Page 38 of Girl, Empty
‘Hey,’ Ripley said, ‘didn’t Michael Rankin’s daughter say something about a magician?One named David.’
A violent surge of self-recrimination slapped Ella around the face.Her perfect memory had definitely taken a hit recently, and Emma Rankin's mention ofDavid– her mom's apparently magic friend – should have registered immediately.‘Good catch.Can’t believe I missed that.’
‘Don’t sweat it.Ready to see some miracles?’
Ella had grabbed her things and placed her hand on the door.She had a good feeling about this, but she knew it was best never to put all of your eggs in one basket, especially in this game.
So there was something she needed to do before they left.
‘Go ahead.I’ll meet you outside.I just need to speak with Riggs real quick.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ella found Detective Riggs in the kitchen.He was hunched over the coffee machine, staring blankly into the steam, then spun around in near-embarrassment as he clocked Ella’s presence in the doorway.
‘Agent Dark.Found anything?’
‘Yup.Me and Ripley are going to see a magic show.’
‘Come again?’
‘We found a guy who worked on the security installations for both buildings, and he’s also a magician.If that isn’t a perfect suspect, I don’t know what is.’
The revelation brought some color back to Riggs’s cheeks.‘Really?I should call backup.We can surround the place, make sure he-,’
‘No,’ Ella butted in.‘We need to talk to him first.If we suspect he’s our man, we’ll call you in.The worst thing we can do is storm the place because if he’s not our guy, your department’s reputation will take a hit, especially once the press get word that you sent a hundred cops to bag an amateur wizard.’
‘Alright.You’re the boss.’
‘While we’re on the topic, I need you to work some magic of your own.’
‘Oh?’
Ella pulled out a plastic bag with a cell phone inside.‘You can probably guess what this is.I need you to put that computer science degree to use.’
Riggs stared at the object, then back at Ella like she’d just produced a headless animal from her jacket pocket.‘That’s… the victim’s phone?’
‘Yes it is.’
‘Tell me you didn’t steal that from the crime scene this morning.’
‘I didn’t steal that from the crime scene this morning.’
‘You didn’t?’
‘No.Ripley did.’
‘Sheesh.’Riggs’s cheeks returned to the pale shade they’d been a minute ago.‘How illegal is that?’
Ella set the bag on the kitchen table.‘Nothing’s illegal if it gets results.Do you know how long it would take to get access to the contents on here?’
‘Months.The DA would kick to the judge, then the judge would need warrants, chain of custody docs, family approval.’
‘Exactly.We’d need to work with the bank’s legal team too, since Grayson died on their property.By the time we got access, we could be looking at a pile of bodies, and imagine how long it would take to go throughallof their cell phones.’
Riggs pinched the bag and inspected the cell like it might explode any second.‘I get it, Agent, but I don’t know about this.I do things by the book.Always have.What if there’s nothing useful on here?’
‘It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and I’ll be the one apologizing, not you.You just followed my instruction.’
