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Madison's next wordstumbled out in a rush, ‘She worked for a company last year. Phoenix RisingTherapy. But... she left.’
‘How come?’
‘Mom…. got tooinvolved.’
Ella read between thelines. ‘Too involved with a client?’
‘No,’ Madison said.‘Another therapist.’
‘Right, and wasPenelope single at the time?’
‘No.’
Ripley jumped in. ‘Soshe had an affair with a colleague?’
The puzzle didn’t fitwith the minimal profile Ella had, but it was intriguing nonetheless. An affairwith a colleague could certainly weave a complex web of emotions and potentialmotives. Could these killings be an act of jealousy, revenge?
Madison nodded,looking down at her black boots. ‘‘Yeah, it was a mess. The guy was only young,half mom’s age.’
‘Right,’ Ella said.‘What happened with this affair?’
Madison inhaledsharply, the weight of the story she was about to tell evident in her posture.‘After the affair came out, my mom and dad split. It was rough, but... Mompicked herself up. She started her own practice, made a real go of it.’
Ella's attention wasriveted on Madison, absorbing every word, every nuance of her story. ‘And theguy? The one she had the affair with?’
‘He... didn't fare sowell,’ Madison said. ‘People in the community... they called him a homewrecker.He lost a lot of respect, practically disappeared from the scene. That’s whatMom told me, anyway.’
Ella shot her partnera look. This added a potential motive for revenge, a life ruined by scandalwhile Penelope managed to rebuild hers.
‘Did he ever try tocontact your mom again? After everything?’
Madison shook herhead. ‘No. Mom said he vanished, but…’
Ella willed her tocontinue. She saw the words fighting for release.
‘But I saw him. Lastweek,’ Madison said. ‘I never told Mom, but he’s still in town.’
Ripley, who had beenquietly taking notes, looked up. ‘Do we have a name for this guy? Anything togo on?’
‘Chester,’ saidMadison. ‘But I don’t know his last name. It began with an L, something likeLawley or Lawford or something.’
‘Chester. Got it. Yousaw him around here? Did he see you?’
Madison shrugged, ashadow of fear crossing her features. ‘I don't know. I saw him at the grocerystore. He looked... different, but it was him. I avoided him.’
‘What does he looklike?’ Ella asked.
‘He's maybefive-nine’, with dark hair. Last week he had a beard, which I'd never seen onhim before. He always looked so... clean before.’
Ella probed further.‘Anything else? Tattoos, scars, a particular way of dressing?’
Madison pressed herpalms to her eyes then wiped the residue on her jacket. ‘Nothing that stoodout. Black jacket. Combat trousers. Sorry, that’s all I remember.’
Ella lodged everydetail into the index in her head. The physical description of Chester, thoughnot exhaustive, was a start, but Ella had to ask herself if these killingscould really be the aftermath of a messy affair.
‘Thank you, Madison.Is there anything else we need to know?’
‘No,’ Madison said,the word barely leaving her lips before it was drowned in a torrent of freshtears. Ella lingered for a moment, watching as Madison's frame shuddered witheach sob, the flood of tears washing over her cheeks like rain over a windowpane.Ella's heart ached with a profound sense of helplessness; for all her training,for all her experience in the field, nothing prepared you for the moments whenwords and promises fell short. She wished there was a magic word, anything thatshe could say or do that would numb the pain.
