Page 6 of See How They Hide

“She loves it here. Said she never wanted to leave, but that she promised Riley that after they graduated, they’d both live in France. They were really close, like sisters.”

Kara pulled out the pressed poppy. “Have you seen this before?”

Ashley tilted her head. “That’s a poppy—they’re everywhere.”

“It’s a red poppy.”

“I mean, I’ve seen them growing, but I haven’t seenthatpoppy.”

“Did Jane ever talk to you about flowers?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

The police had withheld the information about the red poppies, and Ashley showed no sign that the flower held any significance for her. But it was important to the killer. Kara now realized it was also important to the victims.

Kara put the pressed poppy back in the box, closed it, and thanked Ashley for her time. She joined Ken outside. He was standing next to his sedan in the thick fog. A light, misty rain had started to fall.

“All good?” Ken asked.

“Yeah.”

“Something wrong?”

She shook her head. “Just turning things around in my head. Bakery next?”

“They’re closed Mondays, open at five a.m. tomorrow.”

She groaned. “I guess there’s no way to convince the owner to talk to us today?”

“Sure, but the staff is who you want, the people who worked with Jane.”

“Okay, tomorrow I’ll be up bright and early.” The police had already talked to Jane’s co-workers, so the follow-up could wait until tomorrow. She held up the box. “I need to overnight this to my team.”

“I’ll take you to FedEx.”

She climbed into the passenger seat and texted her team.

A second search of Jane Merrifield’s room uncovered a red poppy pressed between two sheets of plastic, wedged in a handmade keepsake box. I’m going to overnight the box and contents because I think this is important, but don’t know why. Attaching pictures.

She sent the message and relevant photos, leaned back, and closed her eyes.

Definitely not a coincidence that Jane had a preserved poppy and the killer covered her body with poppies.

Her skin prickled and she had the feeling she was being watched. She opened her eyes, looked out the passenger window. A young woman, college-aged, was sitting on a short stone wall, looking at her. When Kara caught her eye, the girl didn’t avert her gaze, but stared at the unmarked sedan as Ken pulled onto Siskiyou Boulevard. Kara looked over her shoulder and the girl stood and walked in the opposite direction.

“Stop,” Kara said.

Ken glanced in the rearview mirror, then pulled over. “What’s wrong? Forget something?”

“One sec.” She opened Jane’s box and pulled out the photo of Jane and the girl Ashley had identified as Riley Pierce.

“I think I just saw Riley.” Kara got out of the car, and walked briskly down the street, but didn’t see her. She stopped where the girl had been sitting. There was no sign of her. Three young men riding bikes on the opposite side of the road. Someone smoking pot on their balcony in the apartment above Ashley’s.

Kara looked directly across the street. Riley had a clear view of not only Ashley and Jane’s apartment, but the lot where Ken had parked. She’d been watching them.

Ken backed up his cruiser until he reached her. “You saw Riley Pierce?”

“I’m not positive, but it looked like her. She’s gone now. Wait here for a sec, okay?”

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