Which was exactly the reason I was back.
I pulled in a deep breath as I slid into a parking spot along the curb in front of the cute little coffee shop. The wooden sign of Latte Pages swung back and forth in the breeze, looking worn and a bit rusty where the metal hooks secured it to the eave.
Behind the large glass windows, the shop was bustling. The cafe at the front had a long line at the counter and all the small tables looked full. I pressed my lips together as I nervously ran a hand through my hair. I’d recently gotten it cut short to my shoulders and I wasn’t sure whether I liked it as much as my long hair.
I flipped down the visor and studied my makeup in the mirror. It looked fine, though I grabbed for a lip oil and reapplied it anyway.
I was stalling.
As I returned the lip oil to my bag, I glanced at the coffee shop. I wondered whether the woman I was meeting was already there. I wasn’t late, but I wasn’t twenty minutes early like I usually would have been. Being back here…back in the place I had once called home, had me out of sorts.
Tearing my eyes away from the coffee shop, I glanced at myself one more time in the tiny visor mirror.
I can do this. This is for my job, nothing more.
I had done harder things, more intense things, than this in my career. This project was such a big opportunity for me. I couldn’t let my past ruin this.
When my boss had told me I was going to head my own true crime documentary project, I’d been elated, to say the least. I’ve hosted myown show on the Crime and Justice Network for five years now, but this was the first big project I’d been given to not only host, but help produce. It was my dream.
It wasn’t until I was told the documentary subject would be the Shadow Stalker that my excitement turned into pure anxiety.
Over a decade ago, this sleepy little town in the hills of southern Ohio became the hunting grounds of a serial killer. The Shadow Stalker targeted college-aged women, abducting them and torturing them for days, or weeks, before murdering them. He’d carve a butterfly into their skin, as his calling card, before dumping their bodies.
I massaged the back of my neck, rolling my shoulders. I hadn’t realized how much tension I was holding on the drive here. The Shadow Stalker case had gotten national media attention, and had even inspired a copycat killing in the area.
I clenched my jaw at that thought. Copycats were rare, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the case, but every time I thought of it, a rush of nausea swept over me. As much as I had been exposed to in my career, the Shadow Stalker case was a different beast.
It was personal. One of the victims was someone I had been close to.
I shook my head, dispelling thoughts of her…thoughts of—him. I couldn’t think about that right now.
I had to focus.
Before I fell deeper into old memories, I forced myself to get out of the car.
September was beginning, and the air held a hint of a chill as I swung my bag over my shoulder and straightened my spine. My kitten heels clacked on the pavement as I approached the coffee shop.
A bell chimed when I stepped inside the warm cafe. The rich smell of roasting coffee and sweet treats rushed over me, bringing some comfort and familiarity. I smoothed down my white blouse that had gotten wrinkled on the drive and gazed around the shop.
It didn’t take long to find her.
Emersyn Hawthorn’s bright-auburn hair caught my attention from a table in the far corner. She adjusted her glasses before taking a sip from an oversized mug. When her stare caught mine over the rim, I smiled.
I’d been communicating with Emersyn the past few weeks as I prepared the documentary for filming. She was well-known throughout the true crime space, as she hosted a very popular podcast,Splintered True Crime. She focused mostly on unsolved cases, and the Shadow Stalker was one of the most infamous ones.
At least, it had been, until earlier this year when he was finally apprehended…thanks to her.
The true crime podcaster had gotten much closer to the case than she ever intended and had been the one who brought the serial killer to justice.
Who better to interview than the woman who literally caught the Shadow Stalker?
Emersyn blinked as I approached her, recognition flaring in her eyes as she slowly lowered the mug. I shoved aside whatever apprehension and anxiousness I’d been grappling with and I offered her my hand.
“Hi,” I said, my tone warm and friendly. “I’m Skye Adler. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Emersyn glanced at my outstretched hand, seeming a little stunned. When her gaze flicked back to mine, though, she managed a nervous smile.
“Sorry.” She shook my hand quickly. “It’s not every day you meet someone from TV.”
