The channel. Judy. Margo. Lacey. Mexico. Hidden Truths. Gilbert. The cat burglar. The fires ten years ago. The fires now. The bracelet. The fake set. Tom. Victoria. There were still too many lines, too many intersections, and suddenly far too many reasons someone might want people silenced.
Holt exhaled slowly.
The case had just widened again.
And this time, it felt as if they had stumbled onto the edge of something much more deliberate than any of them had yet admitted out loud.
“I have to wonder, and even more so now,” June’s voice pulled Holt out of his reverie as he turned to see her walk into the room. She handed him the sheet, which he took. “I think you should hold onto this.”
He nodded, folded it, and shoved it into his pocket. “You were wondering?”
“About the pink letter addressed to Lucy and me,” June told him, packing the file back into the folder and closing the box. “Why single Lucy and me out?” She sighed and lifted her shoulders slightly. “At first, I thought it was Victoria because of Tom and you.”
“I know,” Holt said, agreeing with her. “I still think Victoria is somehow involved. We can’t rule out the scratches on her hands.”
“Or on Alfred’s hand,” June reminded him. “I can’t see Alfred trying to abduct Judy.” She snorted, and amusement flashed in her eyes. “Under that stiff posture and snooty bravado is an old softy.”
“I wouldn’t rule him out because of that,” Holt told her. “He’s been loyal to the Morrison family all his life.”
“I know,” June said with a nod. “I realize that.” She glanced at him curiously. “How do we find out if it’s their DNA beneath Judy’s fingernails?”
“Very carefully,” Holt warned. “I’d say maybe even extremely so.” His brows lifted. “Like what we’re discussing here does not leave this room.” He counted off on his fingers. “Because Tom is a suspect, so is his wife, Victoria, and we can’t rule out their children, Sienna and Clive, either.”
“Can I see the YouTube channel?” June asked him.
Holt nodded and quickly called it up on the laptop. He found one from ten years ago. “This is the last YouTube video from Gilbert.”
They pulled up chairs and sat close. Holt tried his best to ignore the warmth he could feel radiating off her. They were so close.
“There is nothing letting on what he was working on for the next show,” June noted.
“I know,” Holt said. “Then there is this one that started nearly a year after Gilbert died.”
They watched it. The show started with a tribute to Gilbert Fry and then introduced JJ Collins, who was taking over the legendary work Gilbert had done in exposing crime, corruption, fraud, and blatant cheating.
“JJ Collins?” June glanced at him inquiringly. “That name does sound familiar.”
“I have no idea,” Holt told her. “I can’t get a match for anyone remotely related to Judy.”
“We have a wider net now,” June pointed out. “We need to dig into Margo and Lacey’s backgrounds, too.”
Holt nodded in agreement. They skimmed through a few of the newer videos. June made him stop and rewind a few when the new female avatar joined the show.
“Wait!” June said, her eyes widening. “That phrase, try to keep smiling,” she glanced at Holt. “Lacey always says that.”
“So we can assume the second avatar that joined the show was Lacey,” Holt noted, and June nodded.
They listened to a few of the newer ones after the Mexico one and the most recent one from three weeks ago.
“Does that sound different to you?” June looked at him with a frown. “The way the male and first female avatar sounds. The way they word things.”
“What are you saying?” Holt asked.
“I think there are more than just three people hosting this show,” June told him. “They use the same avatars, but they aren’t the same people, even though the voices are the same.” She looked at the screen. “Play that newest video again, please.”
He did, and June’s eyes widened, her back stiffened, and she turned to him. “There aren’t just three presenters in this show. I’d say at a guess there were six.”
It suddenly dawned on Holt who she meant, and his brows shot up as it sank in. “No way!”
