Page 7 of Girl, Sought

Ella’s heart plummeted to the depths of her stomach. Every instinct in her body screamed that this was wrong. You didn't send one agent to handle something like this. Not when the killer had staged their victim with this kind of care.

The crime scene photo burned into her retinas - that woman posed like a life-sized doll, surrounded by her own collection. The killer had known exactly what they were doing. Had probably watched the house, learned the victim's routines, planned every detail down to the shade of rouge on those dead cheeks. This wasn't some random act of violence. This was a ritualistic killing with a purpose.

And here was Edis, about to send Luca in alone because his new partner was busy elsewhere.

She was in front of the camera before she had time to second-guess her decision.

‘Sir, you can’t send Hawkins in there alone.’

‘Agent Dark?’ Edis's pixelated face registered surprise. ‘I didn't realize you were there.’

‘Sorry. I’ve been eavesdropping. I’ve heard every detail.’

‘Well, that’s not good. You’re not supposed to be privy to these details.’

‘Whoever did this, sir, they pulled off a home invasion, subdued the victim without alerting anyone, killed her without spilling a drop of blood and spent hours staging her body.’

Edis sniffed. Whenever Ella tripped him up, he tended to just stare and make a noise until she continued. So she did.

‘Look at the prep work here. The makeup alone would have taken an hour, minimum. Getting the eyes right, positioning the limbs, arranging all those dolls? This isn't some tweaked-out punk who got lucky. We're dealing with someone patient. Someone who probably planned this for months.’

She felt Luca's eyes on her but couldn't look at him. Not yet. Because the moment she did, she'd have to acknowledge what she was doing - throwing away three weeks of careful boundaries because her gut was screaming that this killer wasn't finished. That somewhere in Chesapeake, this monster was probably already watching their next target.

‘So, Miss Dark, are you volunteering?’

Now, she did look at Luca. Saw the mix of concern and relief in his eyes. Three weeks, they'd managed to keep work and personal lives separate. Might as well have tried to split an atom with a butter knife.

'Yes, sir. I'll go with Hawkins.'

Papers rustled off-camera. ‘Very well, but you’re supposed to be on medical leave, so don’t get too physical, understood? Don’t risk aggravating those burns.’

Ella caught Luca’s glance. She couldn’t quite read his expression, but she knew she’d made the right call. Some cases were bigger than office politics. Bigger than relationship advice from the FBI handbook. ‘Of course, sir.’

'I'll send over the full brief now. Print what you need, and for God's sake, keep the details away from the press. We don't need a clown show.'

‘Crystal, sir.’

‘I’ll be checking in with the mayor before the day is out, so keep me in the loop. Are you okay to drive down? It’s only 200 miles.’

Luca nodded. ‘Yup. It’s a scenic trip.’

Ella did her best not to kick Luca's ankles. He still hadn't learned that you never joked with the big man because it either annoyed him or extended the conversation. Neither were good career moves. With Edis, you got in, got out and made as little mess as possible.

‘Very well. Speak soon.’

The screen went black. Ella stared at her reflection in the darkened laptop, trying to process what she'd just done. Three weeks of careful planning, of keeping their personal and professional lives in separate boxes, all gone in the space of a few minutes.

‘So.’ Luca's voice pulled her back. ‘That was something.’

Ella gritted her teeth. ‘Sorry. I just thought… You don’t mind, do you?’

'Mind? The second I saw that crime scene photo, I knew you'd be tagging along.'

She tried not to laugh. ‘That obvious?’

‘You can’t resist a deranged mind. Besides, you’re right. I shouldn’t be doing this alone.’

‘Not saying you couldn’t handle it, but

---