Page 117

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Bishop had offered, but Ella had taken Locke up on the ride to the FBI appointment, needing to be away from the deep emotions and reactions that bubbled up when Bishop stood close. He acted as though he understood why she wanted Locke to take her to meet the FBI, and hopefully, she hadn’t hurt his feelings.
And now that she was here… This wasn’t what Ella thought the conference room would look like. A man about her age, wearing a suit and tie, had offered her water or coffee, maybe trying to make her comfortable, but nothing could.
The door opened, and Agent Byrd walked in as perfunctorily as ever. Her face was an odd combination of comfort and let’s-get-down-to-business.
For the next thirty minutes, Ella poured her guts out. She recounted every thought, concern, and suspicion. She relived every second guess in vivid detail, explaining Jay’s changing behavior and her changing attitude toward him.
None of it was evidence. Nothing she shared had been informative, but it was cathartic. Agent Byrd occasionally picked up her pen and took a note, but mostly, she listened. When Ella came to a stop, her agent leaned back in the chair, put the pen down, and rubbed her chin.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Ella. There’s nothing concrete here.”
“I know.” Still, everything inside her felt shattered. “I just—”
“But,” Agent Byrd continued. “We’re on the same page. And I think he’s who we’re most interested in.”
The truth hurt.
“But Ella, you know this. Jay is smart, and the thing is, technology? It can be hard to trace. We need to have that one string in the sweater to pull, then that’s our in. We’re not there yet, but we’re looking. Until then, you need to be vigilant.”
“What do I do? And… what are you doing?” Ella asked quietly, feeling like a traitor.
“We need something to pinpoint him on, but we’re just shy of an arrest.” Agent Byrd clacked her teeth once in thought. “I’d say get a restraining order. There’s nothing to tie him to any of this. There’s nothing to tie it to anybody. You need to stay safe.” Agent Byrd sighed. “The problem with stalkers—and I need to be honest with you—the problem is that when things go bad, they go very bad, and there’s not much I can do beforehand.”
“Fantastic,” she mumbled.
“Youhave to be aware. You have to stay away. Extract yourself from the situation.”
“Which I’ve done,” Ella explained. “I broke up with him. I fired him.” All of which she already had said.
“On the surface, yes. But this is a whole new breed. There are online trolls. Online stalkers. Harassers. They know how to use technology and create profiles, hop IP addresses, use multiple SIM cards. The list goes on and on. It’s so cheap. Readily available…” She shook her head. “What we’re most vigilant about is the transition from the online fixation to real-life violence.”
“But hehasdone things in real life. Manny was hurt.”
“And now that he’s done that, and he’s spiraling, losing control, he’s going to make a mistake. But he’s also getting more dangerous. This was an attempted homicide. An attempt on your life. On Manny’s. We’re no longer talking about online games and hiring college kids. We’re talking about harming you. He wants the last word, and it’s murder.”
To hear those words come out of her mouth… Nobody had put it in those terms before, and she hadn’t even thought about it like that.Jay had tried to kill her. Tears leaked, and Ella wiped haphazardly at her cheeks and chin. Agent Byrd reached across the table and grabbed the tissue box, sliding it toward her.
“It’s just when you said that…” Ella sniffed. “I’m not sure how much more I can take. Everything I’ve understood about my world just changed.”
But was it really Jay? Or was her mind so clouded now as to reach for the improbable? Becausemurder? They had traveled the world together, saving animals, saving the innocents. “None of this makes sense. It’s just not like him. That’s not his personality. It’s not who he is to hurt another. What if I’m wrong?”
“Maybe you are.” Agent Byrd acknowledged that very possibility, which only served to confuse Ella further. Then the agent signaled to the window. “That’s why this is an investigation. Evidence trumps guesses as much as I rely on my instincts.”
“What do I do now?” Ella balled up the tissue. “I can’t keepAgent Byrdon my list of favorites forever.”
The door opened, and the person who had escorted her in dropped off a cup of water. Agent Byrd pushed it to her. “You can call me Angie, Ella.”
She sniffed. “Okay.”
“You grieve.” Angie laid it on the line. “You grieve the changes that you can’t control. The loved ones and friendships that you lose. When your world alters, and everything you think you knew may be wrong? And the people who are most loyal to you end up delivering the most pain?” She paused. “You grieve that loss but then grab onto your strength. You find it, and you rise.”
Ella wanted to believe she could do that. She breathed deep and swallowed a sip of water, trying to handle the pain in her throat.
“I’ve studied you enough, Ella, to know that you have an inner strength. Everyone has it. Some more prevalent than others. But it’s always there. You find it and move forward.”