Free The Grotesques by Tia Reed Page B

seemed to have intensified. The spark she had seen when he laughed at Matt had died. “I’ve talked to the other missing girls’ families, and I think I’ve found a connection.” He winced at his lie. Ella nodded encouragement. “I’d like you to confirm something.”
    The door opened just enough to accommodate Jane’s body between it and the jamb. “Yeah, well Alicia’s not missing, she’s dead.” She threw her angular chin up. She was slim but definitely not frail and seemed to be bearing up well.
    “I’ve reason to believe the murders and disappearances are related,” Ella said.
    Jane thrust her jaw to the side, considering. “What did you bring her for?”
    “Reassurance.”
    She scoffed.
    “Girls are dying. You don’t want to entertain a stranger alone no matter who he says he is.”
    Her eyes widened slightly. She drew herself taller, oozing false confidence. “I’ve already talked to the police.”
    “Ella is a personal friend. Despite what you might have heard, she has a lot of integrity.”
    “How do I know anything I say won’t end up in the Informer ?”
    “You have my word,” Ella said, “and you can sue for slander if it does.”
    Jane opened the door. The place was messy but not unclean. From the variety of objects scattered around, Ella guessed Jane was sharing with other female students. Her eye landed on a French textbook sitting on a chair over which a pink cardigan hung.
    “Are you studying the language?”
    “No. Biology.” She crossed her arms to reinforce her reticence.
    Ella spied a physiology book next to a compact on the worn floral couch. While Adam took that opening to break the ice, she wandered to the laminate shelving at the back of the room. Apart from books and cheap knickknacks, several photographs adorned the shelves, most of a group of girls. Recognising Alicia in one, she picked it up. Chubby and plain, Alicia did not smile enough to part her lips.
    “Is this the most recent photo you have of Alicia?”
    “No.” Jane came over, took the photo from her, and replaced it on the shelf.
    Adam removed a photo from his wallet and showed it to her. “Cecily,” he said. “I used it to ask around the neighbourhood. I covered far more area than the police did.”
    Ella felt a wave of sympathy. Adam had not mentioned he’d done that. His honesty struck a chord with Jane, who picked up another photo.
    “This is Alicia about a week before she disappeared.”
    The difference was remarkable. Where the girl had seemed self-conscious in the first, in this photo she oozed life. Only one thing could change a girl so quickly. “Her boyfriend must have been special, to bring her out of her shell that way,” Ella said.
    Jane abruptly set the photo down.
    Adam moved his head until he caught her eye. “Please. I really am doing my best to find out what happened.”
    Jane sighed. “She wouldn’t admit it. Alicia never felt good enough, with her weight and looks, but I’m sure she was seeing someone. She had that look about her, you know? She even asked Marie to teach her ‘I love you’ in French.”
    “Do you have any idea who it was?”
    “No. Alicia always gave news in her own time. I think she was afraid it wouldn’t last. But she changed after she started going to service at the Church of the Resurrection. I think she met him there.”
    “Did you tell the police?”
    “Sure, though her mother insists she would’ve known if Alicia was seeing someone.” She shrugged. “Maybe she’s right. Apparently, there weren’t any unaccounted calls to Alicia’s mobile.” As Jane’s confidence wavered, so did her voice.
    “But there are other ways to communicate,” Ella prompted.
    The young woman moved her jaw again. She made a decision to speak. “You say you’re studying bats?” she said to Adam. He nodded. “Can they be trained to deliver messages, like pigeons do?”
    The question caught him by surprise. “I’ve never heard of it.”
    Ella could tell by the