Avery hardly felt sorry for Sebastian Chadwyck. “Poor” Sebastian had most likely photographed her friend dead—may have even killed her to do so, since she’d made it clear she had no intention of posing for him.
“It had to make you happy that Skylar refused to work with him,” Parker said.
“I’ve seen plenty of girls like her,” Megan said. “Contrary to what she said, you put a photographer and a model like her together and stuff happens.”
“‘Stuff’ happened with Sebastian and other models?” Avery asked, picking up on the resentment in Megan’s tone.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
It didn’t matter. Their focus was on Skylar, and she apparently hadn’t been the least bit interested in Sebastian.
“When you went back to Skylar’s—last night—was she there?”
“No.”
“What time was it?”
“Maybe eight thirty.”
So before she arrived and got bowled over.
“How’d you get in?” Parker asked.
There’d been no sign of a break-in when they arrived.
“I found a key under—”
“The duck,” Avery finished before Megan could. She’d told Skylar that was an awful idea. Maybe that’s how the intruder who’d bowled Avery over had gotten in as well. Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner?
Because it’d been almost a decade since she’d last used the key beneath that duck. Since Sky first started living there on her own. “So you broke in?” Avery prompted. “And?”
“And I went in, but no one was there,” Megan said. “The girl was a slob. It looked just like the first time I’d been there—stuff still flung all over the place—but I do know Sebastian was there at some point after that first visit.”
Now they were getting someplace. “How?” Avery asked.
“I found this.” Megan strode to the coatrack by the front door and grabbed a lightweight gray-and-red-plaid scarf—the kind one wore as an accessory rather than for warmth. “It’s Sebastian’s favorite. I found it there in her living room in a pile of clothes. He had to have left it there after that first visit, because he wasn’t wearing it last night.” Megan linked her arms across her chest. “Skylar obviously changed her mind about letting Sebastian in the next time he visited her.”
“Maybe she did. Might they have done the photo shoot at Skylar’s place?”
“No . . . I can’t imagine Sebastian doing that. He insisted on doing those sorts of portraits at his studio, so he had more control.”
“Studio?” Avery said, hopeful for a new lead.
“He recently set up a new one at an old abandoned building he found. He showed it to me soon after he discovered it, all excited about how he was going to transform one of the rooms into his studio. A week or so later he said the place was working great, that he was happy with the lighting, but I’ve never gone back. The place gives me the creeps.”
Man, it had to be bad if she—who lived surrounded by disturbing photographs and with a guy obsessed with “the beauty of death”—got creeped out by it. “Where’s the building?”
She didn’t answer.
“Megan, there are already charges that could be leveled against you. You really want to hold out on us?”
Megan exhaled. “It’s down in Fort Howard.”
“The abandoned military bunkers?”
“No. The old VA hospital that shut down a decade ago.”
“Oh, right. I forgot that was there.”
“Most people have, which makes it perfect for Sebastian—he got a studio rent free.”
“What floor is the studio on?”
“Don’t know. I didn’t let him show me the actual room.” She shuddered. “Too creepy.”
“Can you think of anything else?”
“No . . . but just for the record, I wasn’t the only one there last night,” Megan quickly said.
“Last night? At Skylar’s?”
Megan nodded. “While I was in there this guy and chick came in, so I hid in the shower. They were looking for something. Saying ‘Where’d she stash it?’”
Okay . . . “Did they find what they were looking for?” Avery asked.
“No, but not for lack of effort, and they certainly came prepared.”
Avery’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean prepared?”
“I peeked around the shower curtain from where I was hiding and they were both dressed in black, wearing gloves, carrying flashlights even though it wasn’t fully dark out yet, but it was dim enough in the trailer I suppose. Anyway, they were hurrying like they were worried Skylar might return any moment.”
“So they didn’t know she was missing?”
“Nuh-uh. Anyway, the dude said she’d figure out he wasn’t going to show soon. Like they’d texted or called her, telling her to meet up with him someplace just to get her out of the house so they could sneak in.”
“What else did they say?”
“The girl was ticked. Sounded like her guy had hooked up with Skylar and now Skylar had something on him.”
“How old were they?”
“Early twenties. College age. Richies.”
Avery would have asked how Megan knew they were rich college kids, but the type wasn’t hard to spot.
“Anything you can tell us about them? Hair color? Height? Build? Did they mention each other’s names?” Parker asked.
“The chick was little. One of those super-thin types. Long blond hair pulled into a low ponytail beneath her black ski cap. I never saw her full face, but she was pretty.”
“And the guy?”
“Tall, lean. I caught a glimpse of his face in her flashlight. Handsome, if you like the yuppie type.”
They had worn gloves, which meant it was unlikely there was any fingerprint evidence—and therefore would be virtually impossible to identify. And the guy didn’t have the right build for whoever had bowled her over. Man, Sky’s really had been a revolving door that night.
“Any chance you saw their car?” she asked.
“Yeah. When they were in the kitchen, I got out of the bathroom and snuck out the bedroom window. They were parked right underneath it. It was one of those cutesy cars.”
“Kind of like a bug, but different.”
“A Fiat?” Avery asked.
“Yeah, I think that was it.”
Avery looked at Parker. A Fiat had been following Gary, with a blonde driving with her hair pulled back in a long ponytail. What did Skylar have on them? “Did they find what they were looking for?” Avery asked.
Megan shook her head. “No, and they were super frustrated. The chick kept nagging under her breath at the dude that this was all his fault.”
“But she never said what? I mean what Skylar had on him?”
“No.”
“Thanks, Megan. That was really helpful. If you think of anything else or if Sebastian comes home, please call us or have him give us a call. I just want to find my friend,” Avery said, handing her one of her business cards.
Megan took it and nodded before shutting the door.
“What do you think Skylar had on the dude?” Avery asked, using Megan’s word.
“I don’t know. Something worth money?”
If Skylar was working another con—though Avery prayed she’d left that all behind, like she claimed—it would definitely involve money.
“Why do you think Megan assumed they were rich college kids? I get assuming that being early twenties it’s likely you could be in college, but rich?”
Avery settled back in her seat. “It’s really not that hard to tell, especially when you come from where I do. You learn to spot people of different classes quite easily. I’m guessing Megan grew up someplace similar to me and Sky.”
She half expected Parker to take that as a cue to inquire further about her past, but he didn’t. Maybe he wasn’t ever going to ask.
“Any chance they were college kids who were high and just goofing around?” Parker tossed out another option. “Illegally and not at all funny, of course. I’m just saying college kids have been known to do stupid things when they’re high.”
“Doubt you’re high if you put enough thought into wearing gloves.”
“Ah. True.”
The blonde must have come back. There’d been no guy in the car with her when she’d been tailing Gary. Perhaps she’d dropped her male companion off and returned for one more look, finding them at Skylar’s instead. Then, seeing Gary tearing out of the parking lot, she’d followed in pursuit just as they had. At least until they’d spotted her. Assuming for certain it was the same blonde, but what were the chances? And, if so, why the interest in Gary? Avery shifted, ready to hit the next spot.
“So you’ll drop me off at my car on your way to the harbor? I can head for the abandoned hospital and keep you posted.”
He glanced over at her with a smile. “Yeah, about that—I’m thinking no.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re going to go all overprotective again? I can hold my own. We’ve been over this.”
“I know you can hold your own, but they teach you in self-defense classes not to put yourself in dangerous situations to begin with, right?”
She remained silent. She’d taken more than enough self-defense classes to know he was right.
“It’s unsafe. Come work the ship with me. We’ll get it done quicker together, and then we’ll head to the hospital. I promise I’ll work as fast as I can while still doing the job right.”
“It could be dark by the time you’re done. Even if you’re ‘fast.’”
“Really? Air quotes?”
“We both know your version of fast and mine aren’t the same.”
“So I’m thorough at my job.”
“And I totally admire your level of dedication, but I want to find Skylar, and this is a huge lead.”
“Which we will follow together.”
She grunted and shifted in her seat.
“Did you seriously just grunt at me?”
“Yes. You’re that vexing.”
He chuckled.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Agree to disagree.” He winked.
“You’re impossible.”
“And you’re stuck with me.”
That hit her hard. How she wished that were true, but after Skylar was found they’d go back to their separate ways. “What if I ask Griffin to go with me?” she said, quickly trying to distract herself from the reality of the situation.
“Declan put Griffin to work on the safe-deposit-box angle with Kate, and before you go there, Declan’s on the ship. Face it, beautiful, you’re stuck with me.”
She fought a smile, trying to look fierce. “Flattery only irritates me more.”
He didn’t bother to squelch his smile. “I know.”