Lilith: a novel by Edward Trimnell Read Free Book Online Page B

mistake like that could tip her hand. Or his hand—or their hand.”
    “I can’t venture a guess until we talk to Lorelei. I’d be willing to bet that the killer knows her. If she also knows the killer, then maybe we can catch a break.”
     

9.
     
    Alan and Maribel left for Columbus at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. Columbus, home of Ohio State University and the state capitol, was a two-hour drive from Cincinnati. They took I-71, the interstate that bisects the state diagonally along a southwest to northeast line.
    They were able to check Lorelei’s work schedule on the Shell Gym & Fitness website. She would be there during the day shift today.
    Alan decided that they would not call ahead, so that her responses would be unrehearsed.
    Lorelei was not Lilith, nor part of the group that might be Lilith—Alan was almost sure of that. But if Lorelei knew the real Lilith, then it was likely that the two of them had an adversarial relationship. The use of Lorelei’s photos on a fake dating profile used in a serial homicide could not be taken as a compliment. If Lilith and Lorelei were in fact acquainted, then Lorelei might be afraid of Lilith. And frightened witnesses sometimes clammed up, convinced that the police could not protect them if they revealed their secrets, no matter what protection the police promised. 
    Shell’s Gym & Fitness was located in a strip mall on the western, more affluent outskirts of Columbus. Lodged between a Best Buy and a Chinese restaurant, the front of Shell’s was all windows. Alan and Maribel could see the club’s members working out on the exercise machines as they approached. On one of the big window panels the name of the gym was painted in blue stenciled lettering. Above that was a simple blue and white painting of a clamshell. The logo was not unlike the logo of Royal Dutch Shell, the oil company—except that the color combination was different.
    When they walked in, they were immediately spotted by a young African-American man who stood behind the front desk. He was wearing a blue golf shirt with the clamshell logo and the gym’s name sewn onto the left breast.
    Alan and Maribel were dressed in business attire, and they weren’t carrying gym bags. The young man instantly discerned that they weren’t members.
    “Can I help you?” he said evenly.
    “We’d like to speak with Lorelei Monroe, please.”
    Alan had been prepared to flash his badge, but that didn't prove necessary. The young man must have detected officialdom. He scurried away to find Lorelei.
    “Wait here please. I’ll get her.”
    In the rear of the main room, an aerobics class was being conducted to the beat of a Madonna song. The song had been immensely popular during the late 1980s. A large version of the clamshell logo adorned the back wall. Branding , Alan thought absently.
    The desk attendant returned promptly with a woman wearing a pink and silver spandex workout suit. She had long brunette hair. The woman was instantly recognizable from the printout of the Facebook profile.
    “I’m Lorelei Monroe,” the woman said, without waiting for the front desk attendant to introduce her. “Alec here says you wanted to see me.”
    Alec nodded first to Alan and Maribel, then to Lorelei.
    “Thanks, Alec,” Lorelei said. “I’ll take it from here.”
    “How can I help you?” Lorelei said. Alan assessed her initial reaction as curiosity and mild apprehension, but definitely not fear. This meant either that a visit from the police was the last thing she expected, or she had been expecting them and had prepared herself well in advance.
    “I’m Detective Grooms from the Ohio Department of Criminal Investigation,” Alan said. “And this is my partner, Detective Flynn. We have badges, but you’d probably prefer that we be as inconspicuous as possible. You’re not in any trouble, Ms. Monroe, but we need to talk with you about a very serious matter. Is there someplace here where we can talk