Page 45 of To All the Men I’ve Killed Before

‘A woman’s body’s been found,’ she says. ‘In an alley behind the Walk of Fame.’

‘Oh God, that’s awful.’

She nods. ‘It’s even worse because we know this girl. She was in mine and Agnes’s improv class.’

I look over at Agnes, who’s nodding. ‘Juno Blake,’ she says, leaning into Antoinette’s shoulder.

‘And guess what,’ my sister says, fixing her eyes on mine. ‘She was on PrivatePool.’

She hands me the phone and I read the news report. And then the comments underneath it basically saying she was asking for it.

Antoinette’s tone was loaded.

I know what she’s saying.

Another murder, another woman dead at the hands of the WeHo Ripper. There’s no way I can be in denial about the existence of this killer any more.

Her eyes are asking the question.

What are we going to do about it?

I give her a little nod because she’s right. It would be irresponsible of me to be out here and not try to find out who’s doing this. Especially when the police don’t seem to care.

The corners of Antoinette’s mouth turn up a little.

Looks like my to-do list just got a bit longer.

26

Kitty and Antoinette’s Airbnb, West Hollywood, Los Angeles

‘See!’ Antoinette says to me when we get back to the villa. ‘You can’t possibly tell me that the WeHo Ripper isn’t real now? Juno Blake is like the fourth woman from PrivatePool killed this year. And the body was dumped at a Hollywood landmark. It’s got “serial killer” written all over it.’

I have to admit the evidence is pretty compelling.

It’s pattern serial killer behaviour.

The exact kind of killer who is murdering these women to make a statement.

‘And those comments,’ she continues, her face contorts into a disgusted grimace. ‘Can’t even let the poor woman’s body go cold before calling her a slut and basically saying she was asking for it.’

‘I know,’ I say.

‘So we’re going to find this guy then?’ My sister’s eyes are blazing with something I recognise, pure fury. ‘I know you’re focused on finding Aidan Ward but we can’t just turn our backs on this, can we?’

She’s right.

How would I ever be able to live with myself if I had the chance to put an end to someone’s reign of terror over women?

There’s no way I can just walk away from this.

There’s just one problem.

‘I can’t even find Aidan Ward,’ I say. ‘And I know who he is and what he looks like. How am I supposed to find a killer who the police haven’t been able to?’

Antoinette’s brow puckers. ‘We,’ she says. ‘There are two of us. I know we can do this.’

I love her enthusiasm, even if I don’t feel it myself.