“There’s no reason to think that,” Andi assured her.
“I know.” Emily shrugged. “Logically, I know. But logic doesn’t do much at three in the morning when you hear a noise and your heart tries to claw its way out of your chest.”
Fear was a terrible thing to live with. Duke knew all about that.
“Did the police talk to you?” Andi hugged her coffee mug with her fingers.
Emily snorted softly. “Yeah. Detective Hawkins came, asked some questions, took notes. I don’t think he took the situation very seriously. I’m just the roommate who slept through the whole thing.”
Duke didn’t miss the bitterness under her words.
Andi shifted in her seat. “Tell us about Gina. What is she like day to day?”
Emily’s expression softened. “Gina is great. She’s driven. Organized. Borderline obsessive about control.” A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “She color-codes her calendar and labels leftovers in the fridge. But she’s . . . kind. She would always check in on me to make sure I have everything I need.”
“I understand your family knows her family,” Duke said. “Is that right?”
“That’s correct. Ever since I was involved in a carjacking in Chicago, I’ve had some anxiety. I needed to move somewhere for a fresh start, but I didn’t want to be alone. Gina was generous enough to open up her apartment to me. She’s like a big sister in that way.”
Duke watched her hands as she spoke—fidgeting, twisting the sleeve of her burnt-orange sweater.
“We heard she disappeared once before for two weeks,” Andi said. “Do you know anything about that?”
Emily released a puff of air through her nose. “I heard about that. It was before I moved here. She mentioned it once and said she just needed a mental health break and she didn’t think anyone would miss her. She even left her phone behind so no one could reach her. She had no idea it was going to turn into what it did.”
“And what did it turn into?”
“A local news station got involved. People put together searches and online campaigns.” Emily shook her head. “When she returned and found out what was going on, she was truly embarrassed.”
Andi’s jaw tightened. “What about Colin? Did Gina ever mention feeling unsafe around him?”
Emily hesitated, nibbling on her bottom lip a moment. “I mean . . . they’d just broken up when I moved in. But shetold me about him, which made me not like him. From what I understood, he was intense and jealous, the kind of guy who got upset if she didn’t answer her phone or text back fast enough. But Gina always insisted she had it under control.”
“Is there any reason you think he might be involved in this?” Duke asked.
Her eyebrows flicked up. “I . . . I don’t know. Maybe. He . . . he does have a cabin up in the mountains. Well, his family does. Maybe his uncle. Should someone check there?”
Andi exchanged a glance with Duke before saying, “Yes, we definitely should. You don’t know the address, do you?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t.”
“It’s okay.” Duke grabbed his phone. “Our tech guy is a genius. He should be able to find it.”
He shot off a quick message to Matthew.
Emily let out a shaky breath and pulled out her phone. “I—I have pictures I thought you might want to see. From hiking, a party, random stuff. I thought it might give you a better feel for Gina.”
She scrolled, then turned the screen toward them.
Duke leaned in.
There was Gina—smiling on a trail, hair pulled back, cheeks flushed from exertion. Gina at what looked like a holiday party. Gina holding a mug far too large for her hands.
Andi paused at one photo. “Who’s that?”
In the photo, Gina stood with another woman, arm slung casually around her shoulders. The woman was older—maybe mid-thirties with a confident posture and familiar smile.
Emily glanced at the screen. “That’s Pam. Gina’s sister.”
