AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ripley looked up from her notes, her browfurrowed. ‘Because Frank might be bullshitting. It could have been a way to toywith Donna. Tell her he’s killed, then say he wants help. Donna would haveexperienced terror, relief, then terror again. He’s taking her on arollercoaster.’
Despite Ripley's theory, a part ofElla couldn't help but circle back to the raw emotion she had heard in Frank'svoice on the recording. It wasn't just the words he spoke but how he spokethem. The quiver in his voice, the sound of a man teetering on the edge of anabyss so deep, it threatened to swallow him whole.
‘But what if he was genuine? What if, inthat moment, Frank truly believed that redemption was possible?’
'It doesn't matter what he wants, itmatters what he's done. And what he's done is kill two women. Possibly more,judging by what he said on that tape.'
Ripley was right, Ella conceded. Whatserial killers said and what they did were two different things.
But she couldn’t help but think that ifshe understood this unsub’s motives, she might have a better chance at figuringout his next move.
Ripley said, ‘Caldwell’s guys arecontacting every therapist in the area. They’re being told to stay cautiouswith any male clients, old or new.’
‘Good. Now I guess we need to do a littlemore cross-referencing.’ Ella turned to the clutter on her desk and pulled theclient lists of Donna and Rebkah closer. It was time to comb through them, tosift through the names in search of the one that might just crack the case wideopen: Frank.
Ella’s fingers worked methodically,leafing through the client lists. She sifted through names, cataloging each onefor later scrutiny, but the list for Donna Shepherd proved fruitless.
A litany of names, but no Frank tobe found.
‘Ripley,’ Ella began withoutlooking up, ‘what if he used a fake name?’
'More than possible,' Ripleyacknowledged. 'But Frank is all we've got. Let's roll with it.'
‘Alright.’ Ella's voice wasresolute, even as disappointment gnawed at her insides. If Frank was apseudonym, they were back to square one.
She moved on to Rebekah Holden'slist, the more meticulous notekeeper of the two. That list was longer, moreextensive, and Ella felt a twinge of hope.
As Ella scanned the lines of ink,each name seemed to blur into the next, a seemingly endless stream of potentialthat yielded nothing. She was about to turn the page, her hope waning, when aname caught her eye and halted her breath.
Frank Harlowe, itread.
Clear and unassuming among the seaof names, yet it struck Ella like a thunderbolt.
‘Got something?’ Ripley's voice cutthrough.
‘Frank Harlowe,’ Ella said, herfinger hovering over the name on the page. According to Rebekah's meticulousnotes, the man had started his sessions about four months ago—two appointments,and then nothing. No follow-ups, no cancellations. Just an abrupt end to hisseeking help.
‘Here?’ Ripley leaned in, her gazenarrowing on the entry.
‘Yep. But there's no Frank onDonna's list,’ Ella remarked.
‘Could've used a fake name withDonna, or paid cash,’ Ripley pointed out. ‘People hide in plain sight all thetime.’
‘True.’ Ella sighed, rubbing at thetension knotting her temples. It was a lead, albeit tenuous. She needed more,something concrete.
‘Rebekah's notes are thorough.Maybe too thorough for someone who didn’t want to be traced back,’ Ripleymused, tapping a pen against her lips thoughtfully.
‘Or not cautious enough with aclient who'd rather stay anonymous,’ Ella added, feeling the edges of thepuzzle starting to align, if only slightly. ‘Either way, we need to follow thisthread.’
‘Let's pull at it, then.’ Ripley'ssaid. ‘Check the database. We need to see if Frank Harlowe has a history.’
She swiveled toward the computer,her hands poised over the keyboard like a pianist ready to belt out a melody.She threw in the name Frank Harlowe and searched. The screen flickeredmomentarily as the system digested her request.
The search returned a single recordin the area—a match that sent a jolt of adrenaline through her veins.
‘Ripley, look,’ Ella said. 'There'sa Frank Harlowe in here.'
Her partner leaned in. 'A Frankwith a criminal record. That's a good start.'
