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"We'll be coming up to your office tomorrow to ask some questions."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Okay. Um, well, we—that is, Sarah and I—were a little nervous. Two people from our office are dead. Are we being targeted, do you think? Should we be worried?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"These are ongoing investigations, so we can't comment." Eye roll. "But it's not a bad idea to be extracautious until we catch the perpetrators." The perpetrators. Did he have any suspects? Was it me? Was I on his list?

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He hung up quickly. No "Bye, Anya" or "Please don't die, Anya." He needed to work on his wooing just a bit.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

We were on pins and needles waiting for Detective Hopper to arrive the next day. I'd changed my outfit three times that morning already. I needed a look that said innocent but hot.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"The police are here! They're here!" Sarah waved her hands around excitedly.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Did someone steal jewelry again?" Evie asked, testing out some new nail polish.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"No, they're here to talk to us about Cassie," Sarah snapped. "What if they want to question all of us?" She began pacing.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Calm down, Sarah. What do you have to worry about? I mean, unless you did something?" I asked pointedly.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"No! I didn't! They're just scary. The police are, I mean. God, why does this always happen to me?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"As opposed to Cassie, the girl who's dead?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Sarah turned to glare at me. "You know what I meant. Who could have wanted Cassie dead?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Probably some psycho. I read that her body was totally disfigured. Only a real crazy would do that," Dalia chimed in. All eyes shifted to her. "What? It was in the _Post_."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"This is why she should have gone to Europe with me. No one would kill us there," Sarah said unconvincingly.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Unless the killer _also_ went to Europe, in which case . . ." Dalia replied.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Sarah gasped, clutching my arm again. I should definitely hug her.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

My phone rang. "Hello? Yes, okay, I'll be right there. Well, looks like it's my turn to talk to the police. Let's get this over with."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Tell me how it goes?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I looked at Sarah and then at my arm before shrugging her off.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Of course."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Detective Hopper's team had taken over the larger conference room. Greg wanted to give the appearance that we were doing everything in our power to help find the killer of our dear, beloved intern. (#SavetheIntern was trending on Twitter, incidentally. I might have started the hashtag. Who knew it would take off?) He'd even had a catered cart sent up with sandwiches, salads, low-calorie yogurt, sparkling water, and, of course, Veuve Clicquot. ("They may get thirsty!" he protested after I pointed out it probably wasn't a good idea to offer champagne to the police.)

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I knocked on the glass door. _Be calm. Be cool. You're only upset about Cassie. And worried about your friends. That's all. This has nothing to do with you_.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Hi, Detective." Could he hear my heart pounding?

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He didn't look up from the file he was reading. Two other policemen sat in the room, eating from the cart. Officers, both in uniform. They seemed to be enjoying the spread, though the bubbles were untouched.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Hi, Anya. Have a seat." He still hadn't glanced up at me. I needed him to notice my outfit, a black DVF dress that was superflattering. I needed to see him look at me. Then I'd know how he felt about me. Whether he thought I was a killer. "You know, it's strange that three women you know have been murdered." He lifted his head as he said it, staring at me. Daring me to admit I had done something.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

_Challenge not accepted, Detective_.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I nodded, eyes wide. Only innocent people opened their eyes this much. "I know, and it's terrifying. Any one of us could be next. Is this a serial killer thing?" He raised his eyebrow at me. It wasn't overplucked, but it was still perfect.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"We can't comment on that. Can you think of anyone who would want Cassie dead?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, she wasn't the best intern here. There were . . . issues."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He didn't say anything. I knew that trick. Stay quiet so the suspect babbles and incriminates herself. They tried that when Meredith died. I hadn't said anything then. I was the only person I could really trust.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

The silence was getting uncomfortable. My skin felt like it was crawling with bugs.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"She and Sarah were having problems," I finally said.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Sarah Taft? Really? Because I heard _you_ weren't happy with her."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Fuck me. Who was his source? Jack. He _was_ spying on me! I opened my eyes wider. I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop right out.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, no. But I don't want to speak ill of the dead. I mean, her parents don't need to hear bad things, do they?" I pasted on a concerned frown.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"No, but we need to know who had it in for her."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Just because I didn't love her work doesn't mean I had it in for her. At worst, I wasn't going to give her a good recommendation. You know how it is. A young nobody gets a toe in fashion, and all of a sudden they think they're Kate Moss or something. Demanding this or that. It happens to the best of us."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"And that was happening with Cassie?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I nodded, pacing each bob. Too quick and it was sketchy. Too slow and it seemed like I was making shit up.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Yes. Instead of doing her assigned work, she wanted to get into the good graces of some editors here by becoming a personal assistant of sorts. You know, cleaning their apartments and getting their dry cleaning. Even walking dogs. We don't encourage that at _La Vie_. Internships are supposed to teach you, not make you a slave. It kind of goes against labor laws, and we've had our hands slapped for that sort of thing. We're already in the middle of a lawsuit, so we have to be really careful with our interns." I had practiced this for hours last night.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I see. And Sarah Taft was one of her side gigs?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Um . . . yeah, except Cassie wasn't being paid." I grimaced. _Please don't make me say more, Detective. I can't point the finger at my BFF_. I wasn't betraying Sarah. I wasn't! I was merely refocusing the police's attention anywhere but on me. Self-preservation should be number one on anyone's must-have list. And if they did suspect Sarah, well, that'd be a damn hoot. Sarah Taft, socialite and murderer. Couldn't you just die?

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"It's important we have all the facts. I know you don't want to stab anyone in the back, but this is about an innocent girl dying." He reached over to cover my hands as he said this. It was just for emphasis, right? What if he meant to tell me something more? Was he asking me out? Telling me he really liked me?

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, Sarah _was_ yelling at Cassie the other day. You know what? It may have been the last day Cassie was here. That's probably a coincidence. But I did hear through the gossip mill that Cassie was getting really close to Greg Davies, our publisher." I paused. "He and Sarah have been dating." I leaned forward and dropped my voice. "Jack Archer said Sarah was filming Greg. Like spy cams."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"There are cameras?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I shrugged. "I haven't seen them myself. But that's what he told me."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"What else can you tell me about Cassie and Sarah?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I wanted to touch his forearm.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, things had gone missing from Sarah's apartment. They reappeared in Cassie's desk. It was all so weird."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He nodded. He was with me.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"And is Ms. Taft here today?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Yes, she's waiting to speak with you. But please don't tell her I told you. She isn't someone you want to cross." If I had to choose between Sarah and Hopper, who would I choose? The question made my head hurt. It's like choosing between Valentino and Gucci. You just don't.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I see. Anyone else have issues with Cassie?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I shook my head but stopped suddenly. "Not that I can think of. Maybe Greg? I don't know what was going on with them personally. But there was something."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"You seem to know a lot about Cassie's life."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I like to know who's working for us. I think she had some money issues too," I lied. "Like, her family was cutting her off? You kind of need to have money to intern here."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"And you? Are you wealthy? Your clothes look expensive." He had noticed! Finally.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I have some family money."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He sat back and crossed his arms in front of him, watching me. It felt like forever.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"You know," he finally said, "we ran background checks on everyone at _La Vie_ after Mulberry von Gratz's murder. Do you know what was on yours?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

This went beyond my Google hits. He had case files at his fingertips. _Don't panic. Shit. Do not panic_. What would Dr. M say to do right now? _Breathe. But don't look like you're breathing. Be normal. Just fucking be normal_.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Um, no? I've never seen what's in one of those, to be honest." That was the God's honest truth. I'd never seen my police files. I'd run background check after background check—on me, on me as Mariana. But whatever the detective was reading was beyond my sleuthing skills. Shit, this was bad. What did it say about me?

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Like you don't exist. Why is that?" He wasn't smiling. His eyes were cold but curious. That hand touch earlier hadn't meant anything. It was a trick. It always was with them. "Unless you had a mafia run-in, something isn't right here. Or did you steal your identity?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

_Tell him! Tell him your story. You'll be okay. No. If he knew, he'd suspect me for everything. Trust no one_. I shook my head. "I can't say why it's blank. That's weird." _Keep going, be normal. You can do this_. Sarah's voice echoed in my ears: _You're such a freak, Anya!_

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Did you kill Cassie?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

There. The big moment. The police like to drop the accusation, hoping to catch you off guard. Hysteria rose in my throat. He could do it now. Arrest me. Take me away. Lock me up. I'd forever be known as the psycho who killed people at _La Vie_. No, that couldn't happen. I had to take control. That's what Dr. M would say. _Take control. Don't be a victim, Anya_.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"God, no!" I raised my voice. _Indignant, be indignant_. "Look, she was a pain in the ass, but killing her would be a bit extreme. She was only going to be here for a few more months. That's how these things work."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I felt dizzy. Was I going to pass out, right here in front of everyone? Would that make me look more guilty or less? I couldn't decide.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I'm keeping an eye on you, Ms. St. Clair. Or whatever your name is. If you've committed a crime, like identity theft, we will find out."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

He was majorly displeased with me. But did you hear what he said? They didn't have any proof of anything. Whew. I was dismissed. I walked out, waiting for one of the officers to tackle me. No one did. I was safe. Free. For now, at least. My heart was beating so hard, I thought it would pop out of my chest.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I had survived my first real interrogation by Detective Hopper. Sure, he'd asked me questions before. But that was different. I was maybe a witness before, someone with info. Now he was looking at me. Watching me. He probably had spies everywhere. But I had passed the test. Hopefully, he'd look into Sarah next. I didn't want to put her in the line of fire, but I needed to deflect attention from myself. She'd get it. It's what you did for friends. Shit, I should have expected the background check. What was I supposed to tell him? Dr. M would know. He knew how to handle everything.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well?" Sarah pounced on me before I even made it to my desk.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well what?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"How did it go? What did they ask? Do they know who did it?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Sarah, take a fucking Xanax already." She pouted and looked genuinely crestfallen. It was like kicking a (mean and gorgeous) kitten. I sighed. "It was fine. They aren't sure who did it yet. But we talked about Cassie, what her duties were here, and her work with you—"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"With me?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, yeah. They knew she already worked with you, idolized you. So they wanted me to elaborate. Don't worry, it was nothing bad. She adored you."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense." She nodded.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

" _And_ he said it was gruesome, the way she died," I said, embellishing a little. I loved having all of Sarah's attention on me. I could talk like this for hours.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Shut up! You're serious?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Yeah, but New York is full of crazy people, and bad things happen all the time."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"I guess not. But the point is that it could have been a completely random attack."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Anything else?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Well, the detective is the same hot one from before."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Now that I can work with!"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

It killed me when Sarah went to talk to Hopper. Would they talk about me? What would she tell him? Why hadn't I thought about this before? _Stupid, Anya. You're fucking up left and right. You're such a fucking loser_.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

I didn't have a mantra for this moment. So instead, I sank deeper into my self-loathing. It's what kept me going.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

By the time lunch rolled around, rumors were flying. The story was that Cassie had been murdered by an ex-boyfriend, and it had something to do with Mulberry. It was all over Twitter, and once again, #FashionVictim was trending. The wave of hysteria the office was riding was delicious and contagious. Celia was starting to break. She had security escort her to and from her office and check her car for any intruders.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Evie actually ate carbs in her zest for life. "If I need to outrun a maniac, paleo just won't do it!" She had a point, though her six-inch platform stilettos weren't going to be much use either. Which of course meant I had to do a utilitarian fashion story for the website: "Combat or Couture: Twenty-Five Pieces You Can Rock From Bootcamp to the Boardroom."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

All these extra murder-related blog posts were adding to my workload. Granted, it upped my profile, but I was now writing three stories a _day_ (including Sarah's), compared to everyone else's three a week.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Greg was ecstatic over my sudden newsiness. "It's so timely! We need more of these. Is there anything we can do about getting out of bondage or duct tape?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Um, I don't think so, but perhaps the beauty and fitness departments will know?"

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Genius idea, Anya." He high-fived me. I washed my hands.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

The following Monday, Celia decided drastic steps had to be taken. She walked out of her office, looked at me and Sarah, and said, "Let's go." We followed her to a waiting car. Once we were in the back of the Escalade, Sarah asked where we were going.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"To see Henri." Henri was Celia's psychic. Everyone in fashion had a psychic, astrologer, tarot reader, or some sort of spiritual adviser that we took with us to dinner parties, a coveted accessory that told your future or the state of Mercury like a clock. I myself had two astrologers, a medium, and a spiritual fêng shui master. So far, I was winning the psychic race. (Though not one of them had foreseen death or murder in my life, so I wasn't sure what I was paying them for.)

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

Henri lived in Sutton Place in a second-floor walk-up. It was a nice building, but with his clients, he could no doubt afford better. He excelled in fashion matters, deftly helping Celia pick her wardrobe, her assistants, the new trends, and more. For this, she bought him a new Mercedes. She explained just how big a deal he was in the car ride over. "He helps me with everything."

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Henri!" she called, swooping into the door. "We need you." She sat on a chaise lounge, her coat taking up the entire length of the piece. Sarah perched on the edge while I stood near the door. Faded, floral wallpaper was covered up by photos of Henri's customers. Like at a dry cleaner's, there were framed and signed headshots everywhere. On nearly every flat surface were piles of crystals. Sarah's mouth dropped seeing them all. They were so shiny, so pretty. Just like her.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"Darling! I knew I'd see you today." Henri was wearing a silk kimono with feathered mules. His movements were so graceful that I wanted to ask him to teach me his ways.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar

"And this is Anya and Sarah," Celia said.

#FashionVictim - Amina Akhtar