Page 13 of Girl, Empty
‘Yes I am, sir.’
‘Good.And look, I’ll probably be gone by the time you get back from Indiana, so this could very well be our last meeting.There’ll be no ceremony, at least not one you’ll want to attend.So…’
Edis let the implication hang.Ella guessed he was telling her that now was the time to tell him everything she’d always wanted to, and with that illicit permission, her mind suddenly went blank.Typical.
‘Then all I can say is thank you, sir.You were the one who took a chance on me years ago, and I hope I’ve served you well.’
‘You’ve served me a lot better than I’ve served you, and I just want to tell you something.’Edis left his desk and moved to the door.He looked through the frosty glass for any lingering silhouettes outside.Happy with the privacy, he continued, ‘This is for your ears only.It doesn’t leave this office.Don’t even tell Ripley, okay?’
The hair on Ella’s arms – the ones she’d forgotten to shave this week – stood on end.When the FBI Director told you something in private, it was usually the kind of thing you took to the grave.‘I’m listening, sir.’
‘Even though I won’t be in charge, it doesn’t mean I’m leaving you to fight this alone.I’ve been personally overseeing this case against Creed, even though I’m not supposed to.I’m the one who ordered police to monitor your friends, and that won’t change just because I’m leaving.You have my word.’
Ella breathed a sigh of relief.The thought had crossed her mind but she didn’t want to pile it on the director’s plate.‘I appreciate that.’
‘And I won’t be in this office anymore, but I’ll still have my connections.Judges, law enforcements, prison directors.’
‘Excellent.Thank you.’
‘You know, your ex-partner, Ben?I remember him well.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes.He helped us catch Tobias Campbell.He was the whole catalyst to catching him, if I remember rightly.’
Ella would never forget that night for as long as she lived.Ben being taken hostage in the trunk of car, then figuring out that Tobias had been hiding in the sewers beneath D.C.The trail had taken Ella to an abandoned house in Maryland where she’d found Tobias in hiding, then she’d unloaded five shotgun shells into his torso.It was the first and only time she’d taken a life, and she vowed never to do it again.
‘Yes he was.’She tried to hide the emotion in her voice but did a terrible job.
‘I was very saddened to hear of his death.Poor guy.He had his whole life ahead of him.’
Ella nearly choked up.‘It’s very sad.I hadn’t talked to him since he left… but I miss him.’
‘Well, I’d hate to leave the Bureau with this dark cloud over our heads.I’m sure you’d agree.’
‘I’m not sure what you mean, sir.We can’t wrap this case up before you leave.We don’t know who Creed’s accomplice is.’
‘The investigators are closing in.Well, they were, until Creed’s lawyers wrapped red tape around him.’
‘I heard.’
Voices emerged on the other side of the door as people passed by, and Edis waited for them to disperse.‘We’re confident Creed is manipulating someone on the outside, and you know the mindset of a follower, don’t you?’
‘I do, sir.’
Followers were loyal to their messiahs, providing their messiahs were accessible.The psychological profile was consistent: individuals with disrupted attachment patterns in childhood, often victims of neglect or abuse, who developed pathological identification with aggressive figures as a survival mechanism.
‘Good.Then you’ll know what happens when their leaders are removed.’
‘Removed?’
‘Unreachable.Invisible.Dead.’
Ella voiced an analogy she’d read in an old profiling textbook.‘When the host is dead, the parasite either dies too or finds a new vessel.’
‘Yes.And it’s been six weeks since Ben died.This accomplice has disappeared underground, because Creed is unreachable.So…’ Edis moved over to the flowers he’d brought for Ella and Ripley.‘Do you like your gift?’
‘Love them,’ Ella said, ‘but what are you saying about-’
