‘Go ahead, Stace,’ she said, answering the call.
‘Got a name, boss.’
Kim frowned. This was not news. She’d received the same email from Mitch and knew the girl’s name was Sarah Laing.
‘And?’
‘Except that’s not really the name she goes by. She calls herself Sarah Sizzle on the numerous dating websites she’s subscribed to.’ Stacey paused. ‘Gay websites.’
Kim felt the world stand still for a moment. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Oh yeah. I want to do more digging to see exactly what she was seeking, but she was on a fair few of them.’
Kim felt as though she was stepping into an area that was unfamiliar. She’d never downloaded a dating app in her life.
‘Do these sites cater to all sexualities?’ Kim asked.
‘How am I supposed to know? I’m a happily married woman.’
‘Stace.’
‘They’re a mixture. I need to go deeper.’
Bryant guffawed and, realising what she’d said, Stacey burst out laughing on the other end.
‘Okay, enough, you two. Could Sarah and Jamie have been on the same site?’
‘Definitely possible. Let me get back to it.’
‘Quick as you can, Stace. We need to know if this is some kind of awful coincidence or if we’re dealing with a rush of hate crimes.’
‘On it, boss,’ Stacey said before ending the call.
Kim didn’t even want to consider the possibility.
‘Come on, smutty boy, let’s see what we can get without a court order,’ she said, getting out of the car. She wasn’t getting delayed again.
She pressed the buzzer beside the door and introduced them both into the speaker.
The door clicked. She pushed it open to reveal a carpeted staircase leading to the first floor.
There was no door on the upper level, and the stairs ended at an open-plan area that was part office and part lounge. At the far end of the space, she could see three doors: one marked ‘toilet’, the middle one was marked ‘staff only’ and the final one, key coded, had a ‘no entry’ sign.
The woman that stood to greet them was dressed in jeans, ankle boots and a V-neck sweater. Light brown hair curled beneath her chin. Her make-up was expertly applied and appeared minimal.
‘Megan Shaw,’ she said, holding out her hand.
Kim looked away as she surveyed her surroundings. The windows were on the rear of the property and looked out onto a trading estate behind, destroying the New York loft vibe she seemed to be aiming for.
‘We’d like to talk to you about Jamie Mills,’ Kim said.
Her face creased in concern. ‘Is he okay?’
Kim shook her head as she took a seat. The reclassification of the incident had not yet hit the news and neither had Jamie’s identity.
‘I’m sorry to tell you that Jamie is dead.’
‘Oh God, no,’ Megan said as her hand went to her mouth. Her other hand landed on the back of the sofa to steady herself.