Page 26 of Girl, Bound

She bucked beneathhim, trying to throw him off, but he clung like a limpet, his grip tightening.Ella’s legs scrambled for purchase, then found them around LaPlante’s ribs. Shesqueezed until something cracked, draining the air from his lungs, then whenhis grip faltered, Ella lunged forward and shattered his nose with herforehead.

Blood trickled asLaPlante fell into her submission. She rolled him over, gripped his arms, thenshoved her Glock into his temple.

‘Move and I shoot,’she said.

For a moment, Ellathought he might actually be stupid enough to try something. But then, slowly,he outstretched his hands. She gulped in a lungful of air, coughing andsputtering as she staggered to her feet, gun aimed at his lower half.

‘Easy done, Dark,’ avoice said from behind.

Ella’s gaze didn’tmove off the suspect. ‘Thanks for the help.’

‘I’m here to consult,’Ripley said, ‘and I think you should cuff this asshole and send him packing.’

Ella caught herbreath, glad that the adrenaline was overpowering the scent of damp in thisgodforsaken place. ‘Consider it done.’

She reached for hercuffs, slapped them on. Ripley began her spiel.

‘James LaPlante,you're under arrest for assaulting a federal officer. You have the right toremain silent...’

Ella tuned out therest of the Miranda warning, her attention focused on the room around them.Something caught her eye, a flash of black peeking out from beneath the bed.With LaPlante safely in cuffs, she bent down, reaching into the shadows, herfingers closing around something cold and smooth.

She pulled it out, herheart stuttering in her chest.

A body bag.

Just like the onestheir victims had been found in.

‘Mia, she said. ‘Lookat this.’

Ripley glanced over,her eyes widening. ‘Son of a bitch. Talk about a smoking fun.’

LaPlante started tostruggle then, his wiry body twisting in Ripley's grip. ‘No, no, you've got itall wrong. I didn’t do anything.’

Ella stood up slowly,the body bag dangling from her hand. She stared at LaPlante, at the wilddesperation in his eyes, the sheen of sweat on his upper lip. He looked like aman on the edge, a cornered rat ready to gnaw off its own leg to escape thetrap.

‘That’s what they allsay.’

But was it the look ofa killer? The cold, dead eyes of a man who could snuff out lives without aflicker of remorse? Ella wasn't sure. Her instincts, honed over years in thefield, were whispering doubts in the back of her mind.

She glanced at Ripley,saw the same flicker of uncertainty in her partner's eyes. They needed to getLaPlante back to the station, needed to grill him while a recording devicecaptured every word. Only then would they know for sure if they had their man.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ella stood outside theinterrogation room, her arms crossed and brow furrowed as she stared throughthe one-way glass. LaPlante sat hunched at the table inside, a wad of cottonwool pressed gingerly to his swollen, bloodied nose. The cuffs around his wristsglinted dully in the harsh fluorescent light, a stark reminder of his currentpredicament.

Beside her, Ripleyleaned against the wall, her expression inscrutable. Holbrook paced back andforth, his frustration palpable in the tense set of his shoulders. ‘This is ourguy,’ he said, jabbing a finger at the glass. ‘It has to be. I mean, Christ, wefound the murder weapon in his damn house!’

Ella chewed her lip, ahabit she'd never quite managed to break. ‘I don't know,’ she said slowly.‘Something about this feels off. It's all just a little too neat, you know?Like we're being led by the nose.’

Ripley cocked aneyebrow. ‘You think he's being framed? That someone planted those body bags?’

‘I'm not sure what Ithink,’ Ella admitted. ‘But I know I've got questions. A lot of them.’

Holbrook threw up hishands. ‘So ask them! What are we waiting for? Let's get in there and break thisson of a bitch.’

Ella shook her head.‘No. I want to talk to him alone. Just me and him, one on one.’

Ripley frowned. ‘Yousure that's a good idea? I mean, this guy is a pure sociopath. You might needbackup in there.’

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