CHAPTER FIVE

Finn rapped sharply on the weathered door of Liam"s apartment, the sound echoing down the dimly lit hallway. It swung open to reveal a figure that seemed to teeter on the edge of collapse, eyes red-rimmed and a week"s worth of stubble lining his jaw.

"Mr. Holden?" Finn asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Y-yeah," Liam"s voice was a hoarse whisper, "That"s me."

"Detective Wright," Finn introduced himself, stepping inside with Amelia close behind. "This is Inspector Winters. We spoke with you earlier today. We're here about Emily."

"Oh, yes," he said, rubbing his temples as though he had only just awoken. "Come in."

The apartment reeked of stale beer and greasy food. Empty bottles clinked underfoot as they moved further into the chaos. Amelia"s nose seemed wrinkled in distaste momentarily, but she remained silent, her gaze scanning the room with practiced detachment.

"Sorry "bout the mess," Liam muttered, watching as Finn navigated through the detritus with careful steps. "Haven"t really been up for cleaning today."

"Understandable," Finn said, his tone even, but not unkind. He stopped by a table littered with papers and picked up an old-fashioned pocket watch. "It"s never easy to take in losing someone like this."

"I still don't believe it, I…" Liam couldn"t finish the sentence, choking on his grief.

"We're sorry to disturb you," Amelia offered, gently. "But we need to go over a few things if we're to catch the person who killed Emily."

Liam nodded.

"Can you tell us about Emily"s behavior lately?" Amelia asked in a professional tone. "Any changes that might suggest things were different for her?"

Liam wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, then nodded slowly. "She was looking for a new angle for her live streams, Something to make her stand out. She got real deep into old books, essays." He gestured vaguely toward a shelf crammed with leather-bound volumes.

"Victorian novels?" Finn questioned, examining the spines of the books. Authors from another era gazed back at him through golden lettering.

"I think so," he answered. "But that wasn't really my kind of thing."

"And what would she do with this newfound interest?" Amelia asked.

"I think Emily thought she could do something where she visited Victorian locations and talk about them," Liam replied.

"With all respect," Finn added. "That doesn"t sound like it would captivate a modern streaming audience. Did she have another angle?"

"Emily was interested in the macabre side of that time," Liam explained. "Her angle was strange stories of Victorian Britain. Murders, weird traditions, that sort of thing. People lap that up."

A thought crossed Finn's mind. "Weird traditions? Tell me, Liam, did Emily ever show interest in Victorian technology? Unusual inventions of the time, that sort of thing?"

"Yes, actually. And clocks, too. She started collecting them," Liam added, pointing towards a corner where a small array of antique timepieces sat. Their faces, frozen at different hours, seemed to mock the very concept of order.

"Clocks?" Amelia echoed, her curiosity piqued.

"Antique ones. Watches, too," Liam confirmed. "Got "em all over the place."

"Did she ever say why this sudden interest?" Finn asked, studying Liam for any flicker of insight.

"Kept talking about lost time," Liam responded, his voice growing distant as if he were recalling a dream. "Like she wanted to touch the past or something. I'm more of a modern kind of guy, but it seemed to bring Emily joy, so how could it hurt? At least, that's what I thought."

"Mr. Holden," Amelia"s voice cut through the heavy air of Liam"s cluttered apartment, her gaze sharp and focused on him. "In the days leading up to Emily"s murder, did she ever express any concerns about her safety? I know you mentioned that she sometimes received strange messages from viewers, but were there any unusual encounters or messages that specifically troubled her?"

Liam shifted uneasily, his eyes clouded with remembered worry. "There were some strange messages she got... from a guy named Tim Nolan."

Amelia"s brows furrowed in recognition. "Tim Nolan? The one who writes those anti-technology pieces, criticizing our reliance on gadgets and gizmos?"

Liam nodded slowly, confirming her suspicion.

"I"ve heard of him," Amelia continued, her tone thoughtful. "Did Emily mention why Tim Nolan was reaching out to her? Any specific reasons for his messages?"

Liam ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his expression troubled. "She said he was targeting her online presence, accusing her of being part of the problem with society today. Kept going on about how technology was ruining everything."

Amelia"s lips pressed into a thin line as she processed this information. "Did Emily engage with him? Respond to his accusations?"

Liam shook his head. "She tried to ignore most of it, but it weighed on her. Made her doubt what she was doing."

"Was Tim Nolan threatening in these messages?" Amelia probed further.

"Not directly," Liam clarified. "But there was this underlying menace in his words, like he knew something others didn"t."

"Can we see the messages?" Finn asked.

"As far as I know," Liam answered, "Emily deletes her inbox. I wouldn't even know the password, anyway."

Amelia"s gaze hardened at the implication. "Do you think Tim Nolan could have had anything to do with what happened to Emily?"

Liam hesitated before answering, uncertainty flickering across his features. "I don"t know... I hope not. If it was him, I should have paid more attention to it."

As the weight of their conversation settled in the room like a shroud of suspicion, Amelia exchanged a significant glance with Finn before turning back to Liam, determination etched in every line of her face.

Finn stepped closer to the collection of timepieces, his fingers brushing over the cold brass of an ornate carriage clock. "You said she argued with Tim Nolan? Did Emily ever say anything public about him?"

"Right," Liam interjected, rubbing at his temple with a shaky hand. "Emily thought his fear of tech was a joke. Made a video about it and everything."

"Didn"t go unnoticed, I take it?" Amelia"s voice cut through the cluttered space as she sifted carefully through the detritus on a nearby coffee table.

"Hardly," Liam scoffed. "Nolan tore into her online. Called her names... said she was warping people's minds with her content." He shook his head, the shadow of a grimace playing on his lips.

"Did he ever pass on any poetry?" Finn pressed, eyes not leaving Liam"s face.

"Poetry?" Liam sounded surprised. "Like a love letter or something?"

"No," Finn explained. "More like a cryptic message, perhaps about time and technology."

Liam nodded. "Emily did say he wrote like someone from the past. All flowery language. She said something about him calling her a ‘slave to the machine and a soulless cog'." The bitterness in Liam"s recitation hung heavy between them.

Finn nodded knowingly to Amelia, a flicker of recognition crossing his features as Liam"s words echoed in his mind. The cryptic messages, the references to time and technology, it all sounded eerily familiar to the anonymous texts he had been receiving.

Amelia"s gaze bore into Liam, her voice steady but piercing. "Do you think Tim Nolan could have known Emily was going to the Victorian Bathhouse where she was murdered?"

Liam shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting around the room. "I... I don"t know," he stammered.

Finn stepped in closer, his expression inscrutable. "Why do I get the feeling you know something about that? Did you tell Tim Nolan where she would be?"

Liam hesitated before finally nodding, a guilty look washing over his features. "I never messaged Nolan. But I did... I thought it would build hype for Emily"s streams, get people talking about her, if I leaked some of the locations online ahead of time. I had no idea it might lead to this!"

"Why would you do that?" Amelia"s question cut through the tension in the room.

"I wanted to help her succeed," Liam replied, his voice tinged with regret. "I never thought..."

Finn"s skepticism was palpable as he interrupted, "You were trying to help by putting her in danger?"

Liam seemed genuinely distraught now, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "No! I didn"t know... I didn"t think anyone would..."

Amelia intervened gently, her tone reassuring yet firm. "No one is accusing you of anything."

Tears welled up in Liam"s eyes as he struggled to compose himself. "Do you think they knew she was coming there? That they were waiting for her..."

Amelia"s response was measured and calm. "We"re still making inquiries into all possibilities, Liam."

Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, Liam broke down completely, his shoulders shaking with emotion.

Amelia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We will catch whoever did this, Liam. You have our word."

As Amelia offered solace to the grieving man before them, Finn couldn"t shake off the nagging feeling that there was more to Liam"s actions than mere misguided attempts at promotion. His thoughts painted a darker picture than they had anticipated, but they hadn't coalesced into a theory.

Amelia looked at Finn, putting away her notebook.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Holden," Amelia said with a respectful nod as they prepared to leave Liam"s cluttered apartment.

"I'm sorry…" Liam sobbed.

"You'll get through this," Finn added. "But call us if you think of anything." He patted the man on the shoulder and left the room.

Stepping outside, the night had descended like a heavy curtain, casting shadows that danced in the glow of streetlights.

"We should call it a day," Amelia suggested, her breath misting in the chilly evening air. "We"ll start fresh tomorrow by looking into Lucas Henshaw"s life and questioning this Tim Nolan about his potential involvement."

Finn glanced at her thoughtfully before offering, "You could crash at my cottage tonight; it"s closer than your new apartment."

Amelia hesitated for a moment before gently declining. "I appreciate it, Finn, but... I"d be worried what might happen if I did."

"Would that be so bad a thing?" Finn smiled, touching her cheek.

"I've never seen anyone else since my fiancé passed away. I need some time."

"You shouldn't feel guilt about that, Amelia," Finn offered. "I'm sure he would…"

"He would want me to move on," Amelia said with a sigh. "He was a good man… And so are you."

Understanding her unspoken request for space, Finn nodded quietly. "I don"t want to push you into anything you"re not ready for."

"I do want to be with you," Amelia said. "Just…"

"Not yet," Finn grinned. "I get it."

They stood under the dim glow of a nearby lamppost, their breath mingling with the crisp night air as they exchanged a silent understanding.

"Goodnight, Amelia," Finn said softly. "You know where I am if you change your mind."

"Goodnight, Finn," she replied before turning to head towards her car parked down the street.