifesto like the others,” Vic said. “Almost like he’s bragging.”
"The victims themselves could also be serving as the manifesto," Miles said.
"Rothschild and Williams both displayed wealth through platinum.
The killer is making a statement about excess, about people who flaunt their status while others struggle.
The platinum becomes both the symbol and the weapon. "
"That's pretty abstract," Linhart said.
"Everything about Kane's philosophy is abstract. But his disciples make it concrete through their actions. This killer sees platinum as representing everything wrong with society. Incorruptible metal worn by corrupt people. So, he forces them to literally choke on it."
Vic was already pulling out her phone. "I'm calling Kim. We need background on Williams. Financial records, connections to Rothschild, anything that links them beyond the platinum. That seems to be the avenue that’s been most successful for us before."
"And we need to cross-reference the jeweler list with Williams," Miles said. "See if any of those eleven names connect to his watch."
"I’m pretty sure Rolex manufactures their own platinum pieces," Linhart offered. "He probably bought it from an authorized dealer."
"Maybe,” Miles said. “But if it was custom work or had been serviced by one of the jewelers on our list, that's a connection we can't ignore."
Miles looked around the hotel lobby. Guests were checking in, and the employees behind the counters were doing their best to go on with their day-to-day activities, trying not to give any sort of indication of the horrors that had been found on the fourth floor.
If they couldn't find him soon, that person would end up like Rothschild and Williams.
"Let's head over to Williams’s residence," Miles said. "The wife should be able to provide the details that Glenn couldn’t.” He looked to Linhart and said, “Do you know if there’s already a police presence over there?"
She nodded with a frown. “Yeah. A unit was sent over to break the news of his death.”
“And the affair?” Vic asked
“I’m honestly not sure.”
“Maybe we need to find out,” Vic said.
Miles agreed but honestly, that was the farthest thing from his mind.
Because as they headed for the exit, it was clear to see that with two victims in two days, the killer was confident, prepared, and motivated.
He’d planned it all out, step by step, hour by hour, and he was so far ahead of them that it scared Miles.
He felt that they were running out of time…. which was a terrifying feeling when he had no idea how much time they had before another victim showed up.