“For me too,” Matthew said.
“Whitney?” Marissa addressed the room’s other occupant. A woman sitting slumped over, with her elbows on her knees, and her head in her hands in an armchair by an oversized fireplace.
Whitney Leroy was Georgia’s best friend and roommate and seemed to be taking her disappearance harder than Georgia’s sister was. Or at least she was finding it harder to contain her emotions. The constant shaking in Marissa’s hands said she was struggling just as much as Whitney, but at the moment was still able to keep tight control on her emotions.
“Nothing,” came the mumbled reply from behind a wall of blonde hair.
Marissa nodded once and departed. Matthew gave her a small nod and Rylla took the seat beside Whitney and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Whitney, I'm Detective Franklin, I'm going to do everything I can to find your friend, but to do that, I'm going to need your help.”
Slowly, Whitney lifted her splotchy red face. “I already told the police his name. It’s Leopoldo Kevay. Leo.”
They had already researched the name on the way here. Once again, the killer had chosen a name which meant Prince Charming. Leopoldo was German and meant prince of the people, and Kevay was Irish and meant lovely and charming. She was also expecting to hear that Georgia had been told a similar story about his background as what Tillie and Jeannie had been told.
“I know you told us that, but it’s not his real name,” Rylla said gently. She suspected that shock was still clouding Whitney’s mind and she wasn't yet in a place where she could comprehend what had happened.
“Not his real name?” Whitney echoed. “Why would he use a fake name?”
“Because he was playing her. He always intended to kidnap her,” Marissa said from the door. “Right?” she challenged as she passed out cups of coffee.
“Right,” Rylla agreed. “That’s why it’s very important that you tell us everything you know about him so we can try to find out who he really is.”
“I don’t know much about him,” Marissa said. “I’m pretty busy with work, and a husband, and four kids including a teenager and a toddler. Georgia and I don’t talk as often as we should. Particularly about things like her love life. She’s always been a little jealous of me, and when we were kids I was a little … not very nice to her.” Marissa’s cheeks pinked in embarrassment at her past sins. “I knew she was dating someone online, and I warned her to be careful, you never really know who you’re talking to. But she was so confident thatherguy was the real thing. That he was genuine. That he was exactly who he said he was and more. She was really enamored.”
“Did she have pictures of him?”
“Yes. Well, she had pictures of what shethoughtwas him,” Marissa amended. “She thought he was gorgeous. I have to admit, I did too.”
“Did you know she was going to be meeting him?” Matthew asked.
“Yes, she mentioned it. She was so excited, especially when he sent her the dress.”
“The dress?” Rylla asked.
“He sent her this gorgeous dress about a week ago. It was red, gold, and blue, and a little like the dress that Snow White wears in the Disney movie. GeorgialovedSnow White when she was a little girl, we used to play it all the time, dressing our cats up as the seven dwarfs.” Marissa smiled sadly at the memory. “She must have told him about loving Snow White because he sent her the dress and she was just over the moon about it. Couldn’t wipe the smile off her face that day. What she loved the most was that the dress was her exact size.”
“How did he know her dress size? Did she send him pictures of herself?” Rylla asked. That seemed odd, she couldn’t imagine a guy being able to accurately guess a woman’s clothing size. She had dated plenty of men, been in serious relationships, and never once had any article of clothing they had bought her been the correct size.
“If she did, they would only have been headshots,” Marissa replied. “Georgia didn't like having photos taken of herself, she was very self-conscious about her looks. Even as a child. I think she would have wanted to hold off on him seeing her properly until they met in person, otherwise she would have been scared that if he saw her too early, he’d lose interest in her.”
Rylla had seen pictures of Georgia Lars and the woman was every bit as pretty as her sister, just not quite as tall and thin. But once you got an idea in your head about yourself it could be hard to shake it loose. Sometimes how people saw themselves wasn't the same as the way everyone else saw them. She knew all about that.
“I thought we had a break in,” a quiet voice whispered brokenly.
They all turned to Whitney who was still hidden behind her hair. “A break in?” Rylla repeated, that sounded hopeful. Tillie Schueman had lived alone and had never reported any break ins, but Jeannie Jones lived with her elderly grandmother who had reported hearing someone walking around one afternoon while she was home alone approximately two weeks before Jeannie was abducted. She had called 911, but when cops showed up there was no signs that anyone had been in the house. Nothing was disturbed and nothing was taken, it was assumed that the old woman had imagined the whole thing, so no action had been taken.
But maybe they’d been wrong.
Maybe the killer reallyhadbeen in the house.
“When was the break in, Whitney?” she asked.
“About two weeks ago.”
“Was anything taken?” she prompted.
A slight shake of the head was the only answer Whitney gave.
“Then why did you think there had been a break in? Was a door left open? A window broken? Dirty footprints on the floor?” she asked.