by Robin Mahle
“Then let’s track down the friends who were with her and see if they were sober enough to remember any details from that night,” Kate replied.
Surrey shoved his hands in his pockets. “We should consider splitting up on this. If everyone’s on board, Tillis and I can talk to the bar owners in these posts. Take a look at their security footage, assuming this guy didn’t screw with the cameras. Reid and Duncan can have a sit down with the friends and see if Sienna might’ve had a run in with anyone recently, especially on the night of the 10th. Between the friends and bar owners, we might be able to put two and two together. He found Sienna Page. Now we need to find him.”
As it approached midday, Kate drove to the home of Gina Morenci. Based on Sienna’s Instagram, she seemed to be a close friend. “It’s just over the David McCullough Bridge, right?”
“Yep. Not a bad part of town, is it?” Duncan asked. “Look at the views of the river.”
“Not bad. And not far from Downtown either. There could still be something to the idea he’s finding his victims in the downtown area.”
“I agree. We can’t rule out anything yet.” Duncan turned away for a moment. “Hey, about earlier at the hotel…”
Kate eyed her. “Yeah?”
“Does that happen a lot?”
She creased her brow. “What?”
“Kate, I heard you making noise in your sleep. Then you shot up out of bed and nearly scared the shit out of me. If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“No. It’s fine. I’m sorry I woke you up. Hazards of the job. You must get that way sometimes.”
Duncan regarded her. “Not usually. Don’t get me wrong, I take my work home like the rest of us, but I’ve never been through what you have. And you’ve been through it more than once. Kate, it’s okay to admit that you’re having a tough time getting over the Lehmann case. I think the worst thing you can do is to ignore your feelings.”
Kate sighed. “I’ll be fine. I just need time to get over it. Once we figure out…” she stopped cold.
“Figure out what?” Duncan continued.
“I mean, once George Lehmann is sentenced, I’ll be able to move on. His trial isn’t over, and I feel like it’s been dragging out.”
“I get that. Murder trials are never speedy. It still wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to sit down and talk to someone. Don’t keep it in, Kate. It’ll only eat you up.”
She turned down the street. “I think this is it.”
Duncan eyed the address on the file and peered up again. “Yep. That red brick building right there.”
Kate pulled alongside the curb. “This girl is only 23 and she lives here?”
“Social media pays well.” Duncan stepped out and peered at the high-rise condo.
Kate joined her and the two walked to the entrance where a doorman waited outside. “We’re here to see Gina Morenci. FBI.”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat as if nerves took hold. “Just let the front desk know and they’ll let you onto the elevators.”
The foyer revealed a grand entrance with high ceilings, black iron fixtures, and a concrete floor. The lobby desk was just ahead as Kate approached. “Afternoon. We’re here to see Ms. Gina Morenci. Agents Reid and Duncan, FBI.”
The man behind the desk appeared concerned as he glanced at Kate’s ID. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all. We’re just here to ask her a few questions about a friend of hers.”
“Yes, of course. Please follow me.” He led them to the elevators and inserted a key. “Please, step in. Sorry, but guests of our residents are usually shown up by the residents themselves. And you’re sure Ms. Morenci is expecting you?” He stepped inside following the agents and pressed the button
“She is,” Kate replied.
“Well then, here we are. She’s in unit 891 near the end of the corridor. Please let me know if you have any problems. You’ll be able to come down the elevator unaccompanied.”
“Thank you.” Kate started into the hall and turned to Duncan. “Yeah, we’re in the wrong line of work. I couldn’t afford a place like this on my salary.”
“Me neither. Although maybe if we were roommates.” Duncan laughed.
“If only…” Kate knocked on the door and held her badge. When there was no answer, she looked at Duncan. “Again?”
“She said she’d be here.”
Kate prepared to knock again when the door opened. “Oh, Ms. Gina Morenci?”
“That’s me.” The young woman with light brown hair that hung straight down the length of her back peered at them. “You’re the FBI, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Agent Reid. This is Agent Duncan. We’re here to talk to you about your friend, Sienna Page.”
“Come in.” She closed the door after they entered. “Do you want something to drink? I have water and Diet Coke. White Claw, too, if you’re interested”
“No, thanks. None for me,” Kate replied.
“I’m good. Thank you, though,” Duncan added. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Ms. Morenci.”
“You can call me Gina.” She walked to the living room and sat down. “Have as seat. So, have you found the asshole who killed my best friend?”
“That’s what we’re working on,” Duncan replied.
“And we’re hoping you can help,” Kate added. “First of all, can you just confirm for me that you and Sienna were at Alloy’s Bar with another one of your friends, Sarah, on the night of June 10th?”
“That was the night before last, right?” Gina asked. “Sorry, I’ve lost track of time since all this.”
“Yes. We do have access to Sienna’s social media, and we know she posted on Instagram that you three were there,” Kate said.
“Then you already know we were there,” Gina replied.
“Right. Then I’d like to ask whether you recall anything unusual from that night, or frankly, from the previous couple of days before that.”
“What Agent Reid and I want to know is if Sienna had a run in with anyone recently. Either while you all were out or at another time,” Duncan added. “Someone who gave her the creeps.”
“I mean, I don’t know. We get a lot of attention if you know what I mean.”
“I can imagine,” Kate replied. “But this is really important. We need you to think hard about this. Did anyone run into you guys, buy you drinks, anything like that.”
“It’s not weird for dudes to buy us drinks, but I do remember…” Gina turned up her gaze for a moment. “I remember this guy running into us outside Alloy’s. We were getting ready to leave. It was late. I know we’d had a few, but we weren’t like drunk or anything. We were outside taking pictures. That’s kind of what we get paid to do.”
“Sure, go on,” Kate replied.
“Some guy, who I guess wasn’t paying attention, he just ran right into us, Sienna specifically. Almost knocked her over.”
“Did anyone get hurt?” Duncan asked.
“No. We stumbled back, but luckily we weren’t drunk enough to lose our balance. And he looked like he wanted to apologize, but just kind of froze. I don’t know. He was weird.”
“Weird in what way?” Kate asked.
“Just the way he looked at Sienna. Like she had horns growing out of her head or something. Just weird, I don’t know.”
“Okay, can you tell us what this guy looked like?” Duncan pressed on. “Think about it. Please be as specific as you can.”
Gina peered at them. “Do you think he was the one who blew her up? Seriously?”
“Right now, we’re following every possible lead,” Kate said. “Everything and everyone are important to us.”
“Um, okay. So, I guess he was young. Maybe my age, or just a little younger. Um, not super tall, but not short either. Skinny. I remember that. Okay looking, not like hot or anything. I think he had light hair. Maybe blonde. I don’t really remember anything else about him.”
Kate jotted down her description. “Did you notice hi
m inside the bar?”
“No, I didn’t. I don’t know if anyone else did. Of course, we can’t ask Sienna anymore.”
“No, we can’t,” Kate replied. “Is there anything else you can remember? Had Sienna mentioned anything after that night about that guy or anyone else?”
“What do you mean?” Gina asked.
“Anyone who she thought was creeping her out lately. Or anyone she might have met and liked,” Kate added.
“No. She had just broken up with someone. Sienna wasn’t looking for any new relationships. She just wanted to focus on her work.”
“Sure. I understand that.” Kate looked at Duncan. “Can you think of anything else?”
“No.” Duncan pulled out her card and handed it to Gina. “If you do remember something, would you mind reaching out? Even if you don’t think it’s important. Just call.”
“I will. Thank you, Agent Duncan. Agent Reid.” She stood to show them out. “By the way, I think it’s pretty cool that you’re both women. Like female FBI agents. That’s totally badass.” She reached for her phone. “Could I take a selfie with you and put it on Insta?”
They traded glances before Kate spoke. “Actually, we kind of have to keep a low profile. I’m sure you understand with the job and all.”
“Oh yeah, no, I totally get it.” Gina opened the door. “Thank you for what you’re doing.” Her eyes welled. “I miss Sienna so much. She was my best friend and she’d be glad to know people are out there looking for the person who did this.”
Duncan stepped out and Kate followed.
“Oh, you know what?” Gina leaned against the door. “There was something. It didn’t occur to me until just now.”
“What’s that?” Kate asked.
“I remember the other day. I think it must’ve been earlier this past week. Sienna said she thought someone had been following her. It was kind of in passing, like no big deal, so I guess I hadn’t thought about that until you said something.”
“Following her on social media?” Duncan asked.
“No, like IRL. I mean, in real life. She thought it might have been an Insta follower who found out where she lived or something. Said she saw this same car for like a couple of days but then—nothing.”
Kate’s pulse quickened. “Did she describe the car to you?”
“White. Just said a white car. That’s all,” Gina replied.
“Thank you, Gina. That helps us a lot. You have our contact information. Let us know if you remember anything else,” Kate said. “Take care. Goodbye.”
“Bye.” Gina closed the door.
Duncan eyed her. “I see that look in your eye, Reid. Calm down. We don’t know anything yet. Could be nothing.”
“It isn’t nothing,” Kate replied as she hurried down the hall. “You know it isn’t nothing.”
“Yeah.” Duncan smiled. “I do.”
10
In the dining hall of the care home, Melanie sat at the linen-covered table across from her brother. The state-run facility offered the bare-minimum, but the dining tables always had fresh linen cloths. Danny watched her pick at her breakfast. Misery masked her face. He closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath. “I’m trying to get you out of here, Mel. You have to believe me.”
“It’s been days already. They said I won’t get to go back home, and I’ll have to stay here forever.” She peered at him. “What did I do, Danny? Please tell me what I did.”
He reached for her hand. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s these government assholes. But I promise you, I filled out the paperwork and I’m just waiting for them to approve my guardianship. It shouldn’t be much longer until I can get you out of here. Okay?”
“I miss watching movies together,” she added. “They have movies here, but I have to go into the common room and watch them with a bunch of strangers. I don’t know these people, Danny. I don’t want to know them. I just want to go home.”
He grew enraged at her despair, though he was helpless to do anything more than what he had done. “I’ll keep coming to see you every day until I get this fixed, okay? Every. Day. But I need you to keep taking care of yourself in the meantime. You have to eat. You have to do what they say.” He peered at the nurses and workers milling around. “Listen, I have to go and turn in the paperwork.” He pushed up from the chair and walked around the table, kissing Melanie on top of her head. “I promise I’ll fix this, Mel. I love you.” His eyes stung with tears as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away.
Danny hated leaving her there and the guilt bore down on him. He stepped into his car and keyed the ignition.
Within minutes, he was on his way to the state office to file the paperwork. It was all bullshit. He was saving the taxpayers’ money by taking care of Mel, the only person he cared about. And the state pissed on him for it. Claiming she wasn’t being cared for properly was bullshit too. One fall. One damn fall and they said he was negligent. He took better care of Mel than he did himself. None of that mattered to the bureaucratic assholes.
He arrived at the office and walked inside to a waiting area full of people. It was almost 10am and the good news was that he would probably get seen before they closed. Whether his boss would understand why he had to take off another day remained to be seen. Danny needed this job. No way would the state let him bring home Mel without a steady job. With the ticket in hand, Danny sat down and waited.
Agent Tillis stepped out of his car and started toward the row of bars in the trendy night spot. Surrey opened his passenger door and joined him. He was still getting used to his role on this team, considering it had changed since he was brought on. Nevertheless, his relinquishing of the role he’d been hired for to Kate Reid had been the right move. She was the better person for the job. It would’ve only been a matter of time before the rest of the team saw that, assuming they hadn’t already.
It felt different here from his field office in Denver. The work was different, and the way investigations were conducted was different too. Here, they had to coordinate with the local offices. Investigations were never theirs to run with alone. It was a change that took some getting used to. Playing second fiddle was never Surrey’s strong point. However, the feather in his cap for the new job title as BAU agent would propel him through the ranks if that was what he wanted. It was a desire he wasn’t sure of just yet. Time would tell.
“The manager agreed to open earlier to talk to us.” Tillis opened the door to the empty bar with few windows that let in scant sunshine on this still gray morning. Hi-top tables scattered throughout along with a bar that displayed microbrew taps. Bottles lined the wall from house liquors to top-shelf booze.
“Good morning, I’m Agent Tillis.” He held out his badge. “You must be Simon.”
“That’s me.” Simon offered a handshake before turning to Surrey. “You’re also FBI?”
“I am. Agent Surrey. Nice to meet you.”
“Back at you.” He eyed them. “What can I do for you both this morning? I hear this has something to do with a suspect you’re after.”
“That’s right,” Tillis replied. “We’d like to take a look at your security footage from two nights ago. A woman was here who was murdered, and we need to know if anyone was harassing her or stalking her.”
“Holy shit. Well, yeah, of course I can help. Come on back and I’ll show you what I have.” Simon led the way to a storage room at the back where kegs and boxes on pallets lined the walls. “It’s not real sophisticated, but it does the trick.” He sat down at a desk with a laptop. “This is hardwired to our cameras. The footage is dumped every 14 days, so it’s a good thing you’re here now. I sure would hate to have had this purged and then you show up.”
“Does any of your surveillance cover the outside of the bar?” Surrey asked.
“Sure does. The frontage and a little bit of the street,” he replied.
“We’ll want to see that too,” Surrey added.
“You got it.” Si
mon keyed in the commands and retrieved the data. “Here you go.”
Tillis leaned closer with his hands pressed against the folding table. “This is from the other night?”
“Yes, sir,” Simon replied. “Just like you asked. “It was a weeknight. Ladies’ night, actually.”
Surrey stood behind him and with arms folded, he gazed at the screen. “That’s her, right there.”
“Yep. I see her,” Tillis replied.
“Who?” Simon asked.
“The woman who was murdered. She’s with a couple of friends,” Tillis added.
“Oh, her? Her and her friends come in a lot. Holy shit, I can’t believe she’s dead.”
Tillis glanced at Surrey. “Hey, can you reach out to Reid and Duncan and see if they’ve talked to the friends yet?”
“On it.” Surrey picked up his phone and made the call. “Reid, it’s Surrey. Have you and Duncan interviewed the friends yet?”
“We’re on our way to see Sarah. We did get a description from Gina of a man who ran into the girls outside Alloy’s bar. Could be something to it.”
“Then you did good. We’re at Alloy’s now,” Surrey replied. “What’s he look like? We’re viewing the interior surveillance footage now.”
“Light hair. Blonde, she thought. Thin. Average height.”
“Shit. That describes half the guys in the bar,” Surrey replied.
“It’s the best we could get. Do they have exterior footage? You might have luck seeing him outside. Apparently, he ran into them, literally. My guess was he did it to gain access to her phone.”
“Sounds about right. We’ll keep looking and let you know if we get a hit,” Surrey added.
“Okay. We’re arriving at the other friend’s house now. I’ll keep you posted, but Surrey?”
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Sienna was being followed by a white car a few days before she was killed. Driver could be the same guy she saw at the bar. Blonde hair, skinny build,” Kate began. “If you see anyone who matches that, we stand a good chance he’s our bomber.”