Page 28 of Girl, Empty
‘No.Who’s David?’
‘I don’t know.Emma said her mom had a friend named David who did magic.’
‘Magic, huh?Don’t get me started on that David Copperfield stuff again.Sarah said she wasn’t dating.’
Ripley’s strange obsession with David Copperfield had always been a constant source of fascination for Ella, and she guessed that if this was grade school, Ripley would be chasing him around the playground.‘’Not dating’ can mean a lot of things.’
‘Like?’
‘Like maybe David's the kind of friend who comes over after Emma's asleep.’
‘I get the vibe that Sarah’s been running on autopilot so long she forgot what the manual looks like.She works full time and raises her kid alone.Maybe she's got a David.Maybe she's got three Davids.Wouldn't blame her.Are you going to stand here all night or go to your own room?’
‘Right, sorry.I just want to know where we can start tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow’s a new day.Or at least I hope it is, because Sarah didn’t give me jack to work with.Michael has no enemies according to her, so let’s hope Tech Wizard Cheekbones finds something we can latch onto.’
‘Let’s hope indeed.See you at eight.’
Ripley stepped over the threshold, then pulled back.‘By the way, you did right by that kid today.Not many people can sit with a child and tell them their world just ended.’
‘It didn’t feel right.’
‘Good.That's how you know you're still human.’
‘Appreciated.’Ella said her goodbyes and crossed the hall to her own room.The keycard worked first try, and the door swung open to reveal something that made her pause.This wasn't the usual roadside disaster.Someone had shown this place some love.Maybe Edis was feeling generous on his way out, so he’d got the admin staff to book the good stuff.
Ella dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and tested its condition.Soft and clean.Seven out of ten.She pulled out her phone and decided to call Luca, but his name already occupied her screen.
Hope you’re okay out there.All’s well at home x.
The timestamp showed three hours ago.He'd been thinking about her while she was explaining death to a nine-year-old who'd just won a silver medal.She typed:Still awake?Then deleted it.Luca would be asleep.Or trying to be.No point dragging him into her insomnia.
She decided she should spend the night digging into the life of Michael Rankin, but as she reached for her laptop, she found all her energy had depleted.She felt diminished.Smaller than the mysteries surrounding her, less substantial than the questions multiplying like cancer cells.With every other case she’d worked, she’d always known where to turn next, always believed in the back of her mind that no unsub, no matter how organized, could outsmart her.There was no such thing as a unique serial killer, because they were all bound by the same compulsions and the same physical constraints.The only thing that changed were the names and locations.
But now, Ella was dealing with a ghost that could manipulate technology and float through high-surveillance buildings unseen.
For the first time in her career, she had to wonder if she was out of her depth with this one.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mark Miller’s wife had always told him he was the dullest man in the Midwest, and it was a title he’d come to embrace.Dull people had dull jobs, and dull jobs paid well.That’s how he’d gotten to become the manager of First National Bank, by gritting his teeth through the tedium, although for Mark, it hadn’t been much of a challenge.
‘Morning, Mr.Miller.Wow, that’s a lot ofM’s,’ said Gemma as she greeted him at the front door.‘A yellow tie?With a black shirt?Did Linda approve that?’
Mark adjusted his tie and chose not to answer.No, she hadn’t approved this, because at 45 years old he should be able to make his own wardrobe decisions, unfashionable as they might be.‘Are you ready?’
‘Of course I’m ready.Why do you always treat this like some secret operation?’
‘Because it is,’ said Mark as he held down the switch beside the door.‘There’s two-hundred thousand dollars in this building.’
Gemma tapped in the security code and the front door unlocked.‘There’s more than that in the tills at Costco.Nobody robs banks anymore.It’s not the eighties.’
‘Just get this done, then you can make me an English tea.’
‘What?Because I’m a woman?’
‘No, because you know how to do it.I don’t.’Mark followed Gemma inside.Regulations meant that opening up a bank was never a solo job, so every morning, Mark and another member of staff had to complete the ritual that took them from front door to bank vault with two checkpoints in between.
