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Melody slid a strand of hair around an ear, and a few tears fell. Amanda looked around the room for a tissue box. She spotted one on the credenza, snatched it, and brought it back to the table.
“Thank you.” Melody plucked a tissue, dabbed her eyes, and blew her nose. “I’m sorry to be emotional.”
“No need to apologize at all. Your reaction is completely understandable.” Amanda gave the editor a few moments to let her grief flow. They’d already touched on crazed fans, which needed to be explored more with the marketing department. Now it was time to delve deeper into the relevance of the Queen of Hearts playing card. They already knew it factored into the plot for Felicity’s recent bestseller but not much beyond that. “You’ll need to forgive me and my partner. Neither of us are readers. What is the killer’s motivation in The Romeo Killer?”
“Wouldn’t you prefer to read the book for yourself?”
Amanda appreciated spoilers didn’t sell books, but the sooner they had a motive, the closer they might get to the killer. “If you would just tell us, that may prove quite helpful to the investigation.”
Silence, then, “Oh. Don’t tell me that—” Melody clamped a hand over her mouth, dropped it just as quickly. “Was she stabbed in the heart and a playing card put in her mouth?” She blinked slowly, her lashes wet with beaded tears.
The editor’s response had Amanda going quiet for a few beats. The card and the knife to the chest was the fictional killer’s method. “We’re not at liberty to disclose details about the murder scene, but I will say that we believe there may be a connection between the book and her murder.” She battled with making this confession, seeing the media headline: “Mystery Novelist Felicity Kelley Wrote Her Own Murder”.
“Ah, I’m not sure what to say to that…”
“Let’s start with the murder scene in the book itself then.” It seemed motive was a touchy subject, so Amanda thought the switch in direction might help ground Melody’s thoughts and establish a strong base for moving forward. “What can you tell us besides the fact the victims are stabbed in the heart?”
“Let’s see… The Queen of Hearts playing card is placed deep in the women’s mouths, folded into eight squares.”
Amanda glanced at Trent, hoping to do so without Melody noticing. They had hypothesized before that Felicity’s killer might have taken a page from her book. This tidbit gave the theory additional traction. It really was no longer a question of whether aspects of her bestselling novel were used in her murder—but why. The killer had premeditated and chosen this method for a reason, but to hell if Amanda could land on what that might be. Was it as simple as the killer wanting to muddy the investigation? Luis Navarro using it to cast suspicion on an obsessed fan? An obsessed fan wanting to live Felicity’s work? A writer jealous of her success? “Ms. Schmitt, do you know of any authors or writers who were envious of Felicity’s success?”
“You’re kidding? Countless authors would want to be her, to have their books on the big screen. That’s a big deal.”
“Of course. Any stand out as being overly jealous?” She was hoping for a name, something that could serve as a solid lead.
Melody shook her head.
She and Trent were obviously missing pieces of this puzzle, but Amanda was determined to find them.
SIXTEEN
Amanda hadn’t missed the fact the editor still hadn’t answered her question about motive in The Romeo Killer. She circled back. “Can you tell us why the killer in Felicity’s book was murdering people?”
Melody’s mouth twisted, her lips curling down with uncertainty. “I’d feel more comfortable if I cleared that past management.”
“Even considering the situation?” Amanda countered, applying some pressure. “The book is published.”
“Our polices are quite restrictive, and I don’t want to violate any rules. You could always read the book for yourselves.”
Banging against this wall was frustrating, but it could be seen as a reminder to step back and think through all the angles. There were at least three aspects from Felicity’s murder scene that aligned with the book—the knife to the chest, the Queen of Hearts playing card, and the fact it was folded into eight squares. It was possible the similarities ended there. What if they continued to press about the plot and their assumption was wrong? Rumor would have already spread like wildfire and be near impossible to douse. There seemed to be no fast workaround; she and Trent had to read the book. On the upside, it could enlighten them to a nuance that a retelling may not. Still, it would be good if they could gather a bit more information to confirm it was worth the effort. “Who do we need to speak to about getting a more detailed overview of the book?”
“The publisher, Ian Moss.”
“We’ll speak with him then. Before we go, though, was Felicity currently working on anything?” Amanda asked.
“She was due to turn in her first draft two weeks ago, actually.”
“Thought you said she was on time with turning in her manuscripts?” Trent said.
“Normally, she was. I wasn’t going to hold this one time against her record. Her schedule has been rather hectic since the movie news hit. Hey, I suppose you haven’t since you’re asking, but have you come across what she had ready?”
Amanda shook her head. She wasn’t going to tell the editor about Felicity’s missing laptop or hard copy versions either. Along those lines, they still needed to confirm Felicity backed up her work digitally—be that on drives or cloud storage.
“What was her latest project about?” Trent asked.
Melody winced. “That is definitely not something I have the authorization to share with you.”
Amanda wasn’t sure that pursuing this would get them any closer to the identity of Felicity’s killer, but it was one more possible stepping stone. “Ian Moss again?”
