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His profile popped up.
It was alarmingly bare. No profile picture, no posts, no check-ins. It was like staring at a ghost, a digital specter from the past.
‘Got him, but details are minimal.’
She began scouring through the scant details of this almost non-existent online persona, mind moving at a mile a minute. The lack of information was frustrating, yet it sparked a curious fire. Was this sparse digital footprint a deliberate act of concealment?
‘Completely bare?’
Then Ella spotted something, perhaps the only piece of information the profile had to offer.
Occupation: CEO of GammaRay.
‘He owns a company called GammaRay, whatever that is.’
Ella's mind, ever analytical, quickly sought to unravel the mystery of GammaRay. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, each stroke echoing the rapid pace of her thoughts. The digital search yielded results within moments: GammaRay was a technology company that created apps.
‘It’s a tech company.’ Ella burrowed further. ‘And it’s based in Stamford, around ten miles from here.’
‘Apps? What kind of apps?’
Ella checked their website. A glossy black and white effort. No expense spared by the looks of things.
‘Look at this,’ Ella murmured, her attention fixed on the headline bar at the top of the page. ‘Their most popular app is called… Anchor.’
Ripley came around to Ella’s side of the desk. ‘Anchor, huh.’
Ella clicked in to get the details. The description touted advanced psychological techniques and personalized therapy sessions to help manage traumas and phobias. ‘An app that helps people deal with trauma.’
She made new connections at lightning speed. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. An app designed to soothe traumas might be linked to a string of murders rooted in the perpetrator's unresolved psychological pain.
Then a thought struck her, sudden and sharp. ‘Ripley, what if this Thomas Holt guy is addressing his own traumas through this app? Could it be more personal than just a business venture?’
‘Get Holt’s address. We need to speak to him. If he’s on the Lincoln High page, that means he’s the same age as the victims, right?’
‘If he knew about James’ little clique, he was probably in their grade.’ Ella scoured the GammaRay website, landing on the ‘About’ section. Right at the top was the founder’s headshot – Thomas Holt.
Ella's heart raced as she clicked on Thomas Holt's headshot. The image that loaded was of a man who could easily blend into any crowd, unremarkable yet with an intensity in his eyes that suggested depths unseen. Ella studied his face, trying to glean any hint of the turmoil that might lurk beneath.
‘There he is.’
Ripley leaned in, studying Holt's face. ‘Does he look familiar to you? Like someone who might have been on the fringes in high school?’
‘Not really,’ Ella admitted. ‘But he’s had twenty years to change things up.’
Ripley slammed her hand down. ‘Pull up the address of that place.’
Her mind churned with the new information. If Thomas Holt was the killer, then his creation of Anchor could be a twisted journey through his own past, an attempt to deal with traumas that had never fully healed. The more Ella thought about it, the more it made sense — the app's focus on trauma, the killer's modus operandi, the ties to their shared high school years.
She found the address on the website. ‘Heaven’s Garden Industrial Estate. Ten miles away.’
Ella grabbed her things and steeled herself. This could be the moment that either unraveled the mystery or deepened it. But one thing was certain: she was one step closer to the truth, and Ella was determined to see it through, no matter what lay ahead.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Ella approached the GammaRay headquarters, a building that exuded modernity and innovation. Thomas Holt – the founder – had taunted the most recent victim about his friends being murdered, and judging by his presence on the Lincoln High social page, he was part of the high school alumni.
For Ella, that was enough to suspect his involvement.
