“It was in the Globe today. I was worried already, because I hadn’t heard anything from Audrey for a few days, which was strange, and then I saw a headline that said a woman had been found dead in Beacon Hill, and I knew it was her even before I read the rest of the article.”
“What did it say?” Kate asked.
“Just that her body had been found, and that the police were treating it as a suspicious death, and there was a number to call with any information, so I called it. I went into the police station, and they questioned me, but they wouldn’t tell me anything, except that she’d been positively identified. Do you know who did that? Do you know who identified her?”
Jack’s voice was rising in pitch. Kate, recognizing panic in someone else, felt, as she usually did, comparatively calm. She said, “Jack, I don’t know anything. I’m sorry. I just got here. But I’m sure the police can’t talk about it because it’s an ongoing investigation. Is there someone else you can talk with? One of Audrey’s friends? Or her family?”
He nodded. “I will. I don’t really know her family, but I can talk with her best friend, Kerry. I know her.”
“She might have been the one who alerted the police that Audrey was missing. There was a girl here when I arrived, knocking on Audrey’s door.”
“Yeah, that was probably Kerry.” Something in Jack’s voice made Kate think that he wasn’t fond of Audrey’s best friend.
“You should talk with her,” Kate said. “I’m sure she knows more than I know.”
“I will.” They continued to walk, Kate picking up the pace a little, Jack keeping up. They passed Brimmer and were approaching Charles Street. “So does Corbin know yet?” he asked.
“I gave his e-mail to the police and I think they were going to do it, just in case he had any information. I didn’t want to e-mail him myself yet because I didn’t know if he’d heard.”
“Do you think the police suspect him?”
“I don’t. I didn’t. They said they didn’t. Why, was there something strange between him and Audrey?”
“Well, they had a thing.”
“What kind of thing?”
“I don’t know exactly. It was an on-and-off thing. Audrey told me that they slept together but that they weren’t going out, that he just wanted to keep things between them strictly in the apartment.” It was clear from Jack’s tone that he hadn’t approved of the situation.
“What do you mean in the apartment?”
“In the building. I guess they were hooking up, and Audrey wanted more, more of a relationship, and Corbin didn’t. She didn’t have particularly nice things to say about him. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you this. I didn’t get the sense that she was scared of him or anything. It wasn’t like that. Just that he was an asshole.”
“I don’t really know anything about it,” Kate said. They’d reached the corner of Bury and Charles, and were now facing each other again.
Jack’s jaw was clenching and unclenching. “I don’t think Corbin had anything to do with what happened.”
“Well, he was already in London—”
“When did he leave, exactly, do you know?”
“He took a night flight on Thursday, because he got in early on Friday morning. That was the day I left to come here. We almost had time to meet one another, but not really.”
Jack said nothing, and Kate watched as he seemed to be calculating whether Corbin could have had something to do with Audrey’s death. “When did you last talk with Audrey?” she asked.
His eyes snapped back toward her. “Oh, I’m trying to remember. Sometime Wednesday evening, I think.”
“So you think Corbin . . .”
“No, I don’t think anything. I guess he could’ve had something to do with what happened. It’s a possibility, right?” He looked almost hopeful.
“I don’t know. Maybe someone else heard from her. You should really ask the police about that. I don’t know anything.”
Jack rapidly shook his head, as though he had water in an ear. “Jesus, I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with you. I’m just freaking out—”
“No, I get it. It’s just that I can’t help you. I don’t know Corbin, and he didn’t tell me anything about anyone else who lived here. I hope he had nothing to do with it. What do you know about what happened to her, to Audrey?”
“What do you mean? Like how she was killed?”
“I guess.”
“They wouldn’t tell me anything. They said they were