Page 14 of Nothing Watching

“Don’t feel bad about that,” Juliette said hurriedly as she could see how upset the young woman was.

“Did she mention anyone who was making her feel uncomfortable or threatened?” Wyatt asked.

The young woman shook her head. “No, not that I remember. She was always friendly and outgoing, and she didn’t seem to have any enemies.”

Juliette frowned. “What about her romantic life? Was she seeing anyone?”

The woman on the left, with a shock of curly brown hair, spoke up, in a strong Italian accent. “I don’t think she was seeing anyone seriously. She went on a few dates here and there, but nothing serious.”

“Did she know a woman named Hannah Murray at all? Did she ever visit the Haus Abenteuer backpacker lodge?”

Juliette glanced at the other two girls, hoping they might have something to add. But they looked blank.

“And she never mentioned anyone who was following her or harassing her?” Juliette pressed.

The women looked at each other again. Juliette got the strong sense they were deciding what to say. Then they all shook their heads in unison.

“I think we need to stay on this topic a bit longer,” Juliette said in gentle but firm tones. “I’m getting the impression there is something here you need to say.”

The third housemate, a petite blonde with a nose ring, shook her head. In an American accent, she mumbled, “She mentioned something once, but we knew it wasn’t serious.”

“She did? What was that about?”

“No, it was nothing,” the blonde insisted, reddening.

Juliette looked at the others. She thought they all knew.

“Even if it’s not important, if it’s nothing, you need to tell me,” she said. “Remember, other people might have noticed the same thing, and if you don’t tell, then it ends up being seen as withholding information. That’s not something I think you should do, as it can end in trouble.”

Now the blonde was looking paler.

“It was just that the one time, I followed her myself,” she said, looking at the floor. “I had this idea that she might be seeing my boyfriend so I walked after her when she went out. I was wrong, but I think she picked up on it and mentioned it. I didn’t know if she knew it had been me. It was embarrassing.”

“But there were other times, too,” the Scandinavian redhead said.

“There were?” the blonde asked, surprised.

“Yes, and it wasn’t you. This was a few days later. She did complain that people followed her and harassed her. She mentioned it to me a few times.”

Now that this mystery had been ironed out, it was clear that Iris had picked up on something. There was a similarity to Hannah’s complaints there.

“Did she mention it on social media at all?” Sierra asked, already busy with her iPad.

“No, she wasn’t a person who liked social media, I think,” the Italian flatmate said, and Sierra nodded, clearly having just seen the same for herself.

“Anything specific?” Wyatt asked. “Did she mention anyone in particular?”

They all shook their heads. “I also remember her mentioning that a few days ago,” the Scandinavian redhead said.

There were no specifics, but Juliette now saw that both victims had clearly had an instinctive feeling that they were being watched and followed in the last few days.

Thanking the women for their time, she got up. The instincts that the victims had been feeling had given her a new lead.

It was time to look at a possible common factor now—men with criminal records. Someone who’d offended in the past might now decide it was time to take things further. Someone with a dark history could have been lurking around, newly paroled and full of vindictive anger.

The victims might not know anyone in common, but if a criminal had targeted both, then Juliette was determined to track him down.

CHAPTER EIGHT

---