March 2007, Change of plan

[ellectrical]

She spends one night in the motel, getting up early the next morning and spending less than half an hour to pack up her things. The room key is left at the empty front desk and it's still dark when Elle haphazardly tosses her bag into the backseat and begins what shouldn't be a long drive to the air strip.

At about half way there, Elle's phone beeps. She snatches it up without slowing down, though she only looks away from the road ahead once she's flipped the phone open. It's a single word message from her father:

cop

The phone is thrown onto the passenger seat, and Elle doesn't look at it again until she's pulled into the parking lot at her destination. Instead of getting out, she reaches over the back, pulling her bag forward and unzipping it to get to the laptop packed on top inside. It takes a few minutes for her to realize that she'd forgotten to turn it off last time, so the power cord comes out too, one end jabbed into the computer's side while she uses a hair tie to set the plug against her arm.

The message is waiting – a combination of directions and photos and newspaper clippings.

DRUNKEN CHEERLEADER SUSPENDED CLAIMS SHE SAW BOY WHO COULD FLY single shot to the head state of home suggested burglary but fingerprints match MS. MARSHALL THEN STATED THAT SHE SAW MS. BUTLER LYING DEAD ON THE STEPS.

There's a photo of a man Elle dimly recognizes with blood pooling out the back of his head
a blonde cheerleader with a smile she's seen many times
a man she certainly does recognize instantly.

Meet in Costa Verde.

Elle smiles.

Apparently, she won't have to wait too long after all.