ELLA

The conversation clearly wasn’t going as expected for any of the parties involved, but I was determined to see it through to the end, so I listened attentively.

“So you saw blood, saw a weapon, and decided that he was still alive at some point—and your initial thought was blackmail?”

“Yes. We had no reason to believe any harm had come to him. His shack was in an organized state when we arrived, and our informant had seen him earlier that day, hale and hearty, planning something fun with his buddies.”

“You thought their idea of fun included spilling blood?”

“Fun can be anything for anyone. We were focused...