Page 6 of Girl, Empty
‘Dreading what?’
‘Going back to work.’
He wasn’t wrong.It had been six weeks since Ben had been murdered in California – the third of Ella’s confidantes to be killed – and not much had happened since.The case of Ella’s stalker-killer was now officially under FBI jurisdiction, and Ella had passed on her theory about Austin Creed to the investigators.He was the first serial killer Ella ever caught, and whilesheknew him as Austin Creed, most of the world knew him as the Mimicker, because his M.O.was to copycat infamous serial murders of yesteryear.Ed Gein, Richard Ramirez, Edmund Kemper, John Wayne Gacy, and finally a haphazard attempt at mimicking Ted Bundy before Ella intercepted and put him behind bars.
Although, if she was being honest, it was less of a theory and more of a gut feeling.She’d lost her cell and hairbrush on the day she’d been to the courthouse in Louisiana for Creed’s sentencing.Of course, Creed couldn’t have taken the items himself, but it didn’t mean someone else in the courthouse couldn’t have.
And perhaps that person was working in conjunction with Creed to make her life hell.
The investigators had said her theory had merit, and they’d told Ella to stay a million miles away from this investigation.The closer she got, the worse things would be, and she agreed with their logic, even if she had no intention of following their advice.
But still.What she wouldn’t give to find whoever did this herself.One minute alone with him and she could deliver justice better than a courthouse ever could.
‘I’m going to visit Ripley in an hour, then I’m at home the rest of the day,’ she said.‘Training on the new system.I don’t need to be in the office.’
‘Are you going to be on camera?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then brush your hair because it looks like crap.’
‘Roger.’They said healthy relationships were based on honesty, and Luca was too honest for his own good.‘You remember where I’m going later this week, right?’
Luca's expression went sheepish.The same look he got when caught using the good scissors to open packages.'Yeah.I remember.'
Ella was going to California to say goodbye to Ben properly.Six weeks had passed since his death, but between the investigation, the holidays, and various bureaucratic delays, this was the first chance she'd had to pay her respects.Ben deserved that much, more than just a phone call to his mother.She owed him her presence at the end, because if not for her, Ben would still be here.
‘Do you want to come?’
‘No.You need to say goodbye without me there.’
It was a difficult balance, telling your current boyfriend that you needed to attend the burial of your dead ex-lover.Even calling Ben her ex didn’t feel right.Former partner, former lover, former everything.The man who’d saved her life more than once and even wore matching scars.The man whose death was entirely her fault.
And Luca understood this.In another relationship, this conversation might have triggered jealousy or some passive-aggressive comments about moving on.Luca didn’t do jealousy, luckily, especially not with dead men.You couldn't compete with ghosts and Luca was smart enough not to try.
‘Thank you,’ she said, and meant it.
‘What for?’
‘For getting it.’
‘I’d be more worried if youdidn’twant to go.That would mean you were further gone than I thought.'
‘Fair.’
‘But you know why you’re really going, don’t you?’
Ella cocked a brow.‘I’m going to pay respects.’
Luca got that hesitant look, the one that meant he was about to say something she didn't want to hear.‘Maybe.But there’s another reason.’
'What are you on about?'
‘No invites at a funeral.Anyone could show up.’
'That's not why I'm going.'
'Isn't it?Not even a little bit?'
