Page 61 of Girl, Accused

‘Jenny, his assistant. She’s outside now.’

‘Did she see anyone come or go?’

‘No. Harper sends her on an errand when certain people come in. Anonymity purposes. Standard procedure.’

‘Dammit to hell. Does she know anything about Harper’s last client? Any notes or anything?’

Westfall pointed to Harper’smahogany desk. ‘It’s all on his computer. He takes bookings himself. Jenny doesn’t do that, apparently.’

The scenario was forming with grim clarity. ‘So our killer posed as a client, arranged a private consultation, then killed Harper when they were alone.

‘The question is who,’ Ripley said. ‘And how they got an appointment on such short notice. Places like this usually have waiting lists months long.’

‘Because our unsub’s been planning this for months, Mia. The tech team needs to get into Harper's appointment system. Find out who he was expecting this morning.’

Westfall grimaced. ‘That'll take time. Search warrants for electronic records, court orders. It’s a nightmare. I’ll have to-‘

‘No,’ Ella cut him off. ‘This is a business device, not a personal one. His assistant can give us permission to access the clinic's records as an authorized employee. We don't need to wait for the estate.’

‘Good thinking,’ Westfall said. ‘But is it worth it? We’ve got someone back at the precinct who literally confessed to at least one of these murders. If he confesses to this one too…’

‘Detective. Please trust me.’

Westfall sighed. ‘Alright. I’ll get on it.’

As Westfall left to make the necessary calls, Ella returned her attention to Harper's body. Death had caught him mid-life. A man in his fifties, fit for his age, silver hair expertly styled even in death.

‘Ripley said, ‘So, James Harper is B.’

‘Yeah.’

‘You see a problem there, Dark?’

'Yes, I do. There's no deadly sin beginning with B.'

‘No. What’s left? Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath? I’m not seeing a B there.’

Serial killers followed patterns. They had to. It was part of their psychological makeup. But this B refused to slot into the framework.

‘Maybe we were wrong about the sins,’ Ella said.

‘You don’t believe that. I don’t either.’

‘Then what does B stand for? Because right now, all I've got is Botox, and our guy’s not that literal.’

‘Let’s keep looking.’ They moved towards Harper’s body. Ripley knelt beside the man’s head and studied the brand. ‘You seeing how this isoff-center? The other brands were dead center in the forehead. This is slightly to the left. Why would they botch the job now, after three perfect brands?’

‘Because they were rushed,’ Ella said, pieces clicking into place. ‘Harper's assistant was due back. The killer couldn't take their time like they did with the others.’

Ella gestured to the wall. ‘Whoever pours out lies will not go free.’

‘So Harper was lying about something.’

‘All of our victims have lied about something. Grant lied about his affair. Summers lied to her clients. Torres lied about everything.’

‘True.’

Ella leaned closer, careful not to disturb the evidence but needing a better look. The dot above the 'I' in LIES wasn't a dot at all. It was a tiny, perfect cross. ‘Doesn’t the message look a little off too? Like he had to rush?’

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