Page 79 of To All the Men I’ve Killed Before

Agnes raises both shoulders. ‘Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Imagine dying like that. He must’ve been in agony.’ A mischievous little smile spreads across her lips. ‘Queen Karma serves again.’

I scan the article but it doesn’t say anything other than that the LAPD think it’s a tragic accident and they’re not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Thank God.

One less thing to worry about.

I hand her phone back. ‘But you haven’t heard from Antoinette at all?’

‘No. What’s wrong?’

I sigh. ‘We had an argument last night and she stormed out. I don’t think she came home.’

Agnes’s blue eyes go wide. ‘But where would she go? She doesn’t know anyone else. Does she?’

‘Maybe Lauren’s seen her?’ I ask but Agnes shakes her head again.

‘Lauren was at Cort’s last night. She hasn’t been back yet.’

Just then we hear the front entrance of the guesthouse slam shut and Lauren walks into the kitchen.

‘Did I hear ya’ll taking my name in vain?’ she asks before seeing our worried faces. ‘Oh God, what’s happened now? Agnes? Are you okay?’

‘It’s not me,’ Agnes says. ‘Kitty says Antoinette didn’t come home last night.’

‘Have you heard from her at all?’ I ask Lauren a bit desperately because I know it’s a long shot. It’s Agnes she’s close to, not Lauren. I don’t even know if Lauren has her number.

‘No, I haven’t,’ says Lauren. ‘Are you sure she didn’t come back? Maybe she’s just gone to an early-morning yoga session or something?’

‘We had an argument,’ I say, ‘and I’m pretty sure her bed hasn’t been slept in. Fuck, where is she?’

‘I’ll try calling her again,’ Agnes says but the call goes straight to voicemail again.

‘Do you think she might have stayed at a hotel or something?’ Lauren says. ‘You know, to cool off if y’all were quarrelling?’

‘I don’t know,’ I say, ‘she didn’t have anything with her when she stormed out. She might have done, but … shit.’

Agnes touches my arm gently. ‘Okay, don’t panic. She’ll be fine. She’s probably just cooling off somewhere. Let’s go and have a look for her, Lauren?’

Lauren nods. ‘Yes, of course.’

‘We’ll take Lana Del Gay. Kitty, you should go back to the villa in case she comes home. She’s probably on her way back now and doesn’t even realise we’re all panicking about her.’ Agnes gives me a smile but I can see she’s worried. ‘Let me know if she turns up,’ she says to me.

I don’t want to go back to the villa.

I want to go and look for her too but Agnes is right. Someone should be there if she comes back. And it should be me. So I can yell at her for being irresponsible. And then hug her and tell her to never, ever worry me like this ever again.

Who fucking pulls a vanishing act when there’s a serial killer on the loose?

I’ll kill her myself.

Agnes promises me that they’ll call if they find anything. ‘I bet she’s back before we are,’ she says as we all leave the guesthouse.

I don’t know what to do with myself in the villa though. Anxiety ties itself in knots in my stomach and the only thing that calms it seems to be relentless pacing. I just can’t believe that Antoinette would deliberately leave me to spiral like this. Not with one man to kill and the pieces of another that we still need to get rid of. She just wouldn’t do that.

But where could she be? She doesn’t know anyone here apart from me and Agnes and Lauren.

Does she?