Page 41 of Pied Sniper

“Tiffany lied about owning the apartment she lives in. The building’s super also says she’s behind on rent and he’s threatening to evict her, plus, there’s something strange going on with her boyfriend, Jonathan Brett.”

“Strange? How so?” asked Garrett.

“He’s mad at her about something that needs to be returned and he was overheard threatening to get lawyers involved. He was in town a couple days ago and might still be around. Someone should track him down and interview him.”

“You should share this stuff with the team,” said Garrett.

“You mean the detectives that arrested Lily and me?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Nope. They’ve been assigned to another case. Given the high-profile nature and the media interest, I’ve taken the lead and will work directly with the Feds,” explained Garrett. “But there is a whole team working alongside us. We’ve been looking for the boyfriend but he hasn’t turned up so far and he isn’t answering his cell.” He waved a hand and called the people in the office to gather around. “This is Private Investigator, Lexi Graves,” he told the assembled faces. “She liaised with Special Agents Maddox and Farid before and is going to give us some background on Tiffany Rose.”

“Okay.” I sucked in a breath as the eager pairs of eyes turned to me. This reminded me of school days when I had to wing a class speech since I’d been too busy doing literally anything except researching the assignment. However, this time I had the knowledge; I just wasn’t sure how to present it in a way that these stuffy suits could appreciate. “Tiffany Rose is a recent transplant to Montgomery and we don’t know yet what her connection to the city is. She’s a prolific online vlogger. Think: unscripted TV show, their own fly-on-the-wall documentary, which is filmed, uploaded and managed by the central actor, and draws a global audience. Tiffany mentioned in previous videos that her family is deceased and hers is very much a rags-to-riches story. She prides herself on being a Cinderella-type figure, which makes her very appealing to her audience, many of whom are young women. Her job allows the audience to live vicariously through her, almost like they are livingwithher, and some of her videos garner more than a million views. It’s safe to say there are a lot of people who know a lot about the intimate goings on in her life.

“As a public figure, Tiffany has received a significant amount of threats. We’re currently examining their validity and we’ll have that data soon,” I paused, glancing at Garrett while his team made notes. He nodded and I carried on, informing them about Tiffany’s boyfriend and their rocky relationship, saying that we had concerns about something going on that could make him a prime suspect. I talked about the apartment tour she uploaded, her superintendent’s counter-claims, and the kind of life she led according to her videos. I added all the things she liked doing, and the people she hung out with and her ongoing feud with another vlogger, Flavia. I ended by saying her closest relationships currently seemed to be her manager, Abigail, and PA, Grace. Finally, I suggested the indication that she might have known her kidnapper although it was unclear how. When I finished, there were a few questions about other aspects of Tiffany’s life and her video content and I managed to give reasonable answers.

“Okay, back to work, guys,” said Garrett, waving them away. “Thanks, sis’, that was helpful. I’ll have some units track down Jonathan Brett.”

I spread my fingers as I raised my hands, indicating it was no big deal. “I wish I could do more. I can’t say for certain that Tiffany was honest.”

“Let’s reconvene again soon,” said Maddox. “I think we’ll know more in the next few hours. We can put our heads together and see where we’re at.”

“Lieutenant! I think I have a lead,” called out one of the younger detectives, waving her hand.

“One of us will call you,” said Garrett, giving me a tight nod and a smile as he stepped away.

“I wish I started this investigation last night,” I said.

Maddox raised his eyebrows. “After the night you had?”

“I know, but that’s when Abigail approached me.”

“You did the right thing leaving it to us,” said Maddox, “Don’t question your actions. Although I’m surprised Ms. Swanson contacted you so quickly. She couldn’t identify anyone who posed a threat to her client.”

“When we met, she said she reached out to MPD and no one returned her calls so I’m glad you spoke. Someone online ID’d me and that’s how she found me. She wants to help. You really haven’t heard a thing?” I asked Maddox and Farid. “Isn’t it strange that no one demanded a ransom?”

“It’s going to go one way or the other very quickly,” said Farid. “We’re confident of that.”

“I wish you weren’t,” I said. “I have to head back to the agency. I’ll check in with you asap.”

“Are you free for lunch soon?” asked Maddox.

“Sure!” I always enjoyed my lunches with Maddox. He made me laugh and didn’t mind when I stole his fries.

“Great. We’ll fine tune those details later.”

I left the busy squad room, more worried than ever but pleased at the level of cooperation. Just as I stepped outside the police station, I stopped. I forgot to tell them about Tiffany’s laptop! As I turned to head back inside, my phone trilled, Abigail’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hi,” I said. “I was going to call you with an update soon. I don’t have much news…”

“There’s a ransom demand,” she said breathlessly. “Can you come here?”

“Of course. I’m at MPD now. I’ll bring the FBI and the police.”

“No. No, don’t do that! They said if I tell the police, she dies! You need to come alone.”

Chapter Nine

I met Abigail at her hotel suite. She ushered me onto the small, silver-striped sofa and as she hurried to get her laptop, I took a moment to look around the nicely appointed pair of rooms. Despite the smaller sized living room, it was understated and elegant. Tall windows framed with thick swathes of cream drapes, overlooked a manicured garden. The furniture was modern and hardy: a small oak desk with a chair made from supple, padded leather and gleaming, metal arms. A flatscreen TV was on the wall, a Bluetooth docking station, and a fully-stocked, glass-fronted minibar below. The room was divided from the bedroom with a set of paneled pocket doors that Abigail left partially open. Tiffany often vlogged from hotels like this during her travels, the rooms gradually becoming more extravagant the more famous she became. Now I thought about it, her apartment was chic but hardly stuffed with any expensive items. The most value could be found inside her closet.

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