Andi took a breath. “Let’s go.”
As they moved back toward the crowd, Andi knew one thing for certain: If the killer wanted to see how they’d react, he was about to get his answer.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-FOUR
The momentthe door to Mariella’s suite closed behind them that night after the show, the tension snapped. Everyone began talking at once, voices sharp and clipped.
Duke hadn’t even taken off his jacket when Matthew’s phone buzzed.
Matthew’s face drained of color as he stared at the screen.
Duke stepped closer. “What is it?”
“Another episode ofCold Truthjust dropped,” Matthew said.
Mariella sucked in a breath. “We need to listen to it.”
They crowded around the phone as Matthew queued it up. The rival podcast’s intro music spilled into the room—slick, confident, almost smug.
The host’s voice followed, measured and amused.
He didn’t nameThe Round Tablemembers outright. He didn’t have to.
Instead, he talked about coincidence. About patterns. About storytellers who always seemed to arrive just before tragedy struck.
At one point, he laughed softly. “I’m not saying these people are responsible. I’m just saying . . . it’s something to consider.”
Duke’s jaw tightened.
The comments scrolled beneath the audio—speculation already spiraling, people connecting dots with reckless certainty.
From the corner, Rupert’s phone started ringing.
He answered it, pacing as he listened. “No, this is not a publicity stunt. No, absolutely not?—”
He turned away, voice dropping as another call came in.
Duke didn’t need to hear the rest.
Pressure was already mounting.
Whoever was behind that podcast—whether it was the killer himself or someone being manipulated—was tightening the net.
Rupert ended his call and looked back at them, shaken. “We’re going to need to pivot. Fast.”
Andi sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her laptop balanced on her knees.
Too much had happened. Too many near misses. Too many women dismissed because their fear didn’t fit a neat narrative.
The thought gnawed at her as she scrolled through tabs she’d already opened once tonight and sworn she was done with.
She wasn’t.
Her cursor hovered over a search bar.
Unreported disappearance in Los Angeles found later.
