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“I suspect somewhere around here with an officer. But, wait a minute, you’re telling me both of this girl’s roommates have now been murdered? Do you peg her as a suspect?”
“Uncertain.” There was the possibility Lauren had killed Jayne—the two of them didn’t get along, to put it mildly. But Amanda couldn’t see her killing Chloe. Trent’s eyes kept darting at her. He’d found something out from that Metro PD detective worth sharing, but she wanted to filter what it was before Malone heard. She subtly shook her head at Trent. “Do you know why Lauren was out here at seven this morning?” she asked. Malone had said that was the time the body had been found.
“You’re probably best to speak with the girl. But I believe she was just out here walking and getting some fresh air.”
“Sounds like a rather convenient explanation,” Trent began. “Is there anyone who could even verify that?”
“That’s something for you two to figure out. And them”—Malone nudged his head in the direction of the arriving news media—“I’ll deal with.” He walked off.
With Malone out of earshot, Amanda faced Trent. “What did you find out?”
“The detective’s going to send over some crime scene photos and the list of suspects, which he emphasized were tapped dry.”
“But…?” She could sense one coming. It was going to be news she didn’t want to hear.
“There are similarities and differences between Annie Frasier’s murder and Chloe Somner’s. Both were stabbed, though Annie three times not seven. Annie was clothed but Chloe was naked. The flower left with Frasier was a red rose, not an orchid, but it was left on her chest.” He said the last part slowly. “Maybe the killer felt romantic love for Annie Frasier? I don’t have to look up what a red rose means. But if this is a serial killer, he could pick different flowers for each victim, or he’s decided to use only black orchids now.”
“None of this is making me feel any better,” she groaned.
“None of this means we’re looking at the same killer either. Just a possibility,” he said.
Again, he knew the right thing to say, but the truth still came down to the fact that there were two dead college students. “The murders do seem personal, more so than one would expect with a serial killer,” she reasoned. “With our investigation, it’s hard to ignore that both girls were from Geoffrey Michaels University and roommates. That makes me think the killer is from here.” She took out her phone and snapped some pictures of the students standing around, and she turned toward the water and Jayne. It was always hard to reconcile death when you’d spoken with the person recently.
Trent stepped up close to her. “It’s so exposed here. The killer really took a risk of being caught red-handed. Anybody could have stumbled on the scene.”
“Which is kind of terrifying. Are they growing more brazen? Or are they escalating, trying to knock people off their hit list before we stop them?”
“Both scary thoughts.”
“Uh-huh. And did no one hear anything? She would have screamed.” She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around how the killer had managed to execute their plan without getting caught.
“Her attacker had to prevent that somehow,” Trent reasoned.
“It would seem. The aid of drugs or something more basic—say, a hand over her mouth to suppress the noise? Also, what brought Jayne down to the water this morning? There’s no time of death yet, but it was obviously before seven. We need to consider it would have taken time for the killer to present her the way he did and then make his getaway.”
Trent spun and jabbed the tip of his pen toward one of the buildings on campus. “It’s quite a distance away from the water, but anyone looking out could have seen something.”
“We’ll need to find out who was in that building during the time of the attack.”
“Yeah. There might even be surveillance cameras on the grounds that face the crime scene area.”
“We’ll need to find that out too.” Her words tapered off.
Lauren Bennett was walking toward them with the officer Amanda had asked to look for her. She and Trent helped close the distance.
“Thank you,” she told the officer.
“You’re very welcome.”
Amanda found herself almost wanting to hug the girl. She was alive at least. But Amanda had to remain detached. For now. Until they figured out what was going on.
Lauren’s face was all blotchy. Tears were seeping down her cheeks, and her chin was quivering. She reached for Amanda and hugged her. Amanda allowed it.
This was one of those lines that technically shouldn’t be crossed between law enforcement and civilians. Touch only made things personal and more emotional. Amanda retreated from the embrace rather quickly and stepped back, putting a couple of feet between them.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said.
Lauren palmed her cheeks. “I never really liked her. Not a secret?” A small chuckle that fell flat. “But Chloe loved her, so I tolerated her.”
“Not sure if Jayne told you that I spoke with her. You know I was at your house?” Twice, technically.
Lauren nodded.
Amanda continued. “She told me she’d known Chloe since elementary school, but that you two only met here at Geoffrey Michaels. Is that correct?”
“That’s right, but I loved her like a sister. Chloe was the glue that held all of us together. After Chloe…” She sniffled and palmed her cheeks. “Jayne and I were already talking about going our separate ways. It just seemed like too much, you know?” Lauren sobbed softly for a few seconds, then added, “And now Jayne? Who’s doing this?”
“We will find out,” Amanda stamped out. “You can trust me on that.” Somehow, some way.
“I just have no idea who would’ve done this to them or why. I mean, Jayne was a pain in the ass, but Chloe? She was a kind person.”
Not that she’d always been that way, but maybe the fact she had changed was enough. Shouldn’t people be forgiven for their wrongdoings? As for Jayne, Amanda felt certain the girl was mostly misunderstood.
“Do you know when she left home this morning?” Trent asked.
Lauren looked at him. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but it was early.”
“Just an approximate time?” Trent pushed.
