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Amber wasn’t about to accept that.“Simon, I have to keep looking into this.”
“Then you need to do it alone,”Simon said. “Because I need to get back in there and get some answers out ofMich.”
It was obvious that he wasn’t goingto give in on this. Neither was Amber. She needed to find answers in this case,and she knew that she wasn’t going to find them anywhere near Mich Howarth.
She went back to the office, tryingto think about where she could look for new angles. Amber started to look intoLoretta Kane, trying to find anything that might link to the other victims.
There was a lot about her online.Apparently, Loretta was starting to make a name for herself. She’d had severalbig commissions in Keystone, but also a few further afield. Amber had to hopethat the killer wasn’t taking her to one of those further off pieces in orderto kill her, because there was no way that they would be able to put protectionin place around all of those further off statues.
The thought of that made Ambertense up with sudden worry. They'd gotten the Keystone PD to guard Loretta'sstatues in the town in the hope of keeping Loretta safe, but this meant thatthere was no guarantee that even that would be enough. She needed to find thekiller instead.
Amber needed to do it, becauseeveryone else was focused either on protecting the statues, or on Mich. Amberkept looking at Loretta, trying to find… she wasn’t sure what she was trying tofind there. Maybe the place where she’d gotten the pendant. If she’d mentionedgetting it in a social media post, maybe that would shed some light on thestrange connection between the four women.
Amber started to look throughLoretta’s social media, working backwards, aware that this could be somethingold. After all, the first murder had been as long as two years ago.
It seemed that most of Loretta’sposts were about her work, announcing new pieces, showing some of the processesinvolved in making her sculptures. Amber scoured those videos, hoping thatthere would be something there that might connect to the rest of the victims.
She also found cases where Lorettahad sold pieces of her work to private collectors, some of whom appeared to bearound Keystone. It pointed to more of her statues being there, ones thatpresumably weren’t being guarded. Amber started to make notes of the ones shesaw, hoping to establish any spots where the killer might try to murder her.
Then, there among all the othervideos, Amber saw one that had been clipped from a TV show. Amber’s attentionwas caught by the astrological symbols painted onto the set.
She realized that this was a showabout astrology. Peter D. Russel’s The Stars and Us. Amber had neverheard of it, but the format seemed to be a kind of talk show. Guests likeLoretta went on to talk about their relationship with astrology.
“I get a lot of inspiration forsome of my pieces from astrology,” Loretta said to the interviewer, a man inhis forties with square, handsome features and carefully maintained dark hair.“I just like to think that there’s more out there, you know. I pick the days Iwork on particular pieces based on whether it’s going to be a good day to workor a good day to go do something else.”
The interview kept going, withPeter Russel putting together an astrological chart towards the end. Amberfrowned as she saw the birth chart there, although from what she’d learned,that was pretty standard for all astrologers.
She kept working back throughLoretta’s posts. Almost the next one back was another clip from the same show,this one of her unveiling a statue.
“Loretta here has been kind enoughto take on a commission for me and the show,” Peter said. “Something veryspecial.”
He pulled a sheet down from thestatue, revealing a giant statue of a bull. Taurus, Loretta’s birth sign.
It was intriguing, and showed justhow interested Loretta was in astrology, but on its own, that was all itshowed. Still, it triggered a hint of memory, something that Amber had beentold earlier in this case.
It took her several seconds toremember what it was, but when she did, Amber rushed out of the policedepartment. Outside, the sun was starting to set. She hadn’t realized just howlong she and Simon had been in there, focusing on Mich rather than on what wasreally happening. She ran over to the car, jumping in and setting off at speed,heading for the charity where Elsje van Nuit worked.
Amber kept her foot on the gas.There was no time to waste now, not with Loretta’s life on the line. Amberwished that she had a phone number for Elsje, but as it was, all she could dowas speed through the city’s streets and try to get to her destination asquickly as possible.
Finally, she reached the charity.It was a large warehouse space, simple and open plan. Amber pulled up in frontof it and ran inside, showing her badge to a security guard who started to stepin front of her.
“Elsje van Nuit, where is she?”Amber asked.
The guard pointed to a far cornerof the warehouse, and Amber ran over, knowing that there wasn't any time tolose. Elsje was there, directing what was probably a group of volunteers inseparating donated clothes and toys.
“Elsje!” Amber called out as sheapproached. The other woman looked up from her work, frowned, and then cameover.
“It’s Agent Young, isn’t it?” Elsjesaid. “What is it? Have you made some progress in my sister’s case?”
“I think so,” Amber said. “But Ineed your help. I want to know something. You mentioned yesterday that yoursister was on an astrology TV show. Do you remember what it was?”
Elsje frowned, looking confused.“That’s what you’ve come here to ask me?”
“It could be crucial,” Amberassured her.
“I… think I remember. It wassomething like The Stars and Us. Yes, I think that’s the name. It wasfilmed out here, but went out nationally, I think. Katrina was very proud ofit.”
Amber could feel the parts of thecase starting to come together.
