Chapter Forty Four

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Ava

I hold my laptop on my lap and I continue searching on social media to try and find who Maria is. My back presses to my headboard on my bed and I lean down, slowly running my fingers through Harry's hair as he lays beside me.

All of my emotions are starting to ease back into place where opening up is getting easier. Explaining to Harry some of my childhood memories last night made me more aware that there are good ones buried deep down too. Talking about my past Christmases and reminiscing on those days felt good. It was sad at points, but Harry brought me to see it optimistically. I don't think I'll forget that.

But when he asked me to dance it was surreal. I'd never danced with anyone other than my father. School dances were never my thing so I never went to them, mainly because I was preoccupied with solving who had harmed my father. With Harry, it felt so different because of this connection we seem to have. There are feelings here now, and I'm nervous as to how I should approach them.

I email Annabella for a list of models at the designer's office she works at, as well as potential models they may have been hiring.

Harry's hand runs along my leg and I keep working, biting my lower lip as I look into various models who are in the systems around New York. There are main modelling agencies I research and I scroll through lists of models, finding a few Marias. I take note of their names and I get notified Annabella sent me an email.

Annabella: These are all the models we interviewed in the past month. Hopefully this will help.

Attached are seven files and I click through them, saving them into the case file. Then I come across one with the name Maria. Maria Leon, a twenty-five year old who has been trying to get into the modeling industry since she was eighteen.

With a name, I start looking through some media sights and I find her profile, looking through each of her prior jobs. It's not an extensive list, so I'm sure she's getting frustrated she's not getting any looks for jobs.

I press my lips together and I start searching for her social media, and I find her Instagram. She's following Emmett Oliver, but he is not following her. It makes me interested to know and so I pull up her file, taking notes.

Harry grabs my thigh and rolls onto his side, feeling over my leg. He hasn't said anything since he's started stirring in his sleep a while ago. I asked him to stay the night again because I didn't want him driving home so late, but I also really wanted to spend more time with him. Whatever our relationship is, I have grown to enjoy it. I'm embracing it while I can, because if he were to know my past, he's not going to want to be anywhere near me.

"I found a Maria," I tell him, tilting the laptop to show him. His arm extends to grab the side of the laptop and he looks over the screen, his arm moving to circle my waist.

"She looks like a bitch," he grumbles, sleep still laced in his voice. He allows me to turn the screen back to me and his hand sets on my hip, running this thumb over the skin. I'm in nothing but his shirt and panties, while he's only in his briefs.

"Did you receive word from the DNA on the autopsy yet?" he wonders, and I shake my head.

"I should be getting it today. I'm hoping there's something to give us an indication," I tell him, and he nods his head.

Harry sets his head on my arm and watches as I work, searching through files to find more about Maria Leon. I find her address and discover she lives alone on the east side of New York.

"We could try to contact her, but we have no idea if she's even a suspect. Or the right Maria," he suggests, and I sigh.

"Exactly," I breathe out, shutting the laptop. I turn my attention to him and he wraps his other arm around me, still laying as I'm seated.

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