Page 36 of Girl, Reborn

The impact forced a grunt from his lungs.He lay there, cheek mashed into the sun-baked earth, trying desperately tomove, to crawl, to do anything. But he was a prisoner in his own skin, betrayedby blood and bone.

A shadow fell over him. He didn't need tolook up to know who it was. Could feel that cold gaze prickling along his spinelike icicles dragging over a grave.

‘Looks like you could use some water,’ theman said.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ella stared down at her plate as shepushed a limp French fry through a congealing puddle of ketchup. Her stomachwas in knots, twisted up tighter than a hangman's noose. Between Mia'sdisappearance, Martin's twisted mind games, and this whole sordid mess withToledo, her appetite had apparently decided to pack its bags and flee forgreener pastures.

She sipped her Diet Coke, the fizz burningher throat on the way down. Across the booth, Luca was tucking into his platewith gusto as he attacked a veritable mountain of meat like it had personallyinsulted his mother. It was a heaping pile that made Ella's arteries constrictjust looking at it. Steak, chicken, sausages – was that gammon in there too?The whole barnyard, sizzling in an ocean of its own grease.

‘Jesus, Hawkins. That’s quite the middlefinger to vegetarians.’

Luca grinned around a mouthful of steak.He swallowed, then stabbed an emphatic fork at his plate. ‘Keto, baby. Nocarbs, all protein. Tricks your body into burning fat for fuel instead ofsugar.’

She squinted at the carnivorouscatastrophe masquerading as a meal. It was like a Greatest Hits of OldMacDonald's farm.

‘No one’s eaten that much meat since theJurassic era.’

‘Just call me Lucasaurus.’

‘You’re supposed to eat vegetables too.And fiber.’

‘Cows eat greens, I eat cows. The circleof life.’

Now that Ella thought about it, shecouldn't remember the last time she'd seen Luca chow down on fries or a bun oranything that wasn't basically still mooing. And there was no denying theresults spoke for themselves as the man was cut like a diamond. Hard planes andridges that any male-appreciating specimen would quiver over.

Nope. She derailed thattrain of thought before it could barrel into Inappropriate Town. They werepartners, friends, end of story. She wasn't about to screw that up over somepassing hormones and Luca's irritatingly symmetrical face.

Luckily, Luca saved her from the gutterher mind was about to splash in as he pushed his plate aside. ‘So, I've beenthinking. About the case.’

‘Do tell.’

He leaned forward, forearms braced on thesticky Formica. ‘Maybe we ought to put a behavioral profile of our unsubtogether. I know we might not be dealing with a serial killer, but it’ll stillhelp narrow down suspects. Then we get this profile out to cops in Bristol,Virginia State, a couple of towns on the border of here.’

She hummed in agreement. ‘True that. Westart throwing darts at the board, we're gonna look like the wall at a frathouse on a Friday night.’

‘Exactly. Toledo wasn't exactly Mr.Congeniality, so we need to narrow the suspect pool down as much as possible.'

Ella gnawed her lip as she considered it.He had a point. Flying blind was getting them nowhere fast, just groping forclues in the dark. Time to shine a little light on the subject.

‘Alright then. Show me what you can do,Hawkins.’

Luca ticked off points on his fingers.‘He's organized, meticulous. Has to be to pull off a grab like this withoutleaving a trace. He’s a modest, unassuming-looking guy. This isn’t some wiryTim Burton-looking creep with a pentagram on his forehead.’

Ella nodded. ‘He's comfortable with closecontact, getting right up in his victim's face. He's physically capable. Strongenough to wrestle a grown man, even a sloppy drunk one.’

‘And he's got access to a vehicle,something big enough to transport a body.’ Luca added. ‘Probably a local,someone who knows the area well enough to navigate back roads, avoid trafficcameras.’

‘Narrows it down.’ Ella said wryly. ‘Tojust about every guy in a twenty-mile radius.’

Before her tirade could gain momentum, herphone buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out and found an unknown numbercalling.

She jabbed her finger at the screen.‘Agent Dark,’ she answered.

‘Ella, it’s me.’ Sheriff Tucker’s voice.‘Stop what you’re doing and get here.’

Her stomach dropped like a stone. ‘Getwhere?’

---