"Be careful of that needle, its poison to the haystack"
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♙Kai Hamilton♙
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"Who was she? An escort or a guest?" Jaivon immediately questioned.
Kai however couldn't help watching the recording as the waitress retells what she knows about her.
"She wasn't a regular but then again not many of the people who were there that day were. She could have been someone plus 1 but honestly, I'm not sure." The waitress answered, looking nervously at Katrina.
It was obvious she was actually clueless as to whom the woman was so Jaivon turned his attention to Katarina.
"She isn't a regular or someone of .... importance at least not from my perspective. So no, I don't know who she is. That officer you are going to have to find out yourselves." She said with an almost bored frown.
Jaivon didn't have reason to not believe given that plenty of both men and women outside of the high influence circles do tend to be brought along as "eye candy". He was about to ask a few questions but stops upon hearing Kai mumbling something.
"What are you saying?" He asks with an annoyed expression as everyone turns back to Kai who is peeled to the recording.
"...She's avoiding the camera."
A cold air set in as everyone looks at him in both confusion and a bit of shock.
"What are you talking about Hamilton?" Jaivon said with a long sigh and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Look, the whole time she's there. She doesn't have the camera look directly at her." He says.
They all looked back and after examining the recording, Kai's statement does seem to hold true. More than once she seems to turn her head to that the camera catches more of her face than her face directly. Or she will angle her head down. Given the festivities and how rowdy everyone was, it kind of just made her seem like she was more meek. However that changed when the note was delivered, she suddenly stood, still mindful of the cameras before walking out at a speedy pace.
"..I thought it was some weird love letter kind of thing since she had kept looking at Honda's table. So when I saw the note, I thought it was weird but that was really all. I figured it must be some weird rich people lingo or something." The waitress said with a shrug.
Katarina then nods to her to let her go and given that they got all they really needed for her, the waitress was dismissed without a protest. Now however Katarina almost seemed curious as she looked between the officers. No doubt trying to pinpoint or understand some unspoken code on their faces.
"Well?" She asks a bit impatiently as they had all been quiet for a few minutes.
"...We need to find this woman. Have you seen her here before?"
"Like I said before, unless she is someone noteworthy, I don't know her. There have been 100 or so woman that looks like her who come to this club on the arm of some rich politician or CEO. I don't know about every single one of their new playthings." Katarina said with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.
She let back in her chair a bit clearly annoyed that they were continuing to press her on the subject.
"...Before he stopped coming, Price would bring women with him right?"
Kai's question was almost said in passing that Katarina almost missed it.
"Yes, sure. Of course, he did." She answer with a confused look on her face.
However, as soon as the words left her mouth, her face paled and her eyes widened. She was remembering something..
Everyone in the room turn to look at her, it was the first time she actually looked scared.
"T-there was this woman." She suddenly spoke, her voice just barely above a whisper.
She then turned over to Kai, as if he would save her or something.
"Price occasionally dots on his ... "plus ones" if he likes them. There was a woman who he wouldn't shut up about for months, it is the only reason I even remember. He was always bragging that she was the "one". I didn't think anything of it at the time but before he stopped coming, he brought her by. But after that one time, I never saw her again and Price never brought her up again." She retold her tale.
She then shakes her head before looking lost in thought.
"But this woman is too different!! She was a blonde, not a brunette."
"Do you have the recording? We'll have to see!" Kai urges.
Katarina looks a bit caught as she was unsure to show this. Kai however wasn't about wasting any time.
"Look if you and the powers to be want to get this case solved then we'll need that information. But if you don't it's no skin off my back. Whoever this is had an appetite for the elites and doesn't seem scared in the least. So you sure you want to take a gamble with your life?" Kai said coldly, giving Katarina a sneering look.
"Kai!" Jaivon yells as he glares at Kai.
But the ball was now in Katarina's court as Kai didn't even acknowledge Jaivon. Katarina seems to be going through an arrangement of emotions and thoughts. It took a few minutes for her finally respond.
"...Fine." She said just nodding her head.
The recording springs to life as it once again shows the club floor but what was recorded was a bit of a shock. The club was decked out this time in rather elegant manner. Who was hosting the event became easily known as the recording went on. The hairs on the back of Kai's neck stood as he watches Lance Halloway charter in a group of people. There is no audio, which Kai is sure Katarina would never give.
Even if this killer could be her death, it probably would be better than whatever the BRF would have cooked up for her.
So they watch on as more notable people appear on the screen. Whatever was going on was big and Kai wishes dearly he could ask but he knew that he wouldn't get an answer so he kept himself focused on the prize.
There just a few feet away from the bar was Price and his plus one. The woman was turned from the camera at first laughing at whatever joke Price had told to the group they were in. No one else seem to have been quite as amused but respectfully laugh along. She then turns to the side so they could see her face. She certainly didn't appear like the other woman mostly due to her different hair and eye color. But something was nagging at Kai about her.
"Honestly I don't think they are the same person, I'm remembering now about this one. God, she was obnoxious as fucking Price. A stuck-up prissy little bitch." Matarina hisses out with a frown.
"Oh you mean like every rich asshole in this city?" Rafeeqa said so casually no one almost noticed.
Jaivon gave her a warning look while Katarina just seemed more annoyed than anything and just shrugged her shoulders.
"Look I'm just saying that I doubt she is the same person."
"..You'd be surprised what people are capable of." Kai said offhandedly as his gaze seemed locked on something in the recording.
"Can you zone in here?" Kai said pointing to a section of the woman's clavicle.
The tech almost wanted to say no but stopped short at seeing that rather cold determination in his eyes. Once zoomed in however the look in Kai's eyes changed to one of recognition.
"No, it is her.."
Everyone turns to him as if expecting him to point out how he arrived at that conclusion. And he does, by having the 1st recording run simultaneously with the second, he quickly has it freeze froze on one spot for both.
"Look right there." Kai said as he pointed.
Everyone else follows his finger to just barely see a scar that runs just above her clothing on her left side. It was more easily visible in the 2nd recording as she was wearing a more open-style dress. But in the second one, there was literally only one instant where it could have been visible, and just barely that. Katriana's gaze shifts from the recording to Kai with an unreadable look on her face.
".. Hell, you really are a Bloodhound." She said in a less than pleasant tone.
Kai however doesn't bother to even give her a response as he is too absorbed in looking at their possible lead or maybe culprit.
The main question still stood.
Who is this woman?