The video played, showing various clips of Crawford speaking, graduates in their businesses, and shots of mentorship sessions. Cheesy, upbeat music played behind it all. Kate watched as the footage moved quickly through different scenes. Then, about forty seconds in, there was a brief clip of Susan Hayes at her desk, speaking to someone off-camera. The shot lasted maybe three or four seconds before transitioning to another graduate.
"There," Sloane said, pausing the video. "That's her.”
Kate took the phone and rewound the video, watching the brief clip again. Sloane was right. Susan Hayes appeared for only a few seconds in a video that was over three minutes long, yet Sloane had recognized her immediately. It was a detail Kate had completely missed, and she felt a flash of genuine admiration for the younger agent's observational skills.
"That's impressive," Kate said, handing the phone back. "Good eye.”
Sloane shrugged, but Kate could see the pleased expression on her face. "I watched this one a few times. It seemed older, so I thought there might be something there worth digging up. Hayes's face just stuck with me."
Kate pulled out her own phone and navigated to the Second Act Success YouTube channel, pulling up the video descriptions and view counts. The video Sloane had found had over twelvethousand views. She scrolled through the other videos, noting which ones featured the other victims.
"You know, I think Patricia was in two videos," Kate said. "One from six months ago and another from as recently as two months ago. Rachel was in one as well… the same one as the one Patricia was in six months ago. I’m almost sure of it. Though, honestly, the videos are sort of generic and they all blur together.”
"So all three victims appeared in promotional content," Sloane said. "That can't be a coincidence."
"It's not." Kate looked back at Susan Hayes's body, sprawled across her desk. "The killer isn't just targeting graduates. They're targeting the ones Crawford used to promote the program. Thevisiblesuccess stories."
"So you're thinking this is about the program itself? Not just business competition?" Sloane asked.
"It's starting to look that way," Kate said. "Jennifer Grisham was probably right about one thing. If this were purely about eliminating competition, the killer would be targeting current competitors in their own field. But these women run completely different types of businesses. They wouldn't have been competing with each other."
"But they're all connected to Second Act Success," Sloane added. "And they were all used to showcase the program's success. That's the real link."
Kate walked back to the desk, studying Susan Hayes again. The wound in her throat was vicious, personal. The killer had gotten close enough to stab her in the neck, had watched her die. That level of intimacy suggested rage, not just calculation.
"If the connection is the program itself," Kate said, thinking out loud, "then we need to look deeper into Second Act Success. Who might have a grudge against Crawford or the program? Who benefited from having these specific women succeed?"
"Or who lost something because they succeeded?” Sloane suggested. She turned to face Kate fully. "We need to go back to Crawford's office. We need her to be completely honest about the program, about who applies, who gets rejected, and whether there's been any fallout from graduates getting this level of attention."
Kate nodded slowly. Sloane was right. They'd been looking at this from the wrong angle, focusing on business competition and external threats. But if the killer was targeting the program's most visible success stories, then the answer had to be connected to Second Act Success itself. Something within the program's structure, its selection process, or its aftermath had created this killer.
"I say we go back to Crawford,” Sloane said. "The program is his business... his reputation. If word got out that being a success in his program suddenly put you in a killer’s bullseye, it could destroy everything he's built. I think if we lead with that, he’ll spit up whatever little secrets he was withholding yesterday."
Kate looked at her watch. It was past five now. Crawford's office would technically be closed, but Kate suspected he was still there. Besides, at 5:30 yesterday afternoon, he'd been prepping for a Zoom meeting when they'd shown up.
"I’m sure he’s going to love seeing us again,” Kate said.
Sloane laughed softly but there was no humor in it. They headed out to find Detective Romero and to then once again pay a visit to an unsuspecting David Crawford.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Second Act Success office building looked just a little more ominous than on their visit the day before, even though they were entering through the doors pretty close to the same time as their previous visit. The sun had dropped below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep purple that made the modern glass and steel structure seem almost cold. The parking lot was nearly empty, just a handful of cars scattered across the spaces.
Kate parked near the entrance and killed the engine. Beside her, Sloane was already unbuckling her seatbelt, her expression set with determination. They'd discussed their approach during the drive over, and both agreed that Crawford had been holding back information during their first visit. Now, with three women dead and all of them connected to his promotional materials, they needed full access to his records.
"If he tries to stall us again," Sloane said as they approached the building, "I'm done being polite."
"Agreed," Kate said. "Three victims in one day. We don't have time for corporate protection games. If he gets very defensive, he may tell us we need a warrant. But I also think he’d want to avoid that sort of activity at all costs. So if we steer the conversation properly, he may not even think to suggest such a thing."
Inside, the lobby was dim, most of the overhead lights turned off for the evening. Only the security lighting remained, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Kate could see light coming from the second-floor windows where Crawford's office was located. She pushed through the glass doors and headed for the stairs, Sloane following close behind.
The second floor hallway was quiet except for the sound of their footsteps on the carpet. Paula’s desk sat empty, her computer monitor dark. But the door to Crawford's office stoodopen, and Kate could see him inside, hunched over his laptop at his desk.
Crawford looked up as they entered, and Kate saw recognition flash across his face followed quickly by something that looked like dread. He straightened in his chair, his hand moving almost unconsciously toward his laptop as if to close it. He also seemed to make an extra effort to keep his face as neutral as possible.
"Agents," he said. His voice was tight. "I didn't expect to see you back here tonight."
"We need access to your program records," Kate said without preamble. "Allof them. Financial documents, internal communications, participant files, everything related to Second Act Success that you didn’t show us yesterday."
