Page 43 of Girl, Unseen

‘Interesting coincidence though.’ Ella leaned forward. ‘Two deaths in three days. Both involving the elements.’

‘Elements?’ The word caught in Felix's throat. Finally, something had punctured his studied indifference. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You're the geology student. You tell me.’

His fingers returned to that loose thread, worrying it like a rosary bead. ‘I don't understand.’

‘No?’ Ella reached for her case file. ‘Maybe this will help you understand.’

Time to play her trump card. Ella reached into her case file and pulled out the leather-bound book. It made a soft sound as it hit the table. Like something ancient taking its first breath in years.

Felix went still. The kind of stillness that came before earthquakes. His face drained of color until he matched the institutional walls.

Hermetic Order of the Quinta Essentia.

‘Want to explain what this is?’ Ella asked.

Felix's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He looked like someone had just walked over his grave while he was still in it.

‘Clock’s ticking,’ Ella said. ‘Care to fill us in?’

‘That’s… private. Why do you have it?’

Luca spoke up. ‘Found it between your romance books and your shirtless cowboys.’

‘Yeah… but… what’s it got to do with anything?’

‘Because,’ Ella said, ‘you’re our best suspect for two murders. We've got circumstantial evidence, we've got motive, and we've got this very interesting book that talks about elements and transformation. Start talking.’

‘It's not what you think.’ Felix's voice had gone thin as paper.

‘No? Because what I think is that somebody killed Marcus Thornton. Somebody who knew enough about geology to lure him to that quarry. Somebody who carved symbols into stone that look an awful lot like the ones in this book.’

Felix tried to protest by waving his hands but the cuffs put a stop to that. ‘Symbols? What the hell are you talking about?’

Ella sat back and folded her arms. She looked him up and down, dissected every inch of him for signs of deceit. Eye movements, posture, leg positioning.

But all she saw was a man who couldn’t quite understand what was happening, and she didn’t like that thought one bit. She kept quiet. Awkward silences were an interrogator’s best friend. People usually did anything they could to fill the silence.

‘You don’t understand.’

'So help me understand. From where I'm sitting, you got kicked out of NYU, then decided to get revenge on Marcus Thornton by using his geology knowledge against him. Sounds like a pretty airtight case to me.'

‘No.’ Felix's voice cracked. ‘That's not-’

‘Two people are dead, Felix. Both killed in ways that correspond to elemental forces. Earth and water.’ She leaned forward. ‘And this book talks a lot about earth and water.’

Felix’s hands had started shaking. ‘I didn't kill anyone. I didn't even write that thing. I admit, it’s mine, but we all had one.’

Ella bit her lip. ‘We?’

‘I can't-’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Some questions shouldn't be answered.’

‘People are dying, Felix.’

‘And more will if you keep pushing.’ His eyes snapped open. Something wild lived in them now, something that hadn't been there before. ‘You think you're solving a crime? You're not. You're opening a door that needs to stay closed.’

‘What door?’

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