Page 8 of Just Right

But Cami was already thinking ahead, wondering how this killer had known the victims were going to be where they were.

After closing time in a dolphin pool? That wasn’t exactly an obvious place to find a murder victim. She thought she knew where that was pointing and felt eager to see if her theory was correct.

CHAPTER FOUR

Cami's eyes flew open as the plane touched down in Milwaukee. She'd been out like a light for the entire flight, so exhausted from her online activities last night that she couldn't even remember takeoff. She cast a guilty glance at Connor, wondering if he'd noticed. Hopefully he thought she was just a good sleeper on flights.

But he cast a knowing glance at her. "Busy time last night?"

She looked down.

"You'd better not be in the habit of burning the midnight oil too often," he warned. "You can't predict when cases will come along, and there won't always be a flight to catch up with sleep. We have a lot to do today. This case is urgent. When we fly into a different state, there's always more expected from us, and faster."

I should have known he'd have seen how exhausted I was,Cami thought wryly. It seemed nothing got past her part-time boss and investigation partner. Though not the sharpest when it came to IT, he didn't miss a trick when it came to human behavior and nuances.

They'd occupied seats in the front row, and as soon as the door was opened, Connor hustled out, with Cami following close behind. He got on his phone as he strode toward the exit, and cutting the call, made straight for a police officer waiting beyond. This man was in his thirties, Cami guessed. He had closely cropped brown hair and a worried expression.

"I'm Detective Welsh. Morning, Agent Connor.”

“Morning, Detective,” Connor greeted him politely. “This is the IT expert, Cami Lark,” he introduced her.

“If it's okay with you, Agent Connor, we can go straight to the aquarium," he said.

"Sure, let's do that."

“It’s good to have you on board. This case looks like it’s going to blow up in our faces. Politically, I mean. With one body discovered at a city aquarium and the other belonging to one of our major social media influencers, this killer is causing panic already.”

“When was the second body discovered?” Connor asked.

"It was discovered very early this morning when the cleaners opened up to clean the pool. The aquarium is now shut down, and people are very unhappy about it," Welsh told them.

Connor shook his head. “It’s a worrying situation,” he agreed.

They walked out of the airport to a police car that was parked in the pick-up zone. Welsh got in and opened it for them. Cami headed straight for the back seat, and Connor got in the front. He passed her the files.

"You'd better have a look at these en route," he said. "Familiarize yourself with the case."

He'd obviously done that earlier, on the plane, while she'd been snoozing. Feeling thoroughly guilty about her overnight activities, Cami took the folders and read up on her newest case, wanting to take in all the details now. Connor was speaking to Welsh, who was updating him about general crime in the area as they drove. Tuning that conversation out, Cami did as she'd been tasked and focused on the pages in front of her.

Victim number one, Leanne Hind, had been found on the shores of Lake Michigan on a hiking trail a few miles out of suburban Milwaukee. Reading further, Cami saw that Leanne was tall, blonde, and pretty. She was twenty-five years old and was a social media influencer who had seemed to lead a high profile and well-sponsored life. She represented a few major companies and brands, and also did work for the Milwaukee tourism board, promoting sites and highlights within her home city.

Patti Browne, the second victim, was older. Blonde, round-faced, and assertive looking, she was in her late thirties, Cami saw. She was a make-up artist who did special effects and movie work, and she had a very big online following. She'd been found dead at the aquarium early this morning, but her car had been in the outside parking lot overnight, according to the parking attendant.

"Both of these victims lived their lives very much online," Cami said aloud.

Connor's head turned instantly, and he glanced back at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Leanne was an influencer, so her activities were all shared online. And Patti shared wherever possible. I guess that's how she boosted her clientele. She was very clever about marketing herself and her make-up effects."

Cami paged further, scrolling through the online world where both these victims had been so active. Were there any other clues to be found?

"It looks as if Leanne used to pin her location regularly," Cami said. "Like, every time she went anywhere."

"So, if people had been following her online, they'd know where she was?" Connor's voice was sharp. It was clear that he was making the connection, just as she'd done.

"Correct," Cami agreed. "I think she did it for her fans and for her clients."

"So, now we know there's a potential link between the killer and the victim. If the killer followed her online, he would have known she's going to be in that area, and he could have waited for her there.”

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