Matt couldn’t find a purse or wallet nearby, but one of the bystanders thought he recognized the girl. Camila brought him over the line so he could check her face. He stared down at the white corpse with a desolate frown before muttering, “Yeah, she’s in my economics class. Her name’s Rebecca. I don’t know her last name.”

“That’s really helpful. Thank you.” Camila directed the poor kid to Blaine, who took down his details and then headed off to administration to track down the girl’s information.

Ollie joined him, and thirty minutes later they were driving to a large apartment complex on the east side of campus. It wasn’t officially student housing, but people thought of it that way because only students ever seemed to live there. The complex had been constructed five years earlier—an initiative funded by the Richmond family to provide affordable accommodation for students who went to the college but didn’t want to commute from home.

The Richmonds owned half the real estate in Aspen Falls and were constantly funding new community ventures. People either loved them or thought they were rich pricks just trying to gain a better name for themselves. If their youngest daughter Sally was anything to go by, the Richmond family were nothing but awesome.

Blaine and Ollie walked up to the second floor, wincing as the cold wind sliced into their exposed skin. The building seemed kind of quiet, which wasn’t surprising considering it was the middle of the day. A couple of students passed them in the hallway. They earned two curious looks but kept their mouths closed. The college would already be buzzing with what happened. People could easily guess why they were there.

Rebecca’s apartment was third on the left. Ollie knocked just as Blaine’s phone buzzed with a text.

It was from Nate.

As soon as you’re done. Follow up with Riley’s best friend. He’s in the same apartment building. 4B.

Blaine replied, then took a screenshot of the picture Nate had just sent him.

Check with victim’s roommate if she knows Riley too.

Blaine replied with a thumbs-up emoji, then glanced up as the door creaked open.

A short Indian girl answered the door, and as soon as she saw them her dark eyes welled with tears.

“So the rumors are true, then. Bex is dead.” Her voice hitched on the last word and Blaine’s chest constricted.

“We’re so sorry.” Ollie’s voice was husky. “I’m Officer Moss. This is Officer Hartford. Do you mind if we come in and ask you a few questions?”

She nodded and pulled the door open. Shuffling across the floor, she wrapped the oversized sweater around her waist and sank into an armchair in the corner.

“I got the text a while ago and I just couldn’t go into class. I can’t believe it.” She lurched forward and snatched a tissue from the box, pressing it into her eyes as she let out a soft whimper. “I’ve been waiting for you guys to get here. What happened to her?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out.”

Blaine and Ollie shared a quick look and silently agreed that Ollie could take the lead. Blaine scanned the tidy apartment while Ollie took a seat on the couch adjacent to the crying girl.

“It’s Prianka, right?” Ollie started gently. “You and Rebecca have been roommates since school started in the fall?”

She sniffed and nodded.

Ollie gave her a kind smile while slowly pulling out his notepad. “When was the last time you saw Rebecca?”

She sniffed again and lowered the tissue. “On Friday. She rushed home after class to change and grab her stuff.”

“Where was she going?” Blaine kept his voice soft and even as he glanced into the kitchen. Everything was neat and orderly. These girls obviously knew how to take care of themselves. The apartment smelled clean and fresh. There were textbooks on the table, piled up next to a laptop. The coffee mug sitting next to it was on a coaster, and from what he could tell, the place looked like it was cleaned regularly.

“I didn’t ask her. She was in a really foul mood, and I knew better than to get up in her business.” Prianka’s upper lip curled. “But she was probably off to see that loser boyfriend of hers. They got together over the Christmas break and she’s been spending a lot of time with him. She stays weekends at his place, and I thought that’s where she was. When she didn’t show this morning, it was a little weird, but not too bad. I mean, she’s been skipping out more than usual and… well, she’s changed, you know?”

“How has she changed?” Ollie asked.

“I don’t know, just…less focused. Less motivated. She…um…” Prianka bit her lower lip and grimaced.

“It’s okay, Prianka. You can tell us anything.”

Her lips pursed to the side while her shoulder did a nervous little hitch. “I promised her I wouldn’t. And she told me she had it under control. She couldn’t afford to get kicked out of school! She said it was a party time only thing, but…”

Prianka looked to the floor, balling up the tissue. She started to shred little pieces off it.

“She was doing drugs, wasn’t she?” Ollie asked.

Prianka nodded.

“Do you know what kind?”

She shook her head. “Not really. It’s not like we talked about it a lot. I just found a packet when I was cleaning one day. I knew it was drugs, but I didn’t know what kind or anything. Well, I mean, at first I thought it was medicine, and I asked her if she was sick. But she got really upset and told me to eff off. It was so unlike her. The change just happened so fast.”

“What did the pills look like?”

“They were, um, like a blue color with this little star symbol on them. It had a dot in the center of the star.”

Ollie scribbled down his notes while Blaine studied the girl from the other side of the room. She looked to be telling the truth. He couldn’t sense any kind of lie.

“Do you have any idea where she may have gotten these drugs?”

“No.” Prianka frowned. “She wouldn’t say, but I’m guessing her boyfriend. She was such a different person before she met him.”

“What’s his name?”

“I don’t know for sure.” Prianka shrugged. “I haven’t even met him. Bex called him Billy, and he’s apparently a very private person.”

Blaine’s eyebrows flickered with mild annoyance. That probably meant he was hiding something.

“I don’t know what else to tell you. I mean, I don’t know if I’m allowed to let you look in her room or anything. I’m guessing you’ll need permission from her parents first. Oh God, do they know?”

“Someone from the department is contacting them.”

Prianka’s eyes welled with tears again.

“Would you like us to call someone for you?” Blaine pulled out his phone and it reminded him to ask about Riley.

“I’ve already called my family. My sister’s on her way. She’s going to stay with me for the week.”

Ollie nodded. “Good.” He looked to Blaine.

Blaine stepped forward as Ollie rose from his seat. “Before we go…any chance you know this girl?”

Blaine spun the phone to face her and she peered at the screen. Her nose wrinkled and she shook her head. “No. Sorry. Does she go to this school? Is she dead too?”

“No.” Blaine smiled and slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket. “She’s going to be fine. But she does go to this school, and we just want to make sure that nothing bad happens to her.”

Prianka stood, wrapping her arms around her waist again. “I’m probably the wrong person to talk to. I’m a study-geek who avoids parties at all costs. I would have told you to talk to Bex, but…” She bit the edge of her lip, her nostrils flaring as she fought more tears.

“You’ve been really helpful.” Blaine lightly patted her shoulder.

She seemed grateful for the assurance and walked them to the door.

“We’ll most likely be in touch again.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “I’m here to help in any way I can.”

Ollie held out his card to her. “Call us any time.”

“Thanks.”

The door clicked shut behind them and they heard the two bolts slide into place.

“She’s scared,” Ollie whispered.

“Her roommate just died. Of course she is.” Blaine’s expression buckled as they walked to the stairwell. “She probably feels guilty too, because she never told anyone about those blue pills.”

“It’s a good lead, though. Do you think it’ll be the same stuff from the last three incidents?”

“I’m not sure. Blue pills seem like a new thing,” Blaine muttered darkly. Dealers sucked.

“You want to call it in?”

“Yeah, but Nate wants me to check in with someone else in this building before we go.”

“Okay.” Ollie pulled out his phone, passing on the details to Nate while Blaine took the stairs two at a time.

They found apartment 4B with relative ease, but no one was home.

“Dammit,” Blaine muttered, scanning the corridor for any signs of life.

“We’ll just have to come back.”

“Yeah.” Blaine nodded. “What’d Nate say?”

“He’s calling Prianka to let her know he’ll be searching the apartment. He’s asked us to head back to the crime scene and help Higgs and Matt finish up with the witness accounts.”

“They must be freezing their balls off out there.” Blaine chuckled as they loped down the stairs.

Ollie laughed. “The college has provided a free classroom and they’re conducting interviews in there, so the only freezing balls right now will be the on-scene techs.”

Blaine thought of poor Kelly Pierce, out there in the cold, taking photos and samples and analyzing the scene thoroughly before daring to disturb it.

She was a tough chick, but he didn’t envy her the day she was no doubt having. Aspen Falls winters were mean beasts.

He just hoped the icy temperatures and snowfall hadn’t hidden any key evidence that would help them solve this case.