Page 23 of Girl, Bound

Ella rubbed her eyes.The words on the screen blurred together. A sea of names and dates. All deadends.

Ripley leaned back inher chair. ‘This is pointless. We're chasing ghosts.’

‘Tell me about it,’Ella said. ‘If I read one more squeaky-clean background check, I'm gonnascream.’

The Millhaven MedicalExaminer's Office employed a grand total of six people. Including Goodweather.And so far, every single one of them had a record as pristine as a freshlyscrubbed autopsy table.

No criminal histories.No suspicious gaps in employment. Not even a damn parking ticket. It was enoughto make Ella want to put her fist through the wall.

Ripley sighed. ‘Maybewe're barking up the wrong tree. Goodweather's a creep, but maybe he's not ourguy.’

Ella shook her head.‘No. He's involved somehow. I can feel it.’

She couldn't explainit. That gut instinct that had served her so well over the years. The littlevoice in the back of her head that whispered dig deeper.

Goodweather was hidingsomething. And she wouldn't rest until she found out what.

The door burst openand Holbrook strode in, struggling for breath.

‘We've got a problem,’he said. ‘One of my guys just checked out Goodweather's alibi. It's rocksolid.’

Ella's heart sank.‘What do you mean?’

‘He's been out of townall weekend,’ Holbrook said. ‘Left Friday afternoon, didn't get back until thismorning. Took his kids camping.’

Ripley frowned. ‘Andwe're just hearing about this now?’

Holbrook shrugged.‘Goodweather didn't mention it. And we didn't ask.’

Ella bit back a curse.Sloppy. They'd been so focused on Goodweather's creep factor, they'd forgottento cover the basics.

‘What about thebodies?’ she asked. ‘When did he first see them?’

‘This morning,’Holbrook said. ‘When they landed on his slab. Before that, he was off the grid.Hence why toxicology has taken so long. He only managed to submit it thismorning.’

Ella slumped in herchair. The lead they'd been chasing, the one solid thread in this whole tangledmess, had just unraveled before her eyes.

Goodweather had analibi. A good one. Which meant they were right back to square one.

Ripley kicked thedesk. ‘Son of a bitch. We're chasing our tails.’

Holbrook sighed.‘Look, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear. But we can't put all our eggsin Goodweather's basket. We need to widen the net.’

Ella knew he wasright. But it didn't make the bitter taste of failure any easier to swallow.She stood up. Paced to the window and stared out at the grey Millhaven sky.

The town lookeddifferent now. Sinister. Like it might be hiding secrets in every shadow. She shookoff the fatigue then went back to her desk. She began dissecting the list oncemore, but each name was a thread that led nowhere, a dead end in the maze. Withmeticulous precision, she double-checked every entry, her red pen slashingthrough the names like a blade through flesh.

Across the room,Ripley emerged from her own mountain of files, a quizzical eyebrow raised.‘You're certain you've exhausted every lead on that list?’

Ella nodded, thefrustration simmering in her gut like a volatile cocktail, ready to ignite atthe slightest spark. ‘I've combed through every single one of them. Medicalexaminers, their assistants, even the janitorial staff. It's like searching fora needle in a haystack, except the haystack is made of needles and...’ Hervoice trailed off, her gaze snagging on a name that stood out like a diamondamongst the sea of red strikethroughs.

‘What?’ Ripley asked.

‘Wait a minute,’ shemurmured, her heart quickening with a surge of adrenaline. ‘I forgot someone. Imarked him to look at later because I can't seem to find any information onhim. A 'Jim LaPlante.' Ring any bells?’

Holbrook's headsnapped up. ‘Jimmy LaPlante? That lowlife scumbag is back in Millhaven?’ Hisvoice dripped with contempt, the kind reserved for the vilest of criminals.

Ella swiveled in herchair to face him. ‘You know him?’

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