Page 13 of Girl, Reformed

Ella thumbed to the close-ups of numbertwo. Tilted her head, considering. No ligature marks around the wrists, despitetheir positioning. No bruising on the neck. Just the mottled, waxy pallor ofthe recently deceased.

‘Lack of restraint marks. Means they weredead before taking their places in the stocks.’

Luca hummed. ‘So the stocks are symbolic.Some kinda post-mortem ritual.’

‘And public. Gotta figure the perp wantedthese poor guys found. Center stage in his own little theater of cruelty.’

Edis grunted. Meaty hand rubbing hisforehead like he could smooth out the worry lines. ‘Newspapers are going tohave a field day with this one, so keep the details on the down low. We’vealready got plenty of eyes on us after the mess with Carter, so the last thingwe need is any more bad press. I need this case stamped out quickly.’

‘Yes sir,’ Ella said.

‘I’ll do my best, sir,’ echoed Luca.

‘Hawkins, I know I’m throwing you in atthe deep end here, but Agent Dark will take good care of you.’

Luca shifted. His foot began tapping out arapid-fire beat. Ella could practically smell the nerves wafting off him. Sheremembered the day Ripley had barreled into her life like a redheaded wreckingball and took her through the swamps of Louisiana. Back then, Ella was probablywearing the same expression Luca was now. He was wearing it well, but Ellacould see right through it.

‘I trust her to do so,’ Luca said. ‘Thankyou for the opportunity, sir. I won’t let you down. Either of you.’

‘See that you don’t. Car for Dover will bein the lot in twenty. No point in flying when it’s only ninety minutes away.’

‘Roger that,’ Ella said. Any excuse toavoid the airport was fine by her. ‘I’ll keep you updated.’

Edis grunted. Dismissal and warning all inone. Ella turned on her heel and strode out with Luca behind her.

Now, the fun could begin.

CHAPTER SIX

The car hummed down the highway, chewingup the miles to Dover. Ella sat in the back, nerves jangling like a pocket fullof change. Luca was beside her, still the perfect G-man poster boy, even in thecramped space.

Ella wanted to hear his story, at least inmore detail than he'd already shared, but she couldn't risk it. She didn't wantto get too close, because everyone near her ended up in the ground or worse.She cut her eyes at Luca. He had his nose buried in the casefile, browfurrowed, pen tapping against his lip. The kid was desperate to prove himself.Desperate to show he had the chops. She couldn't curse this promising rookiewith the affliction of her association.

'How are you feeling about this?' Ellaasked. 'Jumping into the deep end.'

Luca glanced up, startled. Like he'dforgotten she was there. 'Can't put it into words. Feels odd. Surreal. Like,I'm not really here. Does that make sense?'

Ella nodded. ‘I know exactly what youmean. My first case with Ripley sent me to Louisiana, chasing a copycat thatwas mimicking Gein and Bundy and a bunch of other serial killers. I made a lotof mistakes.’

‘Sounds like a lot of responsibility,’Luca said. He shifted in his seat, pen still tapping, nerves leaking out anyway they could.

Ella remembered the Mimicker case like itwas yesterday. She'd puked her guts out at every scene. But Ripleyhad been there. A steady hand on her back. A voice in her ear, telling her tobreathe through it.

God, she missed that bitch already.Missed her like a severed limb.

‘What's your take?’ Ella jerked her chinat the file. ‘What kind of sick puppy are we dealing with?’

Luca flipped to the crime scene photos.Studied them like they held the secrets of the universe. ‘Guy's acting out aspecific fantasy. Wants recognition for it. These scenes, they're compensatingfor something. Righting a perceived wrong.’

Ella leaned back. Not bad for a rookie.She remembered Ripley grilling her the same way back in the day. Poking andprodding. Seeing what she was made of.

‘Perceived wrong,’ Ella echoed.‘Elaborate.’

‘The stocks. The public displays.’ Lucawaved a hand. ‘Unsub feels wronged. Humiliated. This is his way of gettingeven. Putting his vics through what he went through.’

Ella chewed on the comment. Luca was onthe ball. Most serial killers were just overgrown kids throwing tantrums,raging at a world that didn't give a damn.

‘Okay. Let's play it out. What's our boy'sdamage? Try a profile.’

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