Page 31 of Rookie Days

“What else?” Quinn sounded sharp, as usual.

Ellie gave her a quick summary of what she’d put together so far.

“Our suspect went to the club looking for a victim, knowing what he would do to her that night. He was prepared for it and careful when he acted it out. No semen was recovered from the victim’s body and he left no prints on her either. So he had to be wearing gloves.”

“Yeah.” Quinn made a rolling motion with her finger.

“The spot where he raped and killed her was the only place outside the building without CCTV.”

“What does that tell you?”

“He either knows the place well, or he took the time to recce the location.”

“Correct. More indication that he’d been thinking about his crime and did not act on impulse. Do you think the same would go for his choice of victim?”

“That’s what I need to find out.”

“Yes, and quickly,” Quinn reflected in a grim tone. “You’ve got several angles to work on this case. One, the perpetrator was on a power trip with the rape, and a thrill kill afterwards. He may want to do it again if that’s the case. Two, if he targeted O’Connell for a particular reason, what was it? Her looks? Age range? What was different about her?”

“Or three, maybe he knew her personally,” Ellie prompted. “Had a history with her.”

“Exactly. How about a disgruntled ex-lover?”

“I’ve been keeping this in mind when talking to people she knew. If she was not a random victim, then I need to know: why her specifically?”

As she repeated this, Ellie discovered that the question still had the power to trip her up. She would have said it could not anymore. That she would not let it have any effect on her. But still, and again, without warning, she fell into a memory. Home. Her mother, sobbing raw and painful. Her dad, holding her and trying to console her, even as he also cried.

‘Why her? Why my baby? Why did he take HER!?’

Ellie had been eight years old at the time. Listening to her parents from the top of the stairs when they thought her asleep in her bed. Night after night, the same conversations. The same wounded attempts to find answers, until even the walls dripped with sorrow.Why did he take her?Ellie had absorbed both the question and the guilt that came with it.Why her? Why her and not me?

“Detective James.”

Quinn’s intentionally loud voice brought her back to reality. Ellie jolted out of her trance to find that she had moved in front of her. And was staring fixedly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I was just thinking.”

“No, you weren’t.” Quinn hissed in frustration. “You can’t lie to me about this, Ellie.”

“Really, I was just—”

“Here, drink some water.”

Ellie took the bottle that she passed to her and had a small sip, if only to cool her rising irritation and keep her lieutenant happy. She was fine, dammit! No time for fucking histrionics.

“It’s just thoughts,” she muttered.

“Maybe, but you’re not in control of them.” Quinn went to shut the door of the small office, signifying that Ellie would not get out of this conversation so easily this time.

“We’re not doing this again, are we?”

“I decide what we do and when, Detective.” Quinn grabbed a chair. Sat in front of her. Leaning forward with her elbows on her thighs, she locked eyes with her. “You said you trusted me, right?”

Oh, boy!So they were doing this.

“Yes,”Ellie grunted. “I do trust you.”

“Talk to me then,” Quinn demanded. “How long has this been going on?”