Page 10 of Just Hide

"We've finished examining the scene," he said. "No obvious trace evidence that we can see. Also, no sign of the murder weapon, which was clearly a sharp bladed knife."

"Thanks." Connor paused. “Have any neighbors come around? Anyone from the other apartments?”

There hadn’t been any in the case file, Cami recalled.

The tech shook his head. “Problem is, it happened late morning. This is a working neighborhood. People were out at work; kids were at school. Her housemate, who’s a student, was home, and she’s in the kitchen.”

Cami nodded, knowing that speaking to Petra was Connor’s first priority.

They put on foot covers and gloves, and as she did so, Cami felt reminded all over again about the previous crime scenes she'd been to. Connor held the tape aside for her to walk in, over the polished floorboards of what was definitely an expensive place. She cast a nervous glance in the direction of the living room, knowing this was where it had happened.

A few brownish stains indicated the walls were splattered with dried blood, and Cami shivered, feeling sick, as she realized what a brutal attack had occurred here. Thankfully, they didn't go all the way into the room. Instead, Connor led the way into the kitchen beyond.

A pretty, blonde woman was standing in the kitchen with one of the police officers, her face pale and drawn, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy.

The officer turned to them. "Connor," he said, obviously recognizing the tall agent. "Petra Brink is still very shocked, but she's ready to speak to you."

Cami looked at her with a flash of sympathy, imagining what she'd been through. It must be terrifying to know that a killer had walked right into a place where you were innocently studying, and that this had happened just a few yards from where you were.

"Petra," Connor said, his voice surprisingly gentle, "thanks for being ready to help us. Shall we sit?"

He gestured to the kitchen table, and Petra nodded, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the table. Cami saw her take a deep breath as if to compose herself.

"I'm so sorry," Petra said, her voice shaking. "I can't believe it happened."

"It's okay," Connor said, still gentle. "You must be traumatized, so take your time. Anything you can tell us will be helpful. We want to try and get an idea of what happened here, so that we can try and track down who did this."

"I … I never saw who killed her. But I must have been so close. I heard the footsteps. I keep asking myself—what would have happened if I had come through five minutes sooner? Would this killer have stabbed me too?"

Petra sat down, her hands clasped on her lap, her face rigid and pale.

In a steady voice, sitting opposite, Connor began to ask questions.

"Do you know why Antoinette might have been targeted? Was there anything happening in her life that you were aware of?"

Frowning, Petra thought, before shaking her head. "She was very busy. She had a few big modeling contracts, and she'd just been named as the face of a luxury brand. Her life was going very well."

"Any problems? Any enemies? Did you notice anyone lurking around, any strangers in the lobby or the corridor?"

Sitting quietly and listening to the questions, Cami was expecting the inevitable “no.” But here, she was surprised.

"Enemies? How long of a list do you want?" Petra said in a hoarse but resolute voice.

"We don't know what's relevant," Connor said. "So, any information you can provide us with would be helpful."

Petra looked away, her face a mask of pain. "Antoinette had a lot of enemies if that’s the right word. She was successful, and she was beautiful, and people didn't like that. She had a lot of jealous people in her world. It's a tough industry. She often used to tell me a lot of her friends were fickle and false, backstabbers."

The word sent a cold thrill through Cami.

“Do you think any of them might have done this to her? Do you have anyone in mind?"

Petra shook her head, her eyes downcast. "I don't know," she said. "But I can give you a few names of people who I knew didn't like her if you want."

"I'd appreciate that," Connor agreed.

"There was Liz Gregory, she didn't get the contract that Antoinette got. There was Sue-Ann Williams, she used to be a friend, and they had a massive falling out. And then there was Cynthia Gable, who was her ex-agent. She changed agents, and Cynthia was really upset. But those are just a few. There was a long list. A lot of people who didn’t like her, and she didn’t go out of her way to be liked. She didn’t have to, I guess, she had enough fans that she didn’t need to. If you hated on her, she’d hate on you right back."

Cami watched as Connor wrote down the names. This was a vital lead, she thought.

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