The Podcast

Chapter 18

Sunday evening

The thumping of a black, furry tail slaps against the hardwood in a steady rhythm like a heartbeat. Lucas bends down and scratches between his dog's ears. Two retired military bachelors. Both with more than their fair share of battle scars.

"Good boy, Slate." Lucas walks from the front door toward the back of the couch, leaning against it as he surveys his growing war wall. Everyone he and Melanie interviewed yesterday has a place, notes and lines of string indicating connections, theories, questions.

Usually home is where Lucas feels something akin to peace. But tonight, the bungalow living room is emanating with a kind of nervous energy, one that even Slate seems to pick up on based on the rigid point of his ears. That dog can read Lucas better than anyone.

Two copycat murders. Not just one isolated non-coincidence. A pattern. And where there are two, there are three. Maybe more. Lucas had known Sumner would show up with confirmation of the UCLA case, but he hadn't expected her to come through with an additional copycat. Lucas had spent the better part of the morning combing through the recent double homicide case file of two young men out at Joshua Tree. The similarities just as striking as the UCLA case. But other than the two cases both having been originally featured on the podcast and both remaining unresolved, there was no clear connection. Why these two?

A quick scroll through the West Coast Killers show on the Podster app revealed over 200 episodes. Triangulation was possible—he'd need a dedicated team beyond just Melanie—but even that wouldn't help them predict what murder this copycat killer may try to recreate next.

Lucas pulls his shirt over his head, making his way toward the shower. He catches his reflection in the small mirror over the sink: three-day old beard, tired eyes, a permanent scowl. Two bullet wound scars on his upper left bicep, just inches below the curve of his shoulder.

Stepping under the hot spray of the shower, he bites down on his lip as the heat sears into the pink, raised flesh, water rolling down his arm and over his body. Tilting his face upward, rubbing the heels of his hands into the deep sockets of his eyes, his thoughts keep coming back to her.

Sumner may have researched the hell out of the two apparent copycat cases, her printed and labeled files more thorough than LA's finest. Not that Lucas plans on admitting that to her. But she hadn't so much as mentioned the case involving her murdered best friend—Chloe. And yet, nearly everyone he'd interviewed had. The case had been Sumner's gateway into the world she's come to dominate. So why not even mention it to him when he interviewed her in the studio? When she'd shown up at his office?

Perhaps like everyone else, she simply assumed he already knew.

Lucas towels off quickly, not bothering to shave. He starts a pot of coffee, the brewing smell earning a confused head tilt from Slate. This time of day is usually dedicated to the sweet, pungent smell of whiskey.

Lucas' phone pings. For a moment he pauses. Perhaps it's her. Sumner. She'd nearly passed out when he asked for her phone. Like she really might faint right in front of him.

And then just as quickly, she'd snapped out of it. Escaping his office in a near-run.

Lucas pulls his phone out from under his discarded shirt.

Brianna Bar: Hey! You up? I can come over :)

Bar, as in met-at-the-bar and never to be texted beyond one night. Lucas hits delete on the notification and pulls up his internet browser.

A quick search for Sumner and her face is filling the images on the screen, her expression unnervingly consistent. At press events, Hollywood parties, promotional materials. Only a few rare photos feature a toothy smile. Most are closed, just a gentle tug at the corners of the mouth. A polite smile, performed out of duty. He goes back to his search query and adds 'best friend murder' to his search. There's a link to the Reddit thread. The one Nicholas had mentioned.

r/sumnersnarkysecrets.

"What a fucking stupid name." Lucas shakes his head toward Slate, accepting his dog tilt as a sign of agreement. He looks back down at the screen, trying to sift through what's in front of him. Over 10K members are in the group, hundreds of different posts, each with their own comment threads. He clicks into one of the posts that's pinned to the top, created by ohbanna:

All the links you need in case ur new here...don't forget 2 comment who you think did it! My vote is def Sumner...i mean, i'd probably kill my friend 2 if she was hooking up with my dad?!?

Lucas navigates to the links, including several 2014 news articles about the murder. Then he sees another, this one directly linked to Podster.

Sumner's 1st episode covering the case: West Coast Killers #1: My Best Friend, Chloe

He sets the phone down, fixing himself a cup of black coffee before grabbing a notepad and pen, tossing them on the coffee table.

He clicks the link. Once again, it's her. The girl with guarded gray-blue eyes and tautly-held pale pink lips. Could she actually be capable of murder?

Lucas hits play.