Page 67 of Jep

An officer lifted the barricade tape so they could duck under, and Jep waited until they were far enough away that they had some privacy before asking her any questions. He’d have to be careful how he worded them.

“Were there any signs that your sister had extremist connections? Did she have a boyfriend who might have been involved?”

Em shook her head. “I have no idea—” She looked at Jep in horror. “Do you think that was her boyfriend who I killed?”

“No. I saw no indication of that.” Was it a lie if he genuinely didn’t know?

She gripped his arm tighter. “I can’t make sense of this.”

“Do you know if she was hanging out in any night clubs or bars or anywhere?”

“Last I knew, she was overseas.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“She sends postcards to my aunt while she’s traveling.”

“What about phone calls? When’s the last time you spoke to her?”

“Not in a long time. We don’t really talk. We haven’t been close since…”

“Since when?”

“Since, ever. Even as kids, we didn’t play much. She was always busy doing her own thing. All I know is she’s been traveling the world for a while.”

“Do you know if your aunt saved the postcard?”

“Yeah, she— Who are they?”

Jep saw the group crossing the road and gritted his teeth. “Reporters.”

“They’ll get a picture of my sister. She’ll be all over the news. I have to call Carla. She can’t find out that way.”

“No. You can’t tell anyone.”

“But she’ll see Jade on the news.”

“No she won’t. We need to keep this confidential. We won’t let anyone know who we have in custody. Don’t worry.”

“You’re sure?”

“It’s not the first time we’ve done it.” Em tripped, but Jep caught her. “Whoa. Let’s slow down. We don’t need to be in a rush to get anywhere.”

“I can’t believe this is happening. She’s gotten herself into trouble before, but not like this. Never like this.”

“People who are searching for purpose sometimes find it in the worst places.”

“But she’s not looking for purpose. All she’s ever cared about is her own self-gratification. She looks out for number one and no one else. Why would she suddenly be okay with murder?”

“People change.”

“You say that like it’s a normal life choice to kill people.”

“I don’t mean to diminish what’s happening to your sister. We won’t know what’s really going on until we speak to her.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“You don’t have to do anything besides decompress. And the agency has people you can talk to.”

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