Page 12 of Girl, Reformed

A surge of hope bubbled in Ella’s gut, butit was short-lived. Maybe Ripley was seeing sense. She might be investigatingTrevor’s death as a rogue agent, trying to see if Martin could have beeninvolved. But Ella knew Ripley’s stubbornness better than anyone, so there wasequal chance she was investigating it just to disprove Martin’s involvement.And the end result would no doubt be shoved in Ella’s face.

‘Please keep checking on her,’ Ella said.

‘I will.’ Edis grunted, appeased for now.‘But like it or not, there's work to be done. A real nasty one just came acrossmy desk and I need my A-team on it.’

Ella's stomach sank to her shoes. A case.She knew it was coming, but now it was a reality. As if the universe hadn'tcrapped on her enough recently, now she had to dive headfirst into anothernightmare without Mia watching her six.

But what choice did she have? Throwing atantrum wouldn't change the facts. Mia was missing in action, off chasingghosts and licking her wounds. And Ella still had a job to do, broken heart bedamned.

‘What’re the details, sir?’ Ella hoped shesounded more confident than she felt. She’d flown solo a few times before, andit was always like walking a tightrope over a shark tank. One wrong move meantfish food.

A knock at the door made them both jump.Edis cleared his throat, smoothing a hand over what was left of his hair.‘About that. You won't be going in alone.’

Ella's head whipped around just as thedoor swung open, revealing a face she knew all too well. Luca Hawkins. Samebrown jacket, same hair that seemed a little too slick to be real. Still thewalking cologne model she’d seen in the coffee shop a few hours ago.

Ella's heart did a backflip at the sightof him. The guy was a walking, talking reminder of all the things she couldn'thave. A normal life, a stable relationship, a partner who didn't accuse herboyfriend of murder over coffee.

Edis stood up, waving Luca inside like hewas showing off a shiny new toy. ‘I believe you’ve met Agent Hawkins. He’s oneof our agents in training, but his file speaks for itself.’

Ella wanted to laugh. Or cry. Or maybejust say screw it all and become a hermit in the woods. She reached out andtook Luca’s hand again. Luca flashed her a grin that could power a small city,clearly recognizing Ella’s effort of showmanship. He returned the gestureregardless.

‘Thank you, sir,’ Luca said to thedirector. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing Agent Dark in action.’

Ella's cheeks heated even as her stomachchurned. Fantastic. Not only was she diving into a new case without Mia, butnow she had to do it with a walking distraction by her side. A distraction witheyes that could make a nun consider breaking her vows.

‘Careful what you wish for, AgentHawkins.’ She glanced at Luca, taking in the eager glint in his eye, the coiledenergy in his frame. Poor guy had no idea what he was signing up for. Thosegood looks would be nothing but baggy eyelids and wrinkles before the year wasout.

Edis cleared his throat like a backfiringengine. A not-so-subtle signal for them to put a pin in the pleasantries. Heslid two folders across the desk like they were radioactive.

‘Dover, Delaware,’ he announced. ‘Twobodies in two days.’

Ella grabbed her folder, ignored thepolice reports and zeroed in on the crime scene shots. They always told abetter story than any half-assed write-up. The first picture stopped her deadin her tracks.

‘Good God,’ she said.

Beside her, Luca’s file lay open on thesame picture, face twisted into an easily-readable expression. ‘What the hellis going on here?’

‘You get used to it,’ Ella said.

Luca was back on the photos, skimmingthrough them one by one. Ella did the same. The first victim was a young man,around mid-twenties, locked in a wooden contraption that bound his head andwrists. Ella couldn’t help but think of medieval torture devices.

Edis jumped in, ‘As you can see, ourunsub’s got a thing for restraints.’

Ella studied a close-up shot of the Vic'sface. Strong jaw, Roman nose. Probably a looker before death froze him in arictus of terror. Her heart sank to her stomach. Just a kid. She closed hereyes, muttered a silent prayer to a God she was sure had given up on her bynow.

‘Pillory stocks,’ Luca said. ‘Like fromthe Middle Ages.’

‘Theatrical. Unnecessary. The unsub istrying to humiliate these people.’ Ella turned to the next set of photographs.This time, the victim was a woman, around the same age as the first.

‘Man and woman. Inconsistent victimology.This second set of stocks looks a little different from the first.’

Ella checked a photo showing a close-up ofthe apparatus. ‘First one is made of metal, second is wood.’

‘Amateur contraptions,’ Luca said.

Ella nodded, gears grinding away. ‘Our guycould be making these himself. And the victim disparity suggests it's not abouta physical type. Could be personal. Vics might represent someone specific tohim.’

‘Surrogates. Guess these folks were in thewrong place at the wrong time.’

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