Page 64 of Girl, Empty
‘I went in first while Noah stayed back, because I thought I could kill the air con from the unit itself.When I got out, Noah said he’d try.He told me to stay back and check the thermostat.Then the door sealed and I couldn’t open it.It just wouldn’t…’
‘Hold on.Yougot the notification?’
‘Yeah.Why?’
‘Does Noah regularly work late?’
Amanda shrugged.‘Sometimes.Definitely not every night.’
‘Not enough for someone to notice a pattern?’
‘No.’
Ella and Ripley shared a look.They had something interesting here.They had the killer’s target – still alive.‘Miss Pierce, the person who did this was trying to get toyou, and that makes you our new best friend.’
‘Me?Why would anyone want to kill me?’
‘That’s what we need to figure out.Do you have any connections to Morrison & Associates or First National Bank?’
Amanda looked blank.Her eyes had swollen to red craters.‘No.Neither.’
‘Michael Rankin, Thomas Grayson.Do those names mean anything to you?’
‘The first one, yes, because I read about him in the news.I don’t know him though.’
‘Then we need to talk about enemies, professional or personal.Former employees, ex-boyfriends, rival companies.And it needs to be someone who knows their way around a computer, because from what you’re telling me, this killer wasn’t even here in person, right?’
‘No.I didn’t see another soul.’
‘So, who do you know that has this kind of skill?’
Amanda bit her lip then looked up and left.She was recalling visual memories, which meant she wasn’t about to spin a lie.'I can't think of any enemies, honestly.Blackglass isn't that kind of company.We make boring software for boring appliances.We're not exactly making waves in the tech world.'
'What about disgruntled employees?Someone you had to fire?'
Amanda shook her head.'We've only ever had five employees total.Four now.They’re all coders, and coders aren’t exactly master hackers.What this person did tonight is a completely different school of engineering.No one here could do that, I guarantee it.If they could, they wouldn’t be working for me.’
Ella took this in.‘Personal enemies?’
‘None.I have an ex-husband who lives in Seattle, and it was his idea to leave me.’
‘What about freelancers, contractors, consultants?’
‘None of the above.’
‘Who does your security?Is it Sentinel Tech?’
‘No,’ Amanda said.‘CyberVault do our security.’
Ella made a mental note of the name.Her mind sifted through the fragments they'd collected and felt a headache on the horizon.Three victims, three different industries, no obvious connections except for the killer's supernatural ability to bend electronics to his will.Amanda Pierce was supposed to be victim number three, but Noah had taken her place in that frozen tomb, and if the killer knew this, it meant he might do something drastic to get back on track.
A pair of headlights briefly illuminated the scene before disappearing behind the row of squad cars.Ella looked up and saw a white van.The driver got out and waved his hands around like he was trying to warn off a swarm of invisible insects.
‘Oh, crap, cleaning crew.’Amanda walked over and waved them off, and the driver got back in the car and reversed back up the street.The headlights painted the alleyway yellow again, and in that moment, Ella caught sight of the side of the van.
ALPINE CLEANING SERVICES.
The image of the logo followed the name.Three sharp mountain peaks.
