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Finn leaned in, his heart pounding."What was it?"
"She said she'd foundsomething. Something about the bathhouse, about its history. She was excitedabout it, said it was going to be a big story. But she wouldn't tell me what itwas. Said she needed to verify some things first."
"So she chose here, tonight?”Finn asked.
Liam nodded. “But she sometimespretended on her live streams to just happen to find a place, or that it washer first time there.”
“To create a sense of adventure forthose watching,” Finn said, nodding.
“That’s right,” Liam said, wipingtears from his eyes.
Amelia exchanged a glance withFinn, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "It’s possible thenthat Emily had been here before, to scout out the place?”
“Yes,” Liam said. “But she hadstopped sharing with me where she was going on live streams because she thoughtI was being overly protective… Now look what happened…”
Finn had heard that line before.One partner's “over protection” could be another partner's controlling abuse.
“Was Emily scared of you?” Finnasked.
“What!?” Liam said, loudly. “No! Ofcourse not!”
“If she didn't want to share thingswith you because you were being too controlling,” Finn went on, “could she havebeen worried about what you might do to her, if she went against your wishes?”
Liam shook his head. "Youpolice are all the same... No... I loved her. I was only concerned, and it hadbeen the source of some tension. Emily decided to draw a line between herprofessional and personal life."
“But you didn't like that...” Finnpressed.
“No,” Liam said, now more calm.“But I respected her decision and left it alone. You can't tell your partnerwhat to do, you can only give them advice.”
“Did Emily tell anyone else aboutthe threats? Her friends, her family?" Amelia’s pen remained poised overher notebook.
The boyfriend shook his head."No, she... she didn't want to worry anyone. She said she could handle it,that it wasn't a big deal. That every creative has to put up with that thesedays." A tear slipped down his cheek, glistening in the sunlight. "Ishould have pushed harder. I should have made her go to the police. Maybe if Ihad..."
Finn laid a hand on the man'sshoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "Hey, this is not your fault. Theonly person to blame is the one who did this to Emily. And I promise you, we'regoing to find them."
“Thank you,” Liam nodded.
“Liam,” Amelia said pointing toDetective Grayson, who was standing nearby with two constables, going overtheir notes. “Could you give your statement to the detective over there?”
Finn waved at Inspector Grayson,who nodded in return and walked Liam slowly away.
Amelia's eyes gleamed withdetermination as she turned to Finn, her voice low but resolute. "We needto go back inside, Finn. If there's a secret room hidden in this bathhouse, itmight be where the killer was waiting for Emily."
Finn nodded in agreement, a senseof urgency creeping into his movements as they retraced their steps back intothe dimly lit interior.
The air inside the bathhouse feltheavy with history and secrets, the flickering light casting eerie shadows onthe tiled walls. Finn's footsteps echoed softly against the ancient floors asthey moved cautiously through the corridors, their eyes scanning for any signof an anomaly. The notebook clutched tightly in Finn's hand seemed to whisperof hidden passages and clandestine meetings, adding to the suspense that hungthick in the air. As they reached the spot where Emily's body had been found,Finn felt the coldness of the place, a silent reminder of the danger thatlurked within those walls. Together, he and Amelia began to search for anysubtle hint that could lead them to the elusive secret chamber mentioned in thenotebook.
“Anything in there that couldhelp?” Amelia said, pointing to the notebook in Finn's hands.
Finn opened it up and flickedthrough the pages. “There's a sketch here, looks like this hallway here , bookended by two rooms.
Finn's keen eyes scanned the area,his gaze lingering on the unusually thick wall separating the two rooms.
“Hmm,” Finn said, rubbing hischeek.
“What is it?” Amelia asked.
“Doesn't this wall look a good bitlonger than the two rooms?” Finn asked. “There's something not right aboutthat.”
