Page 23 of Breathe Me In

“I see this.” She pointed to the wall, at all the beer advertisements. “Which made me think about marketing, which led me to think about social media and how beer sponsors online are huge right now. I looked into some of the breweries, and, for example, East Dog increased their sales thanks to a deal with some local college pubs. Then I went to this beer’s”—she pointed to the Sea Foam Brew—“social media pages.” She stepped close and held her phone up so I could see it over her shoulder. Her scent filled my nostrils, and I inhaled deeply. She smelled fresh and had a hint of something sweet I couldn’t quite pinpoint. “This is Sophia.” She pointed at the screen. “She’s one of their top influencers. She was here both nights the girls were murdered.”

“Really?” That’s something.

“And she works the club from open to close wearing a body cam.” She tapped on a video, and the girl popped up. She was talking about the upcoming night’s events. Then the camera flipped around as she clipped it back into place on her chest. It showed a great view of everyone’s faces.

“Holy shit, Bree.” I leaned down to study the footage better. “How did you get this, or is all this on her social page?”

“Detectives.” The bartender we interviewed before gave us a wave, and we approached. “Can I get you a drink?” He polished a glass, and I noticed his hand shook slightly. “Or maybe something for dinner? The staff orders from next door.”

“No thanks, we’re good.” Bree smiled.

“Your hand okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just tired. Hazard of the job, I guess.” He held up the glass.

“Where was I?” Bree went on. “Oh yes. There was a lot on her page but only small snippets, so I contacted her and got the entire two nights’ worth of footage.”

“Wow.” That impressed me. “Did you go through it? Did you find anything? Any leads?”

“I watched a lot, but there’s a ton of footage, and I was tired last night. However, I did catch this.” She switched to her camera roll and brought up a screen-recorded video. “Sophia jumped up on the bar and this guy”—she gave a light shrug—“reaches for her cuff. Look at his thumb.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “It might be nothing, but this was about fifteen minutes before the actual murder. Just the way he touches her, how he rubs her cuff . . . I don’t know, but it gives me creepy vibes.”

“Creepy vibes?” I raised a playful brow at her, and she scoffed at me.

“It’s a real thing.”

“Right.” I laughed, impressed at what she’d found. “Any chance you can get this Sophia and maybe some of her friends together so we can interview them?”

“One step ahead of you.” She waved her phone at me. “They’re already waiting for us at Sophia’s apartment.”

“Great.”

She turned and walked backward toward the exit. When she opened the door, it revealed the sun was almost down. “I am kinda great, aren’t I?” She laughed as I followed her out, but I stopped when she climbed into her truck. “What?”

“Let’s take my car.”

She squinted at me. “Something wrong with my truck?”

“No.” I unlocked my car. “But mine has heat—does yours?”

Her mouth dropped open. “That’s incredibly offensive to her.” She made a face at me but hauled out her big purse that doubled as a work bag. “Just because she doesn’t always produce the warmest of air doesn’t mean she’s not as classy as this thing.” She looked at my car funny. “What the hell kinda space car is this thing anyway?”

“A reliable one.” I slid her bag off her shoulder and opened the front passenger door. “Don’t argue—I’m going to win every time.” I couldn’t resist getting under her skin like old times. Her eyes narrowed in on me, and her mouth pressed into a fine line. There she is. “Isn’t Sophia waiting for us?” I reminded her and held her murderous gaze as I struggled not to grin. I knew she could see the twinkle of amusement in my eye.

“All right.” She nodded a few times. “I see the old Brad is still just below that corporate tie and crisp dress shirt.” She slipped inside and closed the door. I hurried around to my side, and we headed across town.

Leaves fell around the town and cast a colorful palette for the tourists who often drove for miles to see them. There was a reason I’d never left this place—we had the best of the four seasons, and though the winters were intense, the rest of the year was perfect. Bree’s phone rang, and she answered it. She hit the speaker button as she steadied the computer on her lap. “Hi, Mom.” I listened for a moment as her mother spoke about her twin brother and his wife having some problems. It wasn’t meant for my ears, so I tuned them out to give them some privacy. After a few minutes she hung up and seemed lost in thought.

As we sat in companionable silence, I pulled into the driveway of the Terrace Court apartments and looked up at the notorious college hangout. I remembered patrolling there a lot with Ray.

Bree opened the door and stepped out. I followed, waiting for her to round the car. She was still lost in her thoughts as we headed inside to visit Sophia.

I knew people liked swag, but Sophia’s apartment looked like a swag warehouse with all the products she endorsed.

“Pretty impressive, right?” The cute, bubbly thing beamed up at me as I admired her Sea Foam Brew award. “I won a thousand dollars that year. Who knew a pretty face, big chest, and bright eyes would be what could help pay for my schooling?”

“Better than stripping,” Bree chimed in, and I laughed. She was right.

“Oh please.” Sophia draped herself over her couch and looked up at me. “Stripping’s so nineties—besides, my friend does it, and she’s got men following her home all the time.”