Page 78 of Girl, Fractured

Ella braced herself.If Malcolm was about to list off a hundred names, then this case could take her into the next decade.Please be a manageable amount,she thought.

‘Yes.Do you have a pen?There are three names.’

Relief washed over her.She didn’t have a pen, and given how her memory had failed her recently, she probably needed one.‘I’m ready,’ she said.

‘Seraphim Books, True Crime Realm and Scarecrow Press.’

A cold hand slithered up Ella’s spine.One name was not like the others.Because she’d heard it recently, and that couldn’t be a coincidence.

‘Scarecrow Press.Are you sure?’

‘Very much so.I’ve never heard of them though, and Thomas didn’t list who exactly he’d contacted.’

‘No, that’s fine,’ Ella breathed.She’d suddenly developed the adrenaline shakes, because that one little confirmation had cleared the static and brought a blurry picture into view.A lot of people in this town weren’t who they said they were, and Ella was going to rip their masks off before the night was out.

‘Malcolm, you’ve been a great help, but I need to go.’

‘You’re welcome.Call me if you need anything else.’

Ella said goodbye and hung up in haste.As she jabbed the button, she saw that Ripley had texted her while she’d been on the phone.

Nicholls is innocent, confirmed.

She mashed Ripley’s name in her contacts and stuck the receiver to her ear.Her feet, apparently with a mind of their own, had started weaving a path from the hall to the kitchen and back again, like a caged animal that had just smelled freedom, or maybe more blood.

‘Come on Mia, pick up, pick up,pick up!’

Eight rings later, the voicemail answered.You’ve reached Mia Ripley.Leave a voice message, or don’t, it’s your choice.

God dammit.She killed the connection and hammered out a text message instead.She just hoped that Ripley saw it before it was too late:

DO NOT LET SARAH WEBB LEAVE THE PRECINCT.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Mia Ripley felt like a prize fool, because she’d been taken for a ride by the very breed of creature she despised.Ripley should have trusted her gut and suckerpunched the stupid bitch when she had the chance, but she’d stupidly overrode instinct – for what?Personal growth?Seeing an outside perspective?All overrated.The sting was made even more painful by the presence of Josiah Nicholls’ downtrodden face opposite her, as if this asshole had anything to be upset about.

She had to get out of here and bring the real killer in.

Who, mercifully, was in this very building.

Her cell vibrated in her pocket.Ripley checked it and found Ella’s name gracing her screen.She jumped to her feet and gave Josiah Nicholls the final words she’d hopefully ever say to this gremlin.‘Go home.Pray I don’t ever see you again.’

Nicholls had no time to respond because Ripley was out of the door.She missed the call from Ella, but a text came through a second later.

DO NOT LET SARAH WEBB LEAVE THE PRECINCT.

Dark had figured it out too.Sarah Webb wasn’t the wholesome author everyone thought she was, but the irony was that she was about to get a lot more fans once her name appeared in the headlines tomorrow.Ripley found Sheriff Bauer waiting in the corridor.

‘Ripley, what the hell is going on?None of this makes sense.’

‘It makes total sense.Clear Nicholls, he’s innocent, and-’

‘No he’s not.Assaulting a federal agent?Obstructing justice?’

‘Irrelevant.Where’s Sarah Webb?’

‘Webb?’Bauer scrubbed his eyes with both palms.‘She just went outside for a cigarette.’