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“Couch-surfing?” Brook lowered the bowl of popcorn to the table next to the stack of napkins. “Do you have a list of those friends?”
“I have a few names, but Rachel Lee isn’t too big on social media. She might post once a month, if that,” Bit said, finally reclaiming his chair. There were butter stains on his long-sleeved t-shirt. “Big T, I already sent you the addresses of two friends.”
Theo nodded that he’d heard Bit, but he wouldn’t head out until Brook gave some instructions on how such an interview should be handled, especially after she’d already concluded that the killer was almost certainly an artist.
“Explain this social media post to me again,” Brook said quietly as she walked around the couch to stand in front of the fire. Theo thought for sure that she would want to be closer to the monitor to inspect the painting, but it was as if she wanted a broader perspective. “You said this was posted in a social media group?”
“A group made up of aspiring painters,” Bit explained as he picked up his phone. Within seconds, Theo’s cell phone was vibrating in his pocket. All the information would have been forwarded to the team through their chat application. “Half the comments praised the exquisite detail, while the other half debated the morality and ethics of such a piece. It definitely sparked a lot of discussion amongst the members.”
Brook’s gaze remained fixed on the screen of the portable monitor while the flames of the fire danced behind her. The timing of Bit’s find had been uncanny, but it certainly gave credence to Brook’s profiling skills.
“Can you scroll down to Bella Kadel’s comment?”
Bit leaned forward to reach his keyboard, and Theo observed the screen move to where a concise, polite reply had been posted to someone else’s question.
“As you can see, one of the members tagged Bella. The member thought that Bella might be interested in the painting due to Lauren Kim being one of the gallery’s main artists back then, but Bella politely explained that the darkness of Kim’s paintings was completely different than images based on actual people. She then added that due to her personal connection to the artist, she didn’t believe that she could fairly evaluate the art.”
“Bella did give her opinion, though,” Theo pointed out, still amazed at the similarities between what was on the screen and the actual crime scenes. “I don’t see a reply from Rachel Lee.”
“There is none, and the administrator of the site turned off the comments when it became clear the painting evoked some rather strong opinions,” Bit said as he focused on Brook, who had turned her hands so that her palms could feel the heat from the blower. As if he already knew what she was going to ask him, he followed up with another response. “No other name that is in connection with the case is listed as a member.”
“Not even Maxwell Vanderbilt or Sophia Delacroix? What about Francis Delacroix? Or even Lauren Kim?”
“No one.”
“Theo, you mentioned that Maxwell was the one who brought Rachel Lee to your attention. Something about Bella avoiding the woman’s phone call?”
“Sophia brushed off his concern,” Theo replied as he crossed his arms in contemplation. “Sophia seemed to think that Rachel’s stifling manner when it came to friends was a normal thing. Apparently, Bella avoided being drawn in, but it’s obvious from the painting that Rachel has something to do with this case…or someone wants us to believe that she does.”
“Bit, see if anyone else involved with the investigation has any ties to Rachel Lee,” Brook directed as she nodded toward Theo. “See if you can speak with her before we need to get ready for this holiday event tonight.”
Before Theo could walk across the living room to the front entrance where his jacket was hanging from a hook, a current picture of Rachel Lee came onto the screen. Only she wasn’t the brunette in the photo of her driver’s license. He sought out Brook’s stare, knowing full well that she’d recognized the woman in the picture. Rachel Lee had served them champagne last night, and she’d had ample opportunity to leave the note for Brook.
“One thing is for sure,” Theo declared when he went back to staring at the women with red hair. “Either someone is setting up Rachel Lee, or we’ve just figured out the identity of our unsub.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brooklyn Sloane
December 2023
Friday — 7:03pm
Thecoldwinterairswirled around Brook as she stood in front of the entrance of the prestigious Harbor Country Club. The ornate façade was adorned with twinkling Christmas lights and festive wreaths. The holiday decorations had created a scene of timeless elegance against the backdrop of the night as they glowed warmly in the inky darkness.
The faint sound of holiday music floated from within. An attendant currently held open one of the French doors, and he nodded toward Brook and Theo as they passed him to cross over the threshold. The welcoming scent of cinnamon and pine greeted them, along with someone waiting to collect their coats.
Theo had already handed his coat over before helping Brook remove her long black cloak. The emerald-colored evening gown that she wore had been a backup for last night’s event. She murmured her appreciation and waited for the attendant to give Theo his ticket, which he then slipped inside the right pocket of his pants.
The black leather of his eyepatch matched the color of his suit. While last night’s art exhibit had been a black-tie affair, tonight’s holiday party had been more casual. Most of the men wore suits, while many of the women wore cocktail dresses. Brook’s dress was a bit more elegant than the others, but she wore her hair down over her left shoulder instead of sweeping the strands up into a sophisticated style.
“Quite a crowd,” Theo observed quietly, his gaze sweeping over the guests as they moved to the side so as not to block the entrance. “I don’t see Hartley.”
Brook had reached out to Detective Hartley a couple of hours ago. She’d brought him up to speed on their findings within the investigation, as well as requested his presence at the country club this evening. He’d explained that the only way for him to attend was at the behest of his supervisor. The Jamesons had been the ones to add Brook and Theo to their guest list, but it was doubtful that Brook could have convinced them to do the same with Hartley.
Since Chief Rogan was a member of the country club due to his position, he also would have found Hartley’s presence odd. Brook had inferred that Hartley should only present the information related to Rachel Lee, along with the fact that S&E Investigations requested his presence. Anything to do with the Kingstons should be kept under wraps for the time being.
Fortunately, Theo discovered that Rachel Lee had filled in last night at the exhibit for a friend who was sick. He’d driven over to the apartments where Rachel was currently staying, but her sick roommate had answered the door instead. Theo had stuck to the truth in that he worked for S&E Investigations, and that his firm was investigating the deaths of Bella Kadel and Piper Zimmer.
