She spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Around 8 a.m. the next morning, she glanced at her phone, remembering she had put it on do not disturb. Taking that setting off, she watched as she got a couple of text messages and a voicemail. Scrolling through her texts first, she raised an eyebrow. The first one was from Madilyn, Marissa’s other sister. She hadn’t heard from Madi since she moved back to Port Townsend. The middle Ambrose sister lived abroad in London, where she had been for the past six or so years.
[Madi: Rissa, I don’t know what you did, but Mel is losing her fucking shit. I hope everything is okay, and if you need to talk, I’m here.]
Marissa and Madi weren’t necessarily close, but Melanie and Madilyn were not close. They hadn’t been close since middle school. So, to get a message from Madi that she had heard from Mel meant Mel was really upset.
“Fuuuuuck,” she said out loud. But rather than responding, she scrolled through the rest of her messages. Three from her mom, probably casually trying to pry rather than come right out and ask.
[Mom: Hey honey, just wanted to see if you were doing okay. Call me soon.]
The generic mom texts.
[Mom: Hey Marissa. Melanie dropped the girls off this morning and was really upset. She wouldn’t tell me why, just that you two got into a fight. Is everything okay?]
She could hear this one in her mind in her mother’s voice. Concerned but also very firm. No one was allowed to upset the golden child.
The newest text was from this morning.
[Mom: Hey baby, I was just wondering how you’ve been. Please give me a call.]
She also had a text from Jack.
[Jack: Hey beautiful, it was great spending time with you. Hope we can do it again soon.]
Closing her texts, she opened her voicemail and put the phone to her ear without bothering to sit up.
“Hey Marissa, it is Cooper from the SPD.” He mumbled something that wasn’t quite audible before continuing. “If you could call me back, I have some news that might interest you.”
Marissa didn’t bother listening to the rest before she hung up and dialed his number. Thankfully, he picked up, rather than making her go through Laura.
“This is Lieutenant Cooper. How can I help you?”
“Hi, Lieutenant. It’s Marissa Ambrose—”
“Oh, Marissa. Thank you for calling me back,” he said in a gruff tone. “How are you?”
“You said there was news?” She was not in the mood for small talk.
“Yes, yes. As you know, there had been an arrest made in Ohio. Well, he has been extradited back here, and the FBI would like you to come in as a formality and go over some things.”
“The FBI?”
“Yes. I’m not permitted to say much more on the matter, but if you think you could plan to come down for a day—”
“Of course. I can be there in a couple of hours.”
When Marissa hung up, she all but jumped out of bed, searching for clean clothes.
Within the hour, she and Ellie were on the ferry, on their way to her old precinct. Marissa could feel the fluttering of anxiety and excitement building in her stomach, giving her chills as she watched the Sound’s choppy waters.
Upon arriving, she was escorted to the precinct’s back office, just outside one of the interview rooms. Two very well-dressed men stood there, looking deep in conversation, until they noticed her presence. Marissa looked over at the taller of the two agents, recognizing him immediately. He had thick dark hair and soft brown eyes that made her smile without meaning to.
He caught her looking at him and smiled back. “Detective Ambrose.”
“Agent Mackenzie.” The world was very small indeed.
“‘You two know each other?” the other agent raised an eyebrow.
“We worked together on the O’Rourke case. What was that? Four, almost five years ago?” He didn’t take his eyes off her as he answered, and he hadn’t stopped smiling either. “This is my partner, Clyde Bennet.”
What he wasn’t saying was that once they had closed the O’Rourke case, they had gone out for almost a year. After her second divorce. With many successful dates by Marissa’s memory. But he was located in D.C., and Marissa still wanted to try to make things work with Jared.
“Something like that,” she said before taking a deep breath through her nose. “So, what am I doing here?”
Agent Bennet nodded his head. “We’ve brought our suspect from Ohio to answer for the crimes here.” He paused. “He has asked to speak to you.” There was a long, weighty silence in the air. “You do not have to speak to him if you aren’t comfortable. But he has offered to give us a list of his crimes to you.”
“The suspect that you believe to be the Couple’s Killer?” At least one of them. Even if no one believed her that there was a second unsub.
“That is correct.”
She just stared at them in disbelief. “The man you think murdered my partner in front of me and held me captive for two days?”
“You are not under any obligation to talk to him,” Mackenzie said gently, stepping forward, giving Agent Bennet something of a scolding look.
Lieutenant Cooper approached, frown on his face, looking exhausted. Knowing him, he was probably irritated with the FBI’s presence.
Marissa looked from one man to the other. Agent Bennet looked annoyed, keeping his lips tight and his eyes focused on a spot on the floor. And desperate. James Mackenzie watched her with genuine concern. Looking past both of them, she looked through the one-way window at the man sitting in the interview room.
“That him?”
Agent Bennet nodded.
He didn’t look like what she had pictured. She had only come face to face with one other serial killer, and he had more than fit the stereotype. He had been a grungy, hillbilly mess. This man, on the other hand, was well-groomed with a well-kept beard and clean clothes. He looked like someone she could have gone to school with. Not extraordinary but not bad looking. He seemed very casual sitting there, not like someone charged with not one but many murders.
“And he asked for me? By name?”
Agent Bennet nodded again. “He said he won’t talk to anyone else.”
“You really don’t—”
“I’ll do it,” Marissa interrupted Mac and looked over at Agent Bennet.
“Does the dog need to go with you?” Agent Mackenzie asked, immediately nodding after seeing her expression. “Okay, but a few ground rules. You aren’t allowed to discuss the crimes committed in Ohio that he was brought in for. If you feel too uncomfortable at any time, you can leave at any point. Anything you get can help us, names, dates, locations.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be in there with you, and Agent Bennet will be right here.”
Marissa nodded and took a deep breath before following Mac into the room.
“There she is. My favorite detective.” The man stood up slightly before the chains around his wrists and ankles forced him back down.
He looked so ordinary. Short, dirty blonde hair, gray eyes, broad shoulders. He looked like her high school quarterback. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him, but the way he watched her caused her body to stiffen.
“How have you been, detective? I’m glad to see you made a full recovery.”
Marissa didn’t want to be here. Mac pulled out a chair for her before sitting down in the other one. She stared at the top of the table while Mac spoke. “Daniel Fryer, you’re here today because you have admitted to the murder of Detective Thomas Disher and the kidnapping and assault of Detective Marissa Ambrose. You were arrested in Ohio for the murder of Wendy Lupo, which we cannot discuss today.”
“Yes, Agent Mackenzie. You already know this,” he said with impatience, glaring at the recorder in the middle. He looked back at Marissa with a sly smile that drained all the blood from her face. “Do you think we could have space, Agent Mackenzie?”
Marissa went to speak up, but Mac shook his head. “That was not the agreement.”
“Fine.” He narrowed his gray eyes at Mac before turning his attention back to Marissa, causing her to flinch. “Tell me, how are you feeling these days?”
“I’m just fine.” She made sure to keep her voice even. “They tell me you asked to speak with me. Why?”
“I was curious.” He drummed his fingers.
“Curious?” Her head throbbed. She wanted to go home.
“I’d never left a victim alive before.”
“Out of how many victims is that?” She needed to make the most of her time, but she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She didn’t react to his words, keeping her face still.
“We’ll get there.” He was playing games. He had control of the room, and he knew it. They needed information, and there wasn’t much they could leverage. “I’ll give you a name at the end of each visit. All I have is time.”
“I can’t make those kinds of deals with you. But if you give me something worth giving them, I’m sure some kind of arrangement can be made.” She swallowed, glancing over at Mac, who watched the convict closely.
“Okay,” the man finally said after looking her over, leaning back in his chair. “Let me start with what I didn’t do. I did not kill the Harrises, the Cochrens, or the Teens.” He smiled at Marissa’s evident confusion. “I admit to killing Detective Disher and being party to your subsequent kidnapping.”
Glancing at Agent Mackenzie’s raised eyebrow, Fryer looked very amused with himself.
“You didn’t tell them there was more than one?”
The hair on the back of Marissa’s neck raised, and her blood suddenly ran cold. She stiffened but kept her face as neutral as possible. It didn’t seem like it was enough.
“Or they didn’t believe you.”
Despite her efforts, he was reading her like a book. Ellie sat up, resting her head in Marissa’s lap and letting out a gentle whine of warning. Her anxiety was far too high.
“Is he sending you pictures?”
Marissa didn’t say a word, but Fryer looked amused.
“What about that husband of yours?”
“Ex-husband.” She hadn’t meant to respond, but the words just fell out of her mouth.
“Interesting.”
“Excuse me. I need to get some air. Can we get you anything?”
Marissa glanced at Mac before making eye contact with Fryer. He gave her a broad smile and shook his head, leaning forward, his chains shifting loudly with him.
“No, ma’am. Thank you for asking.”
Marissa couldn’t tell if he was taunting her or if he was trying to genuinely be polite. But she didn’t care. Standing up very slowly, she nodded her head. “We’ll be right back.”
As the door closed behind her, Marissa sucked in a breath and immediately shot for the nearest garbage can. Foam and phlegm came up, her ribs aching from heaving. When she pulled her head out of the pail, she realized everyone was staring at her. Cold sweat covered her, and she shivered noticeably.
“Weak stomach?” someone muttered from their desk, though Marissa couldn’t see who.
Mac stepped forward, placing a hand on her back, but before he said anything, Lieutenant Cooper slammed his hand down on the nearest desk.
“That’s enough,” he snapped before walking up to her, looking down at his feet. “Marissa, this department and I owe you an apology. For not taking your claims seriously.”
She heard his words but didn’t respond. There was nothing to say. Two years after the fact and all the shit they had given her, as crazy as they made her feel, finally, there was the truth. It didn’t give her any relief whatsoever.
“We have to go back in,” she mumbled and stood, taking a deep breath to collect herself.
“Is there anything you need before we go back in?” Mac’s hand was still on her back supportively.
“A soda?” No faster than Marissa said it was there a coke in her hand. She took a few sips before nodding.
“Let’s get back in there.”
They talked in circles for another two hours, Marissa feeling like she wasn’t accomplishing anything. Fryer knew he controlled the room. He took credit for over a dozen murders on his own. Murders that police would never tie him to or consider suspicious without his knowledge.
He had no demands in exchange for giving information, just visits with her. When she had asked him why, he gave her an unsettling smile that put her teeth on edge and repeated himself: “I’ve never left anyone alive before.” He implied he hadn’t planned on leaving her that way either but promised to discuss her stalker at their next meeting. He called him Ben. Having this name now felt like a thousand pounds being dropped on top of her. She couldn’t begin to put into words how unsettled she felt.
“Let me give you a ride home.” Agent Mackenzie stood beside her awkwardly, looking as though he didn’t know what to do with his hands. She had brushed by everyone to hurry outside into the cold night air. She didn’t want to talk to anyone at the precinct. None of these people had believed her—people who were supposed to be her friends and have her back. Now they were nothing but apologies. Two years of calling her crazy. She wasn’t too fond of the FBI either, James Mackenzie aside.
“You don’t want to give me a ride. I don’t live in the city anymore.”
“It’s fine. You shouldn’t have to be by yourself right now.” He paused. “Is there someone I can call? Your husband?”
“Ex-husband. And definitely not.” She straightened herself and swallowed, doing her best to look like she was okay. She was anything but fine. Ellie shoved her nose into her leg, urging her to relax. “Like I said, I don’t live in the city anymore. It’s a two-hour ferry ride.”
“The last ferry to Bainbridge already went out. You take the ferry to Bainbridge, right? Then to Port Townsend?” Detective Sisto chimed in as he came outside, immediately looking as though he regretted opening his mouth and saying anything at all. “They are doing maintenance work,” he added in a softer tone. “Have a goodnight.” And he all but ran off.
Marissa rubbed her eyes in annoyance. Hell would freeze over before she called Jared. She could, in theory, call Lydia, but she was probably working. “I’ll just grab a hotel.”
“Nonsense. Let me drive you home.” Mackenzie watched her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her to agree. He looked like he had no intention of losing the argument.
Marissa narrowed her eyes slightly. On a different day, she probably would have continued to argue until she had gotten her way. Which was basically like cutting off her nose to spite her face. She didn’t want to stay in a hotel. She would need to find one that would accept Ellie. And she also didn’t have that kind of money at the moment. She had only planned for lunch, which she had now thrown up, and the ferry ride there and back.
“Okay. But it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
Marissa didn’t bother looking up. “Great. I’ll be back next week. Lead the way.” And with that, she patted her leg and called Ellie to her side.
They walked without further comment to his car, a very predictable black SUV rental. Ellie stretched out on the back seat and immediately began snoring. Apparently, the day had been much too exciting for her.
Despite the brief excitement she had felt hours earlier when she saw him, they traveled in silence. Comfortable silence that Marissa was grateful for.
“The driveway there, you can pull up right next to the mini.” She straightened in her seat, adjusting the seat belt, eager to get out of the car.
“Perfect,” he said quietly, carefully pulling the car in and putting it in the park. “Do you know of any hotels open late?”
Marissa considered giving him a list of places to check but thought better of it. He had been kind enough to drive her all the way out here. “Nonsense. I have a perfectly good guest room you can use for tonight. It’s the least I can do.”
It may have been dark, but she was certain she saw relief wash over his face. Of course, whether it was because he didn’t have to find a hotel or if it meant he could keep an eye on her, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t particularly care. She stepped out of the car and stretched while Ellie followed right behind her.
“Here you go.” Marissa handed off the spare pillows and gave him a weak smile. “You are welcome to raid for the fridge or whatever you need.”
He smiled back, taking the pillows. “Thank you again.”
“Of course. Thanks for the ride.”
His eyes lingered on her for a minute before he tossed the pillows on the bed. “Anytime.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.” She sighed and turned to head into the hall.
“Marissa,” he said softly, stopping her in the doorway. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”
“Of course.” She flashed him a smile, but he didn’t look convinced. “I’m just going to shower and go to bed. I will see you in the morning.” She didn’t give him the chance to argue, hurrying out of the guest room and down the hall to her own. She looked over at her bed, contemplating skipping the shower, but she needed to wash the feel of the day off. She had to get it off of her.
How was she going to make this a regular thing? What the fuck had she been thinking?
Walking into her bathroom, she glanced back and saw Ellie jump up on the bed and curl up in the corner, exhausted from her long day. She didn’t close the door entirely, leaving it cracked if one of the animals wanted to follow her in, and started stripping off her clothes. Marissa winced as she raised her arms to get her shirt off, and she didn’t even bother unclasping her bra. She just pulled it off and tossed it into the corner.
After turning on the shower, she turned off the light, so the muted light from her bedroom seeped in. Stepping into the shower, she let the hot water run over her face, and she held herself close. The day had been like something out of a nightmare. Something she had watched but not experienced herself. She hadn’t felt anything. She couldn’t allow herself to, aside from vomiting once she left the interrogation room. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from that.
Now that she was alone, she let all of it wash over her. The fear she felt when Daniel Fryer’s cold eyes looked through her, his unfeeling tone as he casually spoke about torture and murder. His crooked, charismatic smile physically made her heave.
She couldn’t even give herself a moment to feel relief that the truth was finally out there. That now everyone knew she hadn’t been crazy. There was a second person there. The person stalking her now was one of the men who had held her for two days. It was not a comfort. But at least now they couldn’t call her crazy.
Leaning against the wall, she slid down and allowed the water to run off her. Pulling her knees close to her chest, she struggled to breathe. It was ragged and strained, and before she knew it, she was sobbing, gripping her arms tightly. Trying to gain some control, she turned and bit into her arm, attempting to stop the panic that was spreading through her. She bit down for several beats, trying to use the shock of pain to ease the fear. When she finally let go, she could see the dark blood in the dim light running down the drain.
Marissa didn’t know how much time had passed when the door was pushed further open, allowing more light through. The water that had been hot when she started was now cold, and she shook from the chill. She had assumed it had been Ellie but realized after a moment someone was speaking to her.
“Marissa?”
She saw his silhouette stand there for a moment before he turned the water off. He knelt down beside her, towel in hand. “Here,” he said gently. “Let’s get you warm.”
Marissa accepted the towel and moved very slowly, trying to wrap herself up.
“Here,” he said again, wrapping the towel behind her. He put his arm under her legs, lifting her up.
“No,” she weakly protested, but he shook his head.
“You’ve been in here for over an hour and a half, Marissa. You’re freezing.” She hadn’t even been aware. “And you’re bleeding.” He gently placed her down on the bed. She hesitated, feeling momentarily shy, until she remembered he had seen her naked before. “Do you have a first aid kit?”
Marissa had to think. “Downstairs bathroom, under the sink.”
He disappeared, making his way down the stairs. Marissa took the opportunity to throw on underwear and a long tank top. Getting back into bed, she pulled the covers up to her chest. She hadn’t even realized she had been in there so long. That the water had gone from scalding hot to ice cold. Ellie whined, standing and repositioning, so she rested her head on Marissa’s legs, where she could easily receive pets. When Mac returned, he had gauze and a wrap in one hand, Neosporin in the other. “Here, let me get this bandaged.”
She waited for him to ask what had happened or assume and lecture her, but neither came. He just quietly wrapped it up. Once he was content with his doctoring, he sighed and looked her in the eyes. “Now. How do you feel?”
“Warmer.” She said with a sigh. “Thank you.” She looked down at her hands, feeling overwhelming shame.
“Of course.” He smiled at her and stood awkwardly for a moment, seemingly unsure if he should leave her alone.
Marissa sighed and grabbed the remote off her nightstand. “Would it be too much to ask you to keep me company until I fell asleep?” The relief was immediate on his face. He walked around the bed and sat on the blankets on the other side of her. She thought she’d made the offer for his sake, but as they looked for something to watch, Marissa felt herself relaxing.