Page 70 of Girl, Unseen

Ella processed this. Tessa Webster would have made a convenient victim for Ezra Crowley, but right now, she still didn’t have any idea exactly how Tessa Webster had been killed.

So she had to ask a very dumb question. But hopefully, one Ezra couldn’t lie about.

‘From your office, can you…’ Ella wasn’t sure how to word it.

But Ezra just laughed. He clearly caught her train of thought. ‘Control balloons? No. At least not Tessa’s. Some balloons have remote piloting. Tessa’s doesn’t.’

That put an abrupt end to her new theory. ‘Why didn't you call the police?’

‘I did. Check the 911 logs. Called it in the second I got that signal. About 7 AM.’

‘And you didn’t think to mention this note when we put you in cuffs on the mountain?’

‘Oh sure,’ Ezra scoffed. ‘Because that would've gone over great. 'Sorry officers, I know this looks bad, but I swear I'm innocent. I just found this mysterious note telling me to check on the dead woman. No, I don't know who wrote it. No, I can't explain the symbols. But trust me, I'm on the level.' How well would that have worked out for me?’

Ella stole a glance at Luca. He was clearly as torn as she was here. On the one hand, the psychological profile fits Ezra Crowley like a glove. On the other, there seemed to be too many variables that didn't quite fit. She’d make sure to check the 911 logs, but even if Ezra did inform the police of Tessa’s crash, it didn’t make him innocent. It just meant he’d covered his tracks well enough for reasonable doubt.

Her head began to spin. Ezra’s story was implausible to the extreme. A mysterious note, a conveniently timed system glitch, a frantic race to a crash site.

But.

It also sounded just crazy enough to be true. Killers, in Ella's experience, tried to minimize their involvement. They claimed ignorance, pointed fingers, spun webs of lies to distance themselves from their crimes. They didn't insert themselves into the narrative with wild tales of secret messages and eleventh-hour rescue attempts.

That kind of twist only came from someone who was either telling the truth or working from a script so far off-book that Ella couldn't even see the pages.

Time to switch tracks.

‘Let's talk about Marcus Thornton.’ She pulled out her phone and found the professor's faculty photo. ‘Professor of Geology. Ring any bells?’

‘Only what I've seen on the news.’

‘And Sarah Chen?’

‘Who?’

‘Marine biologist. Washed up in Kensico Reservoir yesterday morning.’

Ezra waved his hands and said, ‘I’ve never heard of her.’

‘No? Maybe some of your cultists have.’

That cracked his mask. ‘My followers wouldn’t hurt anyone. We study ancient knowledge, not violence.’

‘But animal mutilation and grave robbing is fine, right?’

Ezra pursed his lips and looked at her like she'd asked an unanswerable question. 'We brand animals that are already dead. We've never robbed graves. Even the Order has rules. You should read our manual.'

‘I’ve read it. Barely understood a word of it.’

‘Then perhaps agent, that’s why you don’t understand what you’re dealing with here.’

Ella moved closer to the bars. That was it. The off-hand comment that revealed Ezra knew more than he was letting on. ‘Ezra, Todd, whatever your name is – if you’re withholding something from us, then you better start talking, or you’re going to jail for obstruction of justice at the bare minimum.’

Ezra stood up and moved closer. He clutched the bars too, close enough for Ella to feel his body warmth. ‘That note someone left for me. Maybe it wasn’t one of my followers that left it at all.’

‘Come again?’

Ezra angled his head so he could see Luca. ‘Who’s to say you aren’t trying to frame me? You were at the Order’s meeting last night. You could have dropped that message, knowing I’d find it.’

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