Page 61 of The Girl and the Lies

“Can I help you?” he asks.

I point at the door. “Is this your apartment?” I ask.

“It is,” he says.

“Have you been away all day?” I ask.

“Since early this morning,” he says. “Are you police?”

“FBI,” I tell him. “But you did see police cars in the parking lot. They are in that apartment.” I point to Mila’s door.

“Did something happen to Mila?” he asks.

“No, she’s safe. But there was a break-in at her apartment just a little while ago. I wasn’t able to get any answer at the other apartments on this floor. Do you know if they would be home right now?” I ask.

“I doubt it. They aren’t ever home during the day. What happened at Mila’s place? Who broke in?” he asks.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. Have you seen anything unusual recently around her apartment or the building? Any cars that you didn’t recognize?” I ask.

“I wouldn’t really know a strange car from somebody’s guest,” he says. “But come to think of it, I did see someone a few days ago who I didn’t recognize. They were walking around behind the building, kind of looking around. I was up here, so I didn’t get the best look at them. It could have just as easily been someone visiting somebody in the building or maybe someone who just moved in. I just got a strange feeling from them though.”

“I know you say you didn’t get a good look at them, but is there anything about them that you can remember?” I ask.

“Their head was down, and they were wearing a hat,” he says, “but I saw some blond hair sticking out from the bottom of the hat. I didn’t see their face from the front, but I’m sure it was a man.”

“Thank you,” I say.

Going back into Mila’s apartment, I don’t see her sitting on the couch. Officer Massengill nods toward the back of the apartment.

“She’s in her bedroom getting some things together for when her sister gets here,” he says. He steps closer to me and lowers his voice, saying, “This is the same person as the others, isn’t it?”

“It looks like it,” I say. “It seems like they thought they were going to catch Mila at home, and when she wasn’t here, they issued another threat.”

Mila comes back into the room with her bags and sets them on the floor next to the door. She looks at the evidence of it being forced open and shudders.

“I called the superintendent, and he’s going to make sure the door gets fixed while I’m gone. But I don’t know if I will ever be able to feel safe here again,” she says.

It’s the exact same sentiment as Carla’s, and the words sit heavily in my chest.

The officers get another call and have to leave, but I stay with Mila for a short while longer until she gets a text saying her sister is waiting downstairs. The crew has already arrived to fix her door, so she’s able to leave without worrying that her home is just sitting open. I walk her downstairs, and her sister comes running up to throw her arms around Mila, hugging her tight.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says. “This is scaring the hell out of me.”

“Me too,” Mila admits. She steps back from her sister and looks at me. “Are you going to be at the memorial tonight?”

“What memorial?” I ask.

“Tracy is hosting a gathering tonight at the headquarters. She wants to give everybody a place to feel united and pay respects to the victims. Gideon didn’t even have a funeral, and Ander said the services for Sabrina would be out of state with her family. So we’re doing this,” she says. “It’s at five.”

“I’ll be there,” I say.

The timing of the gathering means that most of the people in attendance have come straight down from the offices to the large conference room. They’re still in work clothes, clutching their travel coffee mugs and totes, looking more like they are going to happy hour than to a memorial for two murder victims.

Large pictures of Gideon and Sabrina flank a podium at the front of the room. Several people are gathered around the pictures, huddling together as they speak in hushed tones. I notice some wiping away tears. I take my position at the back of the room. I’m here to observe. I want to see how people are reacting to the situation as it has unfolded. Mila walks in with her sister, and I nod a greeting to her.

A few minutes after I arrive, Tracy and Ander walk into the room. He stands to the side of the podium, and even from the distance, I can see the remnants of the brawl at the hospital on his face. He shifts his weight on his feet, looking around the room like he’s not sure if he’s here as security or as a grieving husband. His eyes go to the picture of Sabrina, and for an instant, his head hangs. A few people walk over to him, squeezing him on the arm and leaning their heads close to speak to him. He offers weak smiles, and I can see on his face he wishes they would leave him alone.

Tracy stands behind the podium and swings her gaze over everyone who has gathered in the room.

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