Page 41 of My Killer Blind Date

KillMe_Softly No, but I have been wondering if the women somehow knew each other?? Zoe Dawson was an artist, right? Maybe she and Kayleigh could have met through the crafty world?

I shake my head as I compose my response.

Looking_for_Zoe Idk … Zoe was really high brow. She wouldn’t be caught dead at a street fair with craftsy people. For her, it was gallery or bust. So they couldn’t have met that way, but it is an interesting question …

Billyboyyyyyy I agree, that’s an interesting angle, KillMe_Softly. Could the killer have met all of them at some common location, maybe a bar? I still think he’s an incel, btw. Have you dipped into that community? Scary shit. What if he was sexually rejected by each of them and flipped?

KillMe_Softly I’ve done some deep dives on Kayleigh and she is NOT the bar-going type, trust me!!!!

I gnaw on my lip. What Billboyyyyyy said is kind of in line with my Liam theory – that he dated and killed them all. Still, I have a hard time believing Liam’s an incel. He did have that whole bit about never getting a second date, but he didn’t seem angry about it. Just confused. Anyway, I bet he gets laid plenty on date number one.

What I’m finding more compelling is the idea that the three women might’ve known each other. Since I’ve never come across anything that linked them, it hadn’t occurred to me. I tap out a quick post.

Looking_for_Zoe The three weren’t friends on any of the social platforms – I’ve checked across Facebook, IG, BlueSky, Threads, X and LinkedIn. I’ve also scoured their photos and they don’t appear together in any pictures that I can find. I guess it’s possible they met? But how would we verify that?

YourMamasWife So I’ve literally been finding everything I can about Crystal Cole, who is by far the most intriguing to me since she was the most private, and even though this doesn’t shed any light on whether or not she knew the other women, you will NEVER believe what I came across! I’m 99% sure this is her!! Someone who knows for certain, please confirm! Dropping the link here!

A hit of adrenaline buzzes through me, just like any time there’s a new discovery about one of the victims, no matter how small. I click the link. A website pops up.

‘Holy shit,’ I breathe.

Black scrolly lettering across a lush crimson background reads ‘Bad Kitty & Big Dog.’ On the landing page are two black and white pictures. The first is a man and a woman sitting in a very interesting position. The other image shows her in a lacy black teddy, bending over a bed, most of her ass exposed, with a riding crop in her mouth. Behind her, a man with a mask over half his face holds a leather flogger.

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I right click and open the first picture in a new window so I can better zoom in on the woman’s face, and yep. I have no doubt this woman is Crystal Cole. Which, damn. Vet assistant by day, BDSM influencer by night. How did I not find this until now? Months and months of digging, and I had no idea she led this shadow life.

Could Zoe have had a shadow life too? a voice in my head pipes up.

Possibilities sputter like dying fireworks in my brain, but nothing makes sense. What the hell do a pro-life plushie-maker, a BDSM-loving vet assistant and my friend have in common? The more I find out about the three women, the more different they seem from one another. They wouldn’t have been friends. And it’s hard to imagine what commonality the killer latched on to.

My rational brain says that maybe nothing links them other than they’re women living in Chicago. But my gut says there’s something else. However untrustworthy my gut can be, I have to honor that little voice.

I navigate to the contact form on the website and compose a quick message to Big Dog explaining that I’m looking into Crystal’s death and would love to speak to him if he has a few minutes. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s a new lead, which means there’s the potential for new intel.

I hit submit.

Chapter Thirteen

Saturday dawns warm and sunny. I’m meeting Liam at two in the afternoon by the river, right off a cute little trail on the north branch that I didn’t even know was there.

The week has gone by in an unsatisfying blur of work. Liam has been pretty quiet, with no more surprise bouquets or even texts. Frustratingly, there’s been no answer from Big Dog or the restaurant group, despite my multiple follow ups.

Today, however, is a new day. I have another chance to interrogate Liam, and I am determined to grab the bull by the horns and make it count.

After a train and a bus, during which I listen to a fascinating and weirdly cheerful podcast about the psychology of psychopaths, I arrive at the spot we agreed to meet.

Ah! A boat house. And Liam is already here, standing by two kayaks. I can’t help but notice his arms, on full display under his white T-shirt. And fuck me, his biceps are just as great as his forearms. Figures.

‘Hey,’ he calls out to me.

‘Hey.’ I hesitate as I approach. Do I … kiss him? Or is that weird? I end up leaning in, then thinking better of it and pulling back, so his attempted kiss lands on the side of my head.

‘Awkward,’ I laugh.

‘We’ll do it properly, then,’ he says, suddenly locking his gaze on mine, and then his hand is at the small of my back, light but insistent, and my head is tilting back and his lips are on mine and I hadn’t realized how tense my body was, because suddenly the tension is melting right out of me and I’m limp as a noodle. I release a very inappropriate groan.

He pulls away, looking into my eyes. ‘Better?’