Page 23 of Girl, Undone
Ken's reaction was subtle, but Ella caught it.There was a slight tensing of his jaw and a brief darting of his eyes.'Julia?What about her?'
Ella decided to play it close to the vest.‘Were you close with her?’
‘Not really.I saw her in lectures a few times.We chatted online.Nothing more.’
‘When did you last see her?’
Ken glanced up and to the left, a sign of visual recollection.Another truth-telling sign.‘About two weeks ago.I was into her, but she wasn’t into me.Story of my life.’
Ella and Ripley exchanged a glance.The EduCase messages, the proximity to the cabin, his absence from work the morning after Julia’s death – and now a slice of rejection for good measure.
‘Mr.Myers, Julia Dawson was discovered dead this morning,’ Ella said, not mincing her words.
The revelation hit Ken Myers hard.His face drained of color, and his posture, already weary, seemed to crumple further under the weight of the news.‘Dead?’he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper.The shock in his eyes appeared genuine, the kind of raw, unfiltered reaction that was difficult to fake.
Ella watched his reactions closely, searching for any hint of trickery.‘Yes, Mr.Myers.We're investigating her death, and we need your full cooperation.’
Ken seemed to struggle to process the information.‘I...I can't believe it.Julia's dead?’He looked genuinely distressed, his hands trembling slightly as he ran them through his hair.
Ella maintained her composure, despite the empathy she felt for the man's apparent shock.‘We understand this is difficult news.Can you tell us about the last time you communicated with Julia?We know you were in contact with her recently.’
Ken vigorously rubbed his face and took a deep breath.‘We...talked online a couple of weeks ago.But it was nothing serious.Just casual chat about college stuff.’
'You mentioned earlier that you were into Julia, but she wasn't into you.Can you elaborate on that?'
‘Yeah, I liked her.Thought she was really smart and pretty.But she didn't feel the same.I guess I was just another classmate to her.’
‘And what made you think she wasn't interested in you?’Ella probed.
Ken pointed towards PetPatrol.‘Something about this place put her off.As soon as I mentioned the pet store, she distanced herself, like she couldn’t even be around someone who’d been near creatures.It was...kinda weird.’
Ella paused, processing Ken's words.This new insight into Julia's behavior intrigued her.A sudden idea exploded into Ella’s head, but she discarded it, refocusing on her conversation.‘Are you sure that’s why?’
‘Yeah.It was just the way she reacted when I mentioned working here.Everything changed.She became distant, like anxious.She couldn't get away fast enough.’
Ella nodded, taking mental notes.She turned to Ripley and signaled her to take over.
‘Your whereabouts last night?’Ripley asked.
Ken's posture tensed slightly at the question.‘I was at a Packers game until late.’
‘Can anyone confirm that?’
'Yes, I went alone, but I saw a few people there.When I got back, I was talking to my professor on EduCase until the early hours.Is that enough?'
‘Got timestamps?’
Ken nodded.‘Yes, they're all on EduCase.I was discussing my thesis with Professor Hendrick.I can show you on the store computer, if you'd like.’
Ella studied Ken Myers one more time, and if she was being honest with herself, couldn’t see him being their unsub.He seemed too disheveled and too meek to pull off a violent homicide.She was certain their perp had incredible upper body strength, and Ken Myers seemed to be lacking in that area.Furthermore, he drove a beat-up old Ford, not a van or four-wheeler as the tire marks at the scene suggested.
‘We’ll get some officers down here to check it,’ Ella said.She nodded at Ripley, signaling her to stay with Ken until more tech-savvy officers got there.‘Officer Ripley will accompany you until then, alright?’
Ken wearily nodded.‘Okay.Anything to help.’
Ella pulled out her phone to dial in assistance, but before she did, she had one more question.‘Mr.Myers, one final thing.Your colleague said you sold four rats recently.Do you remember who bought them?’
Ken paused for a moment.‘Yes.A tall man, short brown hair, wore a suit.It was unusual because we rarely sell more than one rat at a time.’
