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It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, but Ella didn’t buy it. ‘And you had to pay her? On a domestic violence charge?’
‘Yup. Compensation for emotional damage. Made up some crap about getting anxiety because of it. Said she couldn’t work. Total lies.’
Ella read her partner’s expression. Ripley looked equally unconvinced.
Ripley said, ‘Regardless if that’s true or not, you obviously still have pent-up resentment for Demi Hart. You can see why that makes us suspicious, yes?’
‘No. If I wanted her dead, I’d have done it a long time ago,’ Lucas said, no remorse in his tone.
Ella weighed Lucas' comment, skepticism front and center. It felt too convenient, an attempt to paint himself as the victim. Yet, she knew that the truth in such cases was often layered and complex.
‘It's a substantial motive, Lucas,’ she said. ‘Financial drain, public humiliation, and a damaged reputation. That's enough to push someone over the edge.’
‘Whatever. I did not kill Demi.’
‘And what about Mark Jensen? You knew him too?’
‘Knew of him, never really hung around with him. He was Demi’s boyfriend back in high school.’
She was building a narrative, piecing together the puzzle of Lucas's past with the victims. If Lucas was indeed their killer, it wasn’t just a simple act of retribution; it was a carefully orchestrated plan fueled by deep-seated anger and resentment.
Ella leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving Lucas. The connections between him and the victims were too significant to be mere coincidences. Yet, without hard evidence, they were skating on thin ice.
‘And Miles Rampell?’ she continued. ‘The fight after graduation, what was that about?’
Lucas suddenly shifted in his chair. ‘Wait a second, Miles is dead too?’
Ella took note of Lucas’ microsignals. Upturned lips, legs widened, two creases in his forehead. She hated to admit it, but his surprise seemed genuine.
‘Yes, he is.'
‘Well, smack my ass. This just keeps getting better.’
Neither agent entertained his comment. Ella kept herself stern. ‘You had a fight with him after your graduation. Is that right?’
‘Miles was an ass. He thought he could push people around. I stood up to him, that's all. It was a long time ago.’
Ella observed him carefully. His tone, a blend of sarcasm and disbelief, didn't quite fit the pattern of a remorseless killer. But it didn't absolve him either. It only added another layer to the already complex puzzle.
Ripley chimed in, her tone skeptical. ‘You expect us to believe that? Your sudden return to town, and suddenly people from your past start dropping dead?’
Lucas's eyes flickered between Ella and Ripley. ‘Believe what you want. I had nothing to gain from killing them. They were just ghosts from my past.’
Ella pondered his words. While Lucas's history and demeanor pointed towards a potential motive, his reactions and alibis needed thorough verification. She decided to change her approach.
‘Lucas, let's talk about your return to Stamford. Why now, after all these years?’ she asked.
He shrugged, his gaze drifting off. ‘Needed a change of scenery. My life wasn't going anywhere. Thought maybe coming back here would... I don't know, help me start over.’
Ella sensed a mixture of truth and evasion. ‘Starting over or settling old scores?’ she pressed.
Lucas's expression hardened, and he sat in silence, his jaw set firmly. Ella knew they were close to something, a piece of the truth hidden within the layers of Lucas Trent's turbulent past. The question was, how to unearth it without pushing him further away. The answer lay in piecing together the fragments of his past with the brutal realities of the present.
‘Where were you the past three nights?’ asked Ripley.
‘I was mostly at the motel on 5th Street, the Budget Inn. Kept to myself,’ he said.
‘Mostly?’
