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Morgan steppedoutside of Ella Van Sant's house, the harsh sunlight cutting through the gloomthat had settled in her mind. The crime scene's grisly images lingered, but sheshook them off, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. She couldn'tafford to let her emotions cloud her judgment.
As she crossedthe immaculate lawn, a distraught woman approached her, tears streaming downher face.
"Excuse me,are you with the FBI?" she called out, her voice strained by grief.
Morgan turned toher with a frown. "I am. You shouldn't be here." Behind them, thehouse was being caution taped off, and officers were milling about.
"I'm Maggie,Ella's girlfriend," the woman said. "We live here together."
Morgan studiedthe woman, noting her red-rimmed eyes and trembling hands. Her heart went outto Maggie, but she also knew this woman could potentially hold crucialinformation.
"I'm sorryfor your loss, Maggie," Morgan said. "Can I ask where you were lastnight?"
"Out oftown," Maggie choked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand."Ella was home alone. If I'd been here, maybe I could've done something.Maybe she'd still be alive."
So far, all threevictims had been home alone at the time they were taken and killed. That wasanother common thread.
"You can'tblame yourself for what happened, Maggie. It's important we focus on findingthe person responsible."
Morgan's eyesnarrowed as she noticed Maggie fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater, aclear indication that there was something else on her mind. Even through thewall of grief and shock, Morgan could see that this woman held a secret. Andthere was one thing she needed to know that would clearly link this murder withthe others.
"Maggie,"Morgan started, "did Ella ever have any work done?”
“Work?” Maggieasked hesitantly.
“Cosmeticsurgery,” Morgan said.
Maggie wentquiet, averting her eyes. “No… no, of course not.”
“Are you sure?”Morgan lifted a brow. She couldn’t help but feel like Maggie was hidingsomething. “It’s important that I know this, Maggie. The other two womentargeted by this killer got cosmetic surgery.”
Maggie bit herlip, hugging herself. “It was so important to Ella to keep it a secret,” shewhispered. “No one can know.”
Morgan’s heartraced. Finally, she was getting somewhere. “Go on,” Morgan said.
Maggie took abreath. "She'd been secretly having miniature facelifts—threads pulledinto her forehead to lift her eyebrows and make her look more like aninfluencer."
The unexpecteddetail caught Morgan off guard. Ella was far too young to be getting facelifts,but Morgan was also unaware of the specific procedure Maggie was talking about.It sounded like it wasn't about looking younger but looking different.
Either way, thisinformation changed everything. Because even though Ella was much younger thanthe other women, they all had something in common: they all got plasticsurgery.
"Did anyoneelse know about these surgeries?" Morgan asked, trying to piece together thepuzzle.
"Onlyme," Maggie whispered, looking down at her trembling hands. "Ellatrusted me with her secrets. Even now, I feel bad telling you, but... I alsosaw that there were other women being killed like this on the news."
Morgan stoodfacing Maggie, the sun casting long shadows on the lawn. The faint scent offreshly cut grass filled her nostrils as she took a deep breath, preparingherself for what might come next.
"I don'tknow if it's relevant or helpful at all," Maggie said, "buthere." She pulled out her phone and scrolled through a series of textmessages. "This is from Ella to me." She handed the device to Morgan,who read the conversation with growing concern.
"Stoppedgoing after things went wrong," Morgan read aloud. "What wentwrong?"
"It was atVitality Clinic," Maggie replied hesitantly. "I don't know a wholelot, but a guy there agreed to work on Ella off the record and under the tablefor extra money. I always thought it was sketchy, but Ella insisted."Tears welled up in her eyes once more. "I don't know the name of thedoctor or if he was even legit."
Morgan's heartpounded in her chest. This could be the lead they needed to catch the killer.But first, she needed to determine the clinic's connection to the previousvictims. She handed the phone back to Maggie, her resolve hardening.
"Thank you,Maggie," Morgan said, her voice firm and steady. "You've been a hugehelp. I'll do everything in my power to find justice for Ella." With anod, she left Maggie standing on the lawn, tears streaming down her face.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
