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

“Elle, you have lied to Ayaan and to me the entire time you’ve been here,” Sam said, not quite managing to cover the hurt in his voice with anger. “Can you imagine how damaging it will be when Amanda’s parents find out? They’re going to hear you admit on the podcast that the person who killed their daughter did it to target you. We will get raked over the coals and blamed for her death, and it will be because of you.”

“Enough, Sam.”

His eyes blazed, but he closed his mouth.

Ayaan met her gaze, face drawn with some emotion Elle couldn’t decipher. “Maddie Black . . . I should have known. This is why the TCK case has consumed you since I’ve known you.”

“Ayaan, I’m sorry. I don’t . . . I don’t tell anyone about what happened to me.” Heat flashed across Elle’s skin, dampness growing under her arms. She couldn’t stand the way the commander was looking at her. Like she’d been betrayed.

“You thought I would judge you for being a victim? For wanting to find the man who destroyed your childhood?” Ayaan asked, her voice husky.

Elle sat forward. “I don’t want to be a victim. I don’t want that to be the first thing people know about me, and that’s how it was all through high school, through college. Until I married Martín and changed my name. CPS knew my history, of course, but my boss was kind enough not to tell other people on the job. It shouldn’t matter—it didn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” The power was back in Ayaan’s voice, ringing in her small office. Both Elle and Sam were silent as she gathered herself, put her hands on the desk. When her gaze flicked back to Elle’s, her brown eyes were serious. “I warned you several times that you were overstepping your bounds on this case. I even looked the other way when I found out you misled Detective Hyde in order to keep investigating after I had told you not to. But Sam’s right: your impulsive actions over the past week have put multiple people in danger, including yourself. I think it’s best you go home.”

Elle wanted to defend herself, but she could barely even bring herself to keep looking at the commander. This was worse than if she was angry, if she threw Elle out of her office with Sam cackling as she went. Elle had let Ayaan down. She hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her everything, and now it was too late.

Without another word, she left the office and walked outside. The wind dried the tears in her eyes, sent a shiver to her core. She started the car, unsure what to do next.

Ayaan said they hadn’t been able to find any trace of Natalie at Duane’s house, so he had to be keeping her someplace separate, someplace the police didn’t know about. Every second she was gone, her life was in danger. Amanda had been killed two days early, so who knew what would happen tomorrow, on the day the countdown said she was supposed to die? Duane had already broken his idol’s pattern. What was to stop him from killing Natalie early too?

Police didn’t have any evidence to arrest Duane, but that wasn’t going to stop her from talking to him. She was going to have to get a confession.

40

Justice Delayed podcast

Recorded January 20, 2020

Unaired recording: Duane Grove interview

Elle:

Hello, Duane.

Duane:

What do you want? It’s the middle of the night, and I’ve been talking to police all fucking day.

Elle:

This’ll just take a few minutes. Wanna let me in?

Duane:

[After a pause.] Fine. Wipe your feet.

Elle:

I know you don’t like me. You’ve made that clear. But I’m hoping you can answer some questions about Leo.

Duane:

For fuck’s sake, I already told them everything I know. You recording this for the cops? Think I’m stupid enough to confess to something I didn’t do on your microphone there?

Elle:

Duane, I swear I’m not here to get you in trouble. I’m not trying to manipulate you. Leo called me the day he died with some information about a case I’ve been working on for over a decade. You know anything about that?

Duane:

[Loud sigh.] No, I don’t.

Elle:

I think you do.

Duane:

I told you, Leo was obsessed with your stupid podcast. He started seeing things that weren’t there, getting all agitated about how he thought he knew who TCK was.

Elle:

He told you this?

Duane:

Yeah, he wouldn’t shut up about it. You got him all riled up and then look what happened. The day he writes to your show, he gets popped.

Elle:

So, you knew that he wrote to me.

Duane:

Yeah, he told me he was. Said he thought he had enough evidence to actually show you.

Elle:

And did you know who he was collecting the evidence on?

Duane:

Nah, I asked, but he wouldn’t tell me.

Elle:

Did you ever suspect it was you?

Duane:

[After a long pause.] You’re a crazy bitch, you know that?

Elle:

Thank you.

Duane:

You really came here all alone to accuse me of being a serial killer? You think that microphone is going to protect you?

Elle:

I can protect myself.

Duane:

Whoa, shit, what are you doing? You can’t do that. Don’t you work for the cops?

Elle:

Answer the question, Duane. Did you suspect that Leo thought you were the Countdown Killer?

Duane:

I . . . no! Fuck, don’t point that thing at me, chill out. No. I’m not the freaking Countdown Killer, okay? I was, like, fifteen when he was killing girls.

Elle:

That’s just the thing, Duane. We’re not so sure it’s the real Countdown Killer who kidnapped Amanda and Natalie. More than likely, it’s just a cheap copycat. A copycat who was inspired by my podcast to start emulating TCK’s methods and to target me by coming after a girl I love. Because they hate me. And I think you make a pretty good candidate for that, you know why? Because I have these. Dozens of emails from the last week, threatening my life and making it clear you know where I live. They all came from your auto shop.

Duane:

I . . . you think . . .

Elle:

Yes,