Page 50 of Girl, Fractured

‘You’re not kidding.’Ella found only a passing reference to Brooks’ own white whale, in response to a message from another member.

T.Bellweather – March 10 @ 11:23:Michael, you’re quiet about Black Candle.Anything new shaking loose on that front?

M.Brooks – March 11 @ 16:42: Afraid not, Tracy.It’s a frustratingly cold trail.Limited physical evidence, as you know.Still digging through old newspaper archives.More dust than diamonds so far.Anyone have tips on accessing pre-digital state police reports?

Ella noticed a pattern.Deflection.Always deflection.He never offered specifics, never presented theories, never showed the obsessive dive the others did.He used some obscure case as his membership card, nothing more.He wasn’t trying to solve it; he was using it as cover.

Ella shuffled the pages again, laying them flat.Then she saw it.Not in the content, but something else.

‘Wait a minute.Look at that.’

Sarah and Ripley leaned in.‘What?’they asked in unison, to which Ripley immediately took a step back, probably not comfortable realizing just how similar to the author she really was.

Ella pointed out the timestamps of each message.‘He sends every email between 4 and 5 PM.’

‘Pull your calendar up, Dark.’

She did, then caught onto Ripley’s train of thought.She checked the dates of Brooks’ emails against the calendar.

Tuesday, Oct 15, 4:03 PM.

Thursday, Oct 17, 4:48 PM.

Tuesday, Oct 22, 4:11 PM.

Thursday, Oct 24, 4:05 PM.

Tuesday, Oct 29, 4:26 PM.

A pattern.Precise.Predictable.Unlike the scattered, obsessive posting of the others who seemed to fire off messages whenever a thought struck them, Michael Brooks had a schedule.

‘Looks like Michael Brooks is a creature of habit.Every email comes on either a Tuesday or Thursday, within the same hour slot.’

‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Ripley said.

‘And what day is it today?’

‘Tuesday.’

‘Which means if our friend keeps to his schedule, he’ll be at the Palm Harbor Library in a few hours.’

‘Time for a stakeout.’Ripley pushed off from the doorframe.‘Come on, Dark.We need to prep the library, get some officers on the outside.’

‘Small team,’ Ella cautioned.‘Two officers max, plain clothes.If he catches a whiff of law enforcement, he’ll disappear.’

‘What about me?’Sarah asked.‘I could help.He doesn’t know me on sight.I could position myself near the computers, act as eyes inside.’

‘Absolutely not,’ Ripley said, at the exact moment Ella said, ‘That could work.’

The partners exchanged looks.Ripley hissed, ‘She’s a civilian.’

‘She’s also our best connection to the group,’ Ella countered.

‘She doesn’t know what Brooks looks like.None of us do.We might as well take a chimpanzee.’

‘But I’m the only personheknows.What if we miss him?If Brooks sees me, there’s a chance he might talk to me.’

Ripley huffed.Her eye roll said that she was wrestling with the fact that someone she hated had made a good point.