Girl, 11 by Amy Clarke (grave mercy TXT) 📗

knows how to fake an alibi. If he knew Leo had called me and I was coming over, he could have committed the murder, gone to the gas station so he would be on the camera, and then returned to the crime scene to be ‘discovered’ by me.”

Ayaan studied the paper. “And the kidnappings?”

Elle pressed on, ignoring the doubtful expression on the commander’s face. “You already know that the chop shop got rid of the van that we think was used to kidnap Amanda. Eduardo was friends with Duane and Leo—he could easily have made up the story about the person at the university giving the van to him as cover for Duane. Plus, Duane matches the physical description given by Danika: a bald white man. But the biggest thing is this, Ayaan. Tina, my producer, found out a bunch of the threatening emails we’ve gotten came from the IP address used by Duane’s auto shop. I looked back; he’s been sending a few a day since I found Leo’s body.”

Ayaan’s gaze flicked to hers. “Where’s that information?”

“She said she’d forward it to you.”

The commander turned to her computer, swiping the mouse to wake up the screen. She scrolled and clicked. After reading for a minute, she looked at Elle again. “See, the thing is, Elle, we already suspected Duane. The connection between the likely abduction vehicle and his chop shop makes him an even stronger suspect. Sam has been interrogating him about this all day, but he insists he doesn’t know anything about the kidnappings. We searched his property, both his apartment and the auto shop. There’s nothing there. No evidence of Natalie or Amanda.”

“Then he must be hiding her somewhere else,” Elle said. She looked at her notes on the desk, all the clear thoughts she and Martín were so sure pointed to Duane. “It has to be him, Ayaan. He hates me, hates the podcast. Leo said the person he suspected had the Majestic Sterling tea in his house. Did you look for that?”

Ayaan shook her head. “No, but even if he did, that wouldn’t prove anything.”

A rush of nerves blew over Elle, like a drift of snow covering the highway. She held steady. “It would be more evidence he was obsessed with the Countdown Killer. He has to be the person Leo suspected, and that’s why he was killed. Leo saw all the warning signs and assumed he was the real TCK, not just someone who idolized him. So, he wrote in to the show. Duane found out somehow and went over to kill him, because he wanted to start killing like TCK did and he knew Leo would mess up his plans.”

“That’s a good theory, but it’s all circumstantial. And there’s another problem. We recovered a long black hair at the crime scene for the Toca murder, and the DNA results came back today.” Ayaan turned her screen to face Elle and pulled up a report, alongside a mug shot. “Luisa Toca, his ex-wife, whom he supposedly hadn’t seen in months. She’s in the system because of a DUI a few years back. We haven’t been able to track her down, but her car was found last night at an abandoned house outside Shoreview. We think she must have ditched it there and left with someone, probably the new boyfriend her coworkers told us about.”

Elle stared at the woman’s picture, brown eyes glowing with defiance. “It wasn’t her. I don’t know where she is, but Leo was killed because he wrote in to the podcast about TCK, I’m sure of it.”

“Elle . . .” Ayaan looked over Elle’s head.

Sam stood in the doorway of Ayaan’s office, his cheeks blotchy and red. “You really think you know better than everyone else, don’t you, Elle?” he said, taking a step toward her. There were gray circles under his bloodshot eyes, and exhaustion made his voice hoarse. “We have actual DNA evidence pointing to a suspect who’s on the run, and you’re still thinking about your stupid podcast?”

“I’m sorry, but not twelve hours ago, you were the ones telling me this was about my fucking podcast!” she snapped. “I don’t know why Luisa’s hair was in Leo’s house, but it seems like there could be a whole host of reasons. Like, it could have stuck in something he moved from their old house. Or maybe she went to his house to make up with him. Or maybe Duane planted it there to throw you off the track.”

Sam shook his head, letting out a sharp laugh. “Not everyone has a master plan, no matter how much you seem to think they do. I guess that makes sense, seeing how you’ve spent all this time lying about who you really are.”

Elle bit down on her tongue, eyes fluttering closed. It had only been a matter of time. When she opened them again, his chin was lifted, smug with victory.

“That’s right. I just finished listening to your most recent podcast, Eleanor,” Sam said. He looked from her to Ayaan. “You’ve got no idea who you’re really working with, do you? Elle is Nora Watson. The reason she’s so obsessed with TCK is because she was one of his victims.”

Elle’s face stung as she stared at the table, unable to look at the commander. Ayaan said nothing.

“Did you know about this?” Sam demanded.

Of course she didn’t know. Of course not. Tears blurred Elle’s vision.

“You were working with an unstable, traumatized woman who’s obsessed with catching her own kidnapper, and you didn’t even know!”

“Hey!” Elle glared at him, ignoring the panic that rose in her gut. “I am not unstable, and I am not obsessed. The whole reason I didn’t tell anyone about who I am is because I knew that would be the first thing everyone would assume about me. I know the TCK case inside and out because of what he did to me, yes, but also because I’m a damn good investigator. Just because I have been through trauma does not mean