Page 93 of Girl, Fractured

‘Not your responsibility.It’s usually me saying that to you.You couldn’t have predicted what he’d become.’

Ripley shrugged.‘Maybe not.’

‘And no, it’s not your fault he went this route.You can blame yourself all you want, but Nathan was always going to become a killer, dead father or not.’

Sheriff Bauer broke away from a pack of officers up ahead and ambled over.He took off his hat.‘Agents, we found something.’

‘Please, I can’t do any moresomethings,’ Ripley said.

‘It’s the body parts.Sniffer dogs found them.Our perp buried them in the sand.’

Ella’s head snapped up.‘What?They’re here?’

‘Yeah.All of them, right next to each other.You wanna see?’

‘Not really.’The answer was immediate.

‘Same,’ Ripley said.‘Don’t want to see my mentor’s eyeballs.That’s the last thing I need.’

‘Understood.Anyway, I just wanted to thank you ladies for what you did here.If it wasn’t for you, we’d be chasing our tails.’

Both of them turned to Ella, but she waved a dismissive hand.‘Don’t look at me.Mia did the hard part.She chased Webb here, disarmed her, then beat her and Taylor to hell with a shov-’

Ripley slapped Ella’s knee.‘Yeah.A shove.Webb had me at gunpoint, but I just… shoved her.’

‘What?Really?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Huh.Doesn’t explain the bruises on her head, but I’ll believe ya,’ Bauer winked.‘Anyway, if you ever need anything, you know where I am, yeah?’

‘Thanks, Sheriff,’ Ella said.‘We’ll probably be heading back tonight.’

Bauer put his hat back on and gave them a salute.‘Take care, won’t you.’

‘You too.’

When Bauer was out of earshot, Ella nudged her partner.‘Didn’t this case teach you anything?Lying is bad.’

‘I’m a civilian.I can’t go ‘round hitting people with shovels.’

‘Didn’t stop you an hour ago.By the way, those trophies?Explains the sand at Thomas’s house.’

‘Oh yeah.Taylor must have visited here, then gone straight to kill Thomas.’

‘Yup.’

‘You know, Dark, I still don’t understand his psychopathology.What the hell was he?He mimicked those cold cases down to a tee, and he told me his motivation was to write the ultimate story.But why kill me?How did he know I’d be here?’

‘He got lucky with that part,’ Ella said.‘Sarah told us she was struggling, right?And she told me Nathan’s industry was on life support too.So, together they concocted this elaborate plan.They thought they could craft the most compelling true crime story ever written, and Sarah would be right at the center of it, so she’d have insights no one else would.’

‘Insights,’ echoed Ripley.‘Ha.’

‘Yeah.Everything they did was to craft the narrative, like framing Nicholls, deviating from the White Whale Group by killing Thomas.Suspicion would naturally fall on Sarah through the course of the investigation, which is why she killed her own dad.No one would believe a killer would do that.’

‘True.’

‘But I think for Nathan it was more than money, fame, whatever.He was mimicking killers, but I think he actuallybecamea serial killer in the process, hence this burial site.This was his way of avenging his dad’s murder, but then he saw you.I saw how he looked at you outside Thomas’s house.Did you recognize him then?’