Page 55 of Girl, Haunted

Carter’s voice broke. His eyes widened, suddenly transfixed by the crime scene photo. Disgust morphed into something like recognition.

‘I've... I've seen this before.’

Ella and Luca locked eyes as a crackle of electricity shot between them.

We got something,Ella thought.

‘Where, Carter? Where've you seen this mask?’

Carter's eyes danced around the room, and Ella could sense the gears turning in his head. This wasn't a lie he was about to pull out of his ass – this was genuine recall.

‘I don't know. I mean, I can’t remember. But it's in one of my videos. From an exploration, a few months back. I'm sure of it.’

Ella's pulse thundered in her ears. This was something. Not much, but something.

‘Think harder,’ Luca urged. ‘Was it in a haunted house? An abandoned building? In town or out in the sticks?’

Carter scrunched his face in concentration. ‘I'm sorry, I just can't remember. I've been to so many places, filmed so much stuff. It's all kind of a blur. But I definitely saw it because I remember thinking it was weird as hell.’

Ella waited a second, then tried a different approach. ‘Look at the mask, Carter. Think about the context when you saw it. Use Hebbian Theory. Was the place light, dark? A house? An old building?’

Carter eyed like she’d sprouted a second head. ‘Hebbian Theory? The hell?’

Luca leaned over the table. ‘Ignore the memory nerd over here. That detail is locked in your brain somewhere, and you’re staying here until you’ve remembered it, alright?’

Her partner, as much as she loved him, was doing it again. Undermining her.

‘Not sure we can do that, Hawkins,’ she said.

Luca fixed her with a look that saidyeah, but don’t tell him that.‘Besides, you’re staying here until we can confirm your alibi for this afternoon, when our third victim dropped.’

‘I was at home. Neighbors can vouch for me. I was hanging with them,’ Carter said.

Ella stood up abruptly. ‘Get thinking, Carter, because we’ve got a long night ahead of us.’ She made for the door in silence.

‘I just remembered. It definitelywasn’ta haunted house,’ Carter said.

Ella turned back and asked, ‘Sure about that?’

‘Definitely. I’ve only been to four haunted houses, and they were all recent. I saw that mask months ago. Back in summer, I think.’

She nodded at him, then walked out into the corridor.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Ella blasted out of the interrogation room and began pacing the corridor. Too many angles, too many loose ends. And now Luca, tripping her up at every turn.

Speak of the devil. Luca sauntered out like he'd just aced a pop quiz. ‘Not bad, huh?’

Ella rounded on him. ‘The hell was that? You sandbagged me.’

Luca backpedaled, palms up. ‘Whoa, easy. I was just working a hunch.’

'And you didn't think to clue me in?' She advanced on him, jabbing a finger at his chest. 'We're partners, Luca. That means we're in sync, or we're sunk.'

Luca held up his hands in surrender. His puppy-dog eyes almost made Ella feel bad. ‘Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Got a little carried away back there. Won't happen again.’

The anger seeped out of her, replaced by weariness. She knew Luca meant well. He always did. But sometimes his lone wolf streak made her want to howl.

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