The Millerton Ad Agency was located on the outskirts of Seattle in a trendy, upcoming neighborhood with steel buildings, coffee shops, and new restaurants galore. Even though it was barely seven in the morning, the area was bustling with people on their way to work.
Mia was more than happy to flee the SUV after the two-hour drive. With very subtle maneuvering, somehow, Erik had driven with Kurt Colbey in the front passenger seat. Mia had sat in the back with Todd on one side of her and Lionel, who’d fiddled with his cameras the entire time, on the other.
Todd had seemed to waffle between putting Mia next to the door or between the men, but he gave Lionel several dark glances as if the FBI agent would somehow make a move on her in the vehicle. It was ridiculous, really. Arriving in the city was a blessing.
She stood outside the building as both Erik and Todd scouted the area while staying too close to her. “On the drive here, I went through the interview statements for the Claudia Chantal killing, and I’m wondering if we should speak to her Seattle roommate again.”
The young nurse had had more contacts in Brother Jeremiah’s co-op, but they’d refused to cooperate so far. The roommate had also been a nurse and had barely known Claudia, who worked most of the time. “It seems like the two local victims were both married to their jobs,” Mia mused.
Lionel shrugged. “It’s a tie between them, but it doesn’t fit with the other three recent victims, nor with Delaney’s victims.”
Kurt nodded. “I went through the records from the searches on both Chantal’s and Lori Clang’s apartments, and nothing interesting was found. The Seattle FBI team did a good job, so I don’t think there was anything relevant to be discovered.” He shook his head. “It appears both women were somehow grabbed after leaving work, but we can’t find when or where. The videos show they left work, and then it’s just like they disappeared. Neither of their vehicles have been found, either.”
Lionel pressed a button on his phone. “I’m grabbing a rideshare and heading to the Seattle FBI office to look over any satellite pictures or photographs for the local scenes.” If Lionel wasn’t taking pictures, he was studying them. As an FBI agent, he was a great asset, although it was doubtful the Volks had allowed anyone to take pictures of their territory.
However, Mia couldn’t exactly tell him that.
“Sounds good,” Kurt said, shrugging his shoulders beneath his windbreaker as rain dropped in the outskirts of Seattle—like usual. “We’ll catch up with you later. Did Claire get you a plane ticket today, as well?”
Mia turned toward the agent. “You’re having Claire perform tasks for the FBI?” The wolf shifter had enough to do with working as a deputy and handling pack business.
Kurt flushed. “She’s working in the sheriff’s office, and we lack admin support. She said it was no problem to make the arrangements.”
That was kind of her. But even so, she wasn’t obligated to work for the FBI.
Mia would argue about that later. “Erik, Todd…you’re not attending this interview. Feel free to grab a coffee and breakfast somewhere.” Without waiting for an answer, she walked inside the spacious building and climbed two flights of stairs to a wide-open space that served as the reception room. It, too, was trendy.
A twenty-something receptionist with very cool pink streaks in her hair showed Mia and Kurt back to a conference room complete with eco-friendly wooden tables and chairs. She knew they were eco-friendly because the sign on the door said so.
She and Kurt took their seats and waited until a woman in her mid-forties walked in, carrying a tablet in her hands. She wore loose cargo pants and a thick purple sweater. Her blond hair was in a ponytail, and cat-eye glasses covered intelligent-looking brown eyes.
“Hello. I’m Julie Jacobson. I was Lori Clang’s supervisor.” She placed the tablet on the table and pulled out a chair. Her nose was red, as if she’d been crying. “I just can’t believe it. It’s just...it’s so horrific. Who would want to hurt Lori, ever?”
“We’re trying to find that out.” Kurt stood until the woman was completely seated. “We’re very sorry for your loss.”
Julie tapped her fingers on the tablet in a one-two pattern, her gaze on the far wall. “Lori didn’t have any family, so we’re going to put together a funeral service for next weekend. I don’t even know what she wanted. Did she want to be cremated? Did she want to be buried? I don’t know anything.” She put her hand on her head. “Tossed into a dumpster two hours away. It’s just unimaginable.”
“I know,” Mia said gently. “Can you tell me if anybody would want to harm Lori?”
“Nobody I can think of.” Julie shook her head. “Everybody liked her. She worked hard. She captured great accounts, and she never stopped. We joked that she was the Energizer Bunny. I don’t think the woman ever slept.”
“Did she have any conflicts with anybody at work?” Kurt asked.
Julie flattened her hands on the tablet. “Absolutely not. She was a team player, and she genuinely loved her job. It made it easy to work with her.” The woman then focused and tapped on the tablet several times. “I have her recent ad accounts here and can email the list to you, but all our clients were happy with her results. She worked really hard.”
That was the impression Mia had gotten after studying the woman’s page on their website. “Was Lori dating anybody?”
Julie pursed her lips. “I would say no, but she did receive flowers. What was it? Maybe a week and a half ago? Or a week ago? I don’t know. We can check the delivery logs. She read the card and seemed thrilled. I mean, she looked happy. I don’t know how she had time to date anybody, but I guess it’s possible.” Julie craned her neck. “Hey, Blake, get in here.”
“Sure thing.” A young man soon entered the room. He looked to be in his early twenties, with bushy black hair and what looked like real diamonds in his ears. He also wore cargo pants and a baggy sweater—in true Seattle style. “Hey, is this about Lori?” His eyes were bloodshot, and his shoulders drooped.
“Yes,” Julie said. “This is Blake. He was Lori’s intern.”
Blake nodded, and his eyes filled with tears. He brushed them away. “I attend the University of Washington, and I can’t even tell you how much I learned from her. I mean, she worked all the time, but the ideas she came up with for some of the campaigns were really cool. We are going to miss her.”
Mia studied him. He seemed earnest. “Do you know if she was dating anybody?”
Blake shifted his feet. “I don’t really know much about her personal life.”
