Page 27 of Girl, Bound

‘I can handle myself,’Ella said, a hint of steel in her voice. ‘Besides, if he is our killer, he'llbe more likely to open up to a single interviewer. Less chance of him clammingup or getting defensive.’

Ripley held her gazefor a long moment, then nodded slowly. ‘Alright. Your call, partner. But I'llbe right outside if you need me.’

Ella managed a tightsmile. ‘I know you will.’

She took a deepbreath, steeling herself, then pushed through the door into the interrogationroom. LaPlante looked up as she entered, his eyes widening in a mix of fear andrecognition. Ella pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, laying a slimfile folder on the table between them.

For a long moment, shejust studied him, taking in the nervous tic of his jaw, the way his fingerstwisted and fidgeted in his lap. He looked scared, she thought. Scared andsmall, a far cry from the menacing figure she'd imagined when they'd firstfound the body bags.

‘Mr. LaPlante,’ shesaid at last, her voice carefully neutral. ‘I'm Special Agent Ella Dark, but Isuspect you already knew that.’

LaPlante's lipstwisted in a pained grimace. ‘Hard to forget the woman who just broke my nosean hour ago.’

Ella leaned back inher chair, keeping her expression impassive. ‘You shouldn't have run.’

‘Yeah, well,hindsight's twenty-twenty, ain't it?’ He shifted in his seat, the cuffsclinking softly. ‘Look, I know how this must seem. But I swear to God, I didn'tkill anyone.’

‘Then why did yourun?’ Ella asked, her gaze boring into him. ‘Innocent men don't usually feelthe need to escape out the back door when the FBI comes knocking.’

LaPlante let out asharp, humorless laugh. ‘Are you kidding? With my history, I'm surprised youdidn't just shoot me on sight. This whole damn town's been waiting for anexcuse to string me up since the day I got back.’

Ella cocked her head,a flicker of curiosity sparking in her chest. ‘Why did you come back, Mr.LaPlante? After what happened with your wife, I can't imagine Millhaven holdsmany fond memories for you.’

Something shifted inhis eyes then, a flash of old pain and regret. ‘I made mistakes. A lot of them.But I'm trying to make things right. Trying to be a better man than I was. Iwant to… erase my past.’

‘By stealing body bagsfrom the medical examiner's office?’ Ella asked, her tone sharpening. ‘That's ahell of a coincidence, don't you think? Two people turn up dead, zipped intobags just like the ones we found in your house?’

LaPlante's face paled,his eyes darting away from hers. ‘I know how it looks. But I swear, I didn'thave anything to do with those murders. I just saw an opportunity to make somequick cash, that's all.’

Ella leaned forward,her elbows resting on the table. ‘You'll forgive me if I find that a littlehard to believe. But let's say you're telling the truth. Why body bags? Why notsteal something a little less incriminating?’

He shrugged, a jerky,uncomfortable motion. ‘I don't know. It was stupid, alright? I work as acleaner for a bunch of different places in town. The morgue, the hospital, evena couple of funeral homes. I've been swiping stuff from all of them, just littlethings here and there. Figured the body bags would be easy to sell online.Turns out there's a market for that kind of thing.’

Ella's stomach turnedat the thought, but she kept her expression carefully neutral.

‘Medications. Toxins.Did you steal any?’

‘No. Nothing likethat.’

Ella reservedjudgment. ‘And where were you on the nights of the murders? Friday night andlast night, specifically?’

LaPlante's mouthtwisted into a bitter smile. ‘At home. Alone. Just like every other night sinceI got back to this godforsaken town.’

‘Can anyone verifythat?’ Ella asked, already knowing the answer.

He barked out a harshlaugh. ‘Sure, let me just call up all my friends and alibis. Oh wait, I don'thave any. In case you haven't noticed, Agent Dark, I'm not exactly Mr.Popularity around here.’

Ella sat back,studying him intently. He seemed sincere, or at least a damn good actor. Butsomething still didn't sit right with her. The pieces fit together just alittle too perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle someone had manipulated to make theimage they wanted.

‘Alright,’ she said atlast. ‘Let's say I believe you. What were you doing on those nights? Sitting athome, twiddling your thumbs?’

LaPlante shook hishead. ‘I was on my computer. Watching movies, browsing the web. Just killingtime.’

‘Good. That's good.’Ella made a quick note in her file. ‘We'll have our tech guys verify that. AndI'll need to see the receipts from your online sales. If you've been hawkingstolen goods, there'll be a record of it somewhere.’

He nodded, a glimmerof hope flickering in his eyes. ‘Of course. Whatever you need. I'll cooperatefully, I swear.’

Ella closed the file,her gaze locking with his. ‘I want to be clear, Mr. LaPlante. I don't believeyou. Not yet. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, at leastuntil we can check your story.’

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