Page 17 of Girl, Accused

‘Deadly serious. He said it was the easiest thing to do.’

‘And you didn’t just walk out? Kick the door down? He can’t lock you up like that.’

Ella had spent the past twelve hours wondering whether or not to just shoulder that conference room door off its hinges and make for the sunset. In the end, she decided it was the wrong move. Edis could keep her under watch for a short time, and some small, broken part of her understood why he had.

‘He can. I was a suspect, so police can hold me for 24 hours. I just got the VIP treatment.’

‘Ell, I’ve got half a mind to show up there and put boots to thedirector’s ass. That asshole’s put me on temporary leave too.’

‘What? Because of me?’

‘No. Because of how I threw Lawrence Winters off that walkway last night. DD Marshall said I’d overstepped the mark and they needed to investigate.’

Ella watched the flow of pedestrians, wondering if any of them might be returning the gesture. ‘Oh,thatkind of leave. Don’t worry about that. I’ve had that like three times.’

‘You have?’

‘Yeah. It’s a formality. The big dogs just need to justify their salaries.’

‘Sure? Marshall seemed genuinely pissed.’

'New government takes office in January, so all the top dogs will be replaced. Marshall is one of them. He's just throwing his weight around for his last few weeks.'

‘Well, that’s a relief. Where are you now? Are you coming home?’

‘I’m outside HQ, but there’s something else. Ripley is here.’

Another pause. ‘Ripley?TheRipley?’

‘The Ripley. She showed up with some footage that helped clear me. And now...’

‘And now what?’

‘Edis is sending me and her to Ohio on a new case.’

‘Umm,’ Luca murmured, ‘you remember she retired, right? Are you sure you’re not hallucinating all of this?’

A silver Volvo ghosted up to the curb with Ripley's face visible through the windshield. The sight of her old partner behind the wheel of a soccer mom car should have been funny, but nothing felt funny anymore.

‘Definitely not hallucinating,’ Ella said into the phone. ‘Listen, I need you to do something for me and I need you not to argue about it.’

‘I don’t like the sound of this. Any of this.’

‘Whoever’s doing this isn’t some two-bit criminal. They got my hair from somewhere. They found my old address that isn't in any public records. They knew about Jenna and Julianne.’

‘So, you think I could be the next target.’

The thought made Ella’s stomach turn inside out. ‘Julianne barely knew me. If this killer had no problem finding my old addressandher, then…’

‘Then I might as well have a bullseye on my forehead.’

‘Exactly.Could you get out of D.C. for a few days? Until I make some headway with this?’

Ripley rolled down the window and beckoned her partner inside. Ella held up aone-momentgesture.

‘But the case is with the police. We don’t work for the police.’

‘Edis is going to get jurisdiction. Ripley said it’ll take a few days.’ Through the phone, she heard drawers opening.