At that revelation, the last vestiges of doubt evaporated from Ripley's disposition.‘He researched you.And he slipped up.’
‘Exactly.He knew my real name, which means he's been digging into my background.That's no casual life coach or group therapy participant.That's our guy digging into the lives of his targets.’Ella paused and drew a deep breath as she prepared to unveil another layer of Mason's calculated approach.‘And there's something else, something that didn't click until now.’
‘What?’
‘At that same meeting, Mason...he slid a coffee across to me.Just out of the blue, like it was a friendly gesture.But I didn't drink it.’
‘Poison,’ Ripley said.
‘Exactly.Mason knew that Derek wouldn’t be showing up because he’d already put him in that cabin, and if I was poisoned, he could have lured me outside to his car and got me to the cabin that way.’
‘And chances were you would have died in that cabin too.’
‘Oh, I’d be dead all right.But that’s not the proof of his guilt.There’s a kicker at the end.’
‘Go.’
‘It was Mason who gave me Derek’s apparent cell phone number, but you said Derek didn’t have a cell phone.I looked for it on the police file and couldn’t find it either.That’s because it was Mason’s cell – maybe a burner phone – that he had on him all along.That’s why it was silent when the line was connected, because it was Mason on the other end.He stayed silent so I wouldn’t recognize his voice.’
Ripley said, ‘Then he planted the phone in the cabin and did a runner.He knew you’d trace it.’
‘Which means he knows I’m a cop.’
‘Which means he knows the cops might figure him out.’
Ella nodded.‘And that’s why we need to find him right now.’
Ripley marched around the room, one hand lodged on the back of her neck.'Right, but if Mason Arthur isn't his real name, how do we find him?It's not like he's going to show back up at the group sessions now, either.'
Ella leaned against the whiteboard.She replayed both of her short conversations with Mason in her head, and recalled a detail from their first interaction she’d almost overlooked.
'He mentioned he works out of the Apollo Court building.'
Apollo Court?Never heard of it.’
Ella hurried to her laptop, opened up her browser, and began typing.'Right.He invited me to look at his office, offered me arealcoffee.Probably poison.’
‘But during your first meeting, there’s no way he knew you were a cop right away, so he might have been telling the truth.’
‘That’s what I’m checking.And ifMason Arthuris a facade, we might be able to peel it back, starting from Apollo Court.It's our best shot,' Ella said.She searchedApollo Court life coach Cedarburgonline and hit return.The room around her seemed to fall away.The loading icon spun.
The page loaded, and the first result had everything she needed.
‘Got you!Ripley, look.’
Her partner leaned in.‘Maxwell Tanner.Clinical therapist.An extraordinary life starts with self-care.’
‘I bet it does, you son of a bitch,’ Ella said.‘Maxwell Tanner, Apollo Court, floor 13, office 9AA.’
‘Maxwell Tanner,’ Ripley repeated.‘No pictures of this asshole?’
Ella clicked around.‘No.Can’t find one.Now we know why.’
Ripley was already double-checking her ammunition levels.‘Let’s go.Time to end this.’
‘Wait,’ Ella said as she grabbing her wrist.‘If Maxwell Tanner’s our unsub, he’d be an available therapist on Scarecrow.’
‘Check it.There’s every chance Maxwell is already making for the hills.’
