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There was an edge to Hartley’s voice whenever he spoke of his superior. Brook had noticed it yesterday. If she could avoid it, she wouldn’t involve the chief at all. She didn’t need to be a babysitter between two professionals with different goals that had nothing to do with the case in front of them.
Brook shook Lawson’s hand, noticing right away that he wasn’t comfortable with being included. He’d wiped the palm of his right hand against his pants several times, and his gaze was glued to the 4k monitor. Hartley’s attention was also on the electronic murder board, but for a very different reason.
“Maxwell Vanderbilt?”
“We’ll get to him later,” Brook advised as she addressed the room. “Has everyone met? Theo, Sylvie, and Bit…this is Detective Caleb Hartley and Officer Blake Lawson. The only rule here is that you don’t touch any of the computers or electronic equipment.”
Bit flashed Brook a smile of appreciation, and she held up her cup in salute.
“We have a lot to cover this morning, so let’s dive in.” Brook closed the distance to the large monitor, noticing right away that there was a double-chocolate donut left in the mixed assortment of pastries. She’d wait until the two men left to indulge. “Before Theo and Sylvie provide us with details from their interviews yesterday, I wanted to cover the profile.”
Officer Lawson remained standing, but Hartley took a seat next to Bit, who barely even glanced the man’s way. Bit could multitask with the best of them, and he was still busy creating applications that would search for an online connection between Bella and Piper. While Maxwell Vanderbilt might seem to be the obvious link between the women, there could very well be more.
“Just a reminder for Officer Lawson, but I’d prefer this part of the profile be kept under wraps. It would benefit us greatly if everyone in town believed that we are looking for a male subject. In reality, we are looking for a Caucasian female unsub between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five.” Brook pulled up her profile on the righthand side of the screen. The first page of the form that she had personally designed had bullet points to make it easier for others to take away pertinent information. “Female serial killers tend to kill for either financial gain, sexual gain, or they are overwhelmed with empathy for their victims.”
“Euthanasia,” Hartley interjected as he leaned back with his to-go cup. He’d removed the white lid for easier access to the contents. “I’ve heard about those women who use the medical profession for their predilection of murder.”
“We’re not dealing with that type of killer. Instead, we’re searching for someone who is materialistic, obsessive, and potentially exhibiting narcissistic traits.” Since the portable monitor was a touch screen, it didn’t take Brook long to pull up two photographs so that they were side by side. “Bella Kadel. If you look at other pictures of her that have been posted on social media, you’ll note that she preferred to wear light shades of lipstick. The day that she was murdered, she was wearing bright red lipstick with matching nail polish. Piper Zimmer wore a lot of lip gloss, but she was found dead with matte lipstick in a dark shade of wine. Again, matching nail polish.”
Hartley let out an expletive, and both soles of his shoes hit the hardwood floor.
“The victims didn’t choose these colors. The unsub chose for them.” Brook took her time switching out the photographs for ones that provided a better angle of both living rooms. “While one would think upon entering the victims’ homes that they were neat and tidy, it went beyond that. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found. All blankets had been folded in their respective places, pillows had been perfectly staged on the couches and chairs, and magazines had been splayed flawlessly on the coffee tables.”
Officer Lawson’s gaze kept switching from the screen to Detective Hartley. It wasn’t that the detective had overlooked anything. She’d read over the reports, and he’d noted specifically that the homes had been immaculate, but he’d chalked it up to them having company over. The same reason had been applied to the expensive makeup, only those particular shades hadn’t been listed into evidence.
“The unsub had cleaned the homes to erase any evidence, but that hadn’t been her only reason. She experienced remorse, and she didn’t want her victims’ images to be tarnished by pictures that could be leaked to the public. Reputations matter to our unsub.”
“The toxicology report for Bella Kadel showed us nothing. No drugs were used, and no poison was administered to explain why she would have allowed someone to wrap a bag over her head. There were also no defensive wounds on her hands. Why?”
“Blackmail?” Hartley didn’t stop there, though Brook hadn’t originally expected an answer. Her question had been posed in a figurative manner, but that had clearly escaped the detective. “Kinky sex?”
“Robert Jameson shared with me last night that Maxwell Vanderbilt had dated Piper Zimmer,” Brook said, all the while monitoring Detective Hartley. He was frowning at her, as if he didn’t believe that specific piece of information was relevant to the investigation. “Vanderbilt was also Bella’s boss.”
“Wait.” Detective Hartley carefully set his cup of coffee down on the table. Bit silently used one finger to slide the cup farther away from his keyboards. “You just said you believe that a woman is the perp, but now you’re pointing the finger at Vanderbilt?”
“I’m saying that there is a possibility Maxwell Vanderbilt is the reason the unsub killed Kadel and Zimmer.” Brook motioned toward Bit. “It’s the reason that we have Bit looking into Vanderbilt’s past relationships. He could be the link.”
“Maxwell broke things off with Piper months ago,” Hartley said with a shake of his head. “I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“It’s an avenue worth pursuing,” Brook said in a tone that let him know she wasn’t about to change her mind. “Such a connection also ties into the art gallery. Bit is gathering a list of artists who have had their work displayed in the small galleria.”
Brook nodded toward Sylvie, who stood up and traded places with Brook. Sylvie rearranged the monitor to include a photograph of a young woman. The image had Hartley shaking his head once more in disagreement, but he wisely picked up his coffee and settled back into the chair without a word.
Brook had known that working in tandem with the local police on this investigation would produce frustration and irritation for those who believed their friends and neighbors couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the case. Hartley and Lawson would soon realize that anyone could commit murder if pushed far enough.
“Emily Park. She is a barista at the café that is positioned diagonally across the street from the art gallery. I noticed that she took a keen interest in Theo speaking with Sophia Delacroix yesterday. It could be that Emily was just curious, and I had originally believed that she didn’t fit some of the parameters of the profile.” Sylvie readjusted her black-rimmed glasses as she turned to face her small audience. By this time, Brook was standing next to the gas fireplace. The additional warmth was a nice touch. “Upon looking deeper into her background, Emily comes from a very wealthy family. Most of her online posts include fashion advice, makeup tutorials, and the like. I haven’t quite figured out why she is working as a barista when her trust fund would obviously last two if not three lifetimes.”
“The Kingstons.” Hartley’s gaze narrowed, and he focused on Brook. “We can’t let our interest in Emily Park get out into the public. She’s the granddaughter of Martin and Kate Kingston. The last thing we want is for this case to turn political. Chief Rogan will shut you out so fast that you’ll need to leave town, regardless of your connections to the feds. No one will rent to you, and trust me when I say that even Robert and Lorelei would eventually bend under the pressure.”
“Detective Hartley is right.” Officer Lawson shifted his weight under the scrutiny of the others. “You might want to keep your interest in Emily on the downlow. Martin Kingston dotes on her, but he doesn’t like that she is becoming an influencer. He threatened to cut her off if she didn’t start using her college education, and she said that she didn’t need the family money. Hence, her job at the café. It won’t last long.”
“It’s lasted two years,” Sylvie noted.
“The first year doesn’t count, because she was still living with her parents. Needless to say, Martin Kingston told his daughter that she needed to get Emily back on track. Emily dug in her heels, moved out, and is currently realizing that living paycheck to paycheck isn’t all that, if you get my drift. Kingston isn’t someone you mess with in this town.”
“Duly noted,” Sylvie murmured as she shared a knowing look with Brook. They would play by the rules for now. “Moving on to Michael Davis. My interview with him didn’t produce anything new in connection to his breakup with Bella, but he did mention that her new neighbor was a cause for concern. What do the two of you know about Adeline Murphy?”
“Not much,” Hartley said after he’d taken another drink of his coffee. “She’s not from Harbor. Moved here about a year and a half ago, I believe.”
