Wiping away the tears, Tiffany nodded. “I’m parked in the garage across the street; it may take me a few minutes to get back here.”
Sin slid her backpack onto her shoulder and walked toward her bike. “No problem, I’ll wait.”
When the reporter reappeared, she pulled in behind her driving a black-on-black Mustang.
There might be hope for her yet, Sin thought.
She waved for Tiffany to come up beside her.
“In case we get separated, I’ll meet you on the boat.”
Tiffany dropped her designer shades over her eyes. “Meet you there.”
The muscle car jumped to life and its exhaust screamed its gratitude as Tiffany raced down A1A.
Sin jumped on and kick started her bike in one motion and rocketed down the street behind her. Quickly catching up, she twisted the throttle and deftly weaved between the cars until the Mustang was in her rearview mirror.
Tiffany wasn’t the only one trailing Sin. A white panel truck with stolen plates was following from a distance behind the reporter.
“I’m starting to think the hunt is just as exciting as the art,” she cackled.
Ash gripped the wheel tight but smiled. Me too, he thought, me too.
26
Sin waited next to the houseboat for Tiffany to pull even with her bike.
“Where do I park?” Tiffany asked.
Sin pointed to the Fontainebleau Resort and Spa across Collins Avenue. “Just tell the valet you’re visiting me. He’ll take care of you.”
Sin—and Ash—watched as Tiffany made a tight U-turn and drove up the steep drive of the hotel. Sin waited for Tiffany to walk back down and cross the street not paying any attention to the white panel truck as it drove by.
Inside the cabin of the boat, Sin pointed to the small table in the galley. Tiffany sat down and looked around. “Nice place you have here. This is prime dock space. I often wondered who owned this boat.”
“It belongs to a friend,” Sin said. “He leaves it docked here. I just borrow it when I’m in town.”
“Nice friend.”
An image of Charlie flashed through Sin’s mind. “Yeah, he is.” She opened a cabinet and reached for a bottle of Patron. Placing two shot glasses on the table, she filled them.
“I know it’s early but you look like you could use this, and I don’t think anyone should ever drink alone.”
Tiffany didn’t hesitate. She lifted the glass and tossed the shooter down her throat like an old pro. Smiling, Sin did the same.
“Now that you’re a little more relaxed, tell me what happened and how you found this envelope. You said earlier that it was on your kitchen table. I need you to try and recall all of the details.”
“When I got home from the station, it was propped up against a bowl on my kitchen table.”
Sin grabbed a piece of paper and handed a pen to Tiffany. “Let’s start with the basics. Write your address down and everything you did today from the moment you woke up. Even the smallest detail could be important.”
“That won’t be hard,” Tiffany said as she wrote. “I woke up at six, got dressed, and went to work.
“I went to the station and answered my voicemail, and then my cameraman, Donny, and I went to Waterfront Park and shot some follow up footage. After that, we went back to the station and spent the rest of the morning editing. I was hungry and wanted to shower before the midday news. That’s when I went home and found the envelope.”
“Any roommates?”
“No, I live alone.”
In her mind, Sin imagined Tiffany’s path through her apartment.
“Does anyone else have a key to your apartment?”
“No, no one.”
“Does the building have a maintenance crew or property manager?”
“Yeah, we have maintenance as part of our lease agreement.”
“I’ll need their contact information,” Sin said. She watched Tiffany write down the information and then continued her thought process. “You find a strange envelope. Then, what do you do?”
“I opened it and took out the pictures. As soon as I saw the first few, I had a pretty good idea who left them.”
“Then what?”
“I opened the letter. After I read it, I called you. Then I ran into my bedroom to see if he took anything. I saw the…outfit, and ran out as fast as I could.”
“Did you touch anything else in the apartment?”
“No. As soon as I saw the clothes, I grabbed the envelope and ran out. I swear.”
“What about the clothes you’re wearing. I don’t imagine you wore that for the footage you shot at the park this morning.”
“I changed at the station. The shoes I wear on-camera are uncomfortable, so I only dress up when I’m on location.”
Sin nodded. She pulled a pair of gloves from her backpack and removed the pictures from the envelope. There were numerous photos of the killer’s latest work. Most were taken of the victim’s face through the metal bars of a cage. There were shots from different angles with a few showing the eyes peering through an opening in the steel.
My God, Sin thought, they look so alive. A thought of the young woman being placed in that contraption while still breathing flashed across her mind, but she quickly blinked it away.
The rest of the photos were of Tiffany, as well as his two victims—surveillance photos. There was a picture of Vivienne entering the Stokler Gallery in Delray Beach and one of her walking into her apartment building. There were similar shots of the latest victim waiting in line in a coffee shop, and a few of Tiffany. There was even one of Tiffany’s car and license plate.
Son of a bitch. This freak is trailing her.
Sin put everything back in the envelope and took off her gloves. “Wait here,” she exhaled, “I need to make a call.”
Jack picked up on the first ring. “Where are you? I—we are worried sick.”
“Yeah, well, no need to worry about me, but we do have other problems.” Sin ran down her conversation with Tiffany and what she found in the envelope.
“We need to place
