Ellis's face flushed. "Yes. It did."
"While David Crawford was using your framework to help other people build successful businesses," Sloane pressed. "Businesses that are still operating today. How did that make you feel?"
Kate almost intervened. The question was too direct, too aggressive. But she held back, curious to see where Sloane was going with this. The last thing a developing agent needed was to be course-corrected in front of a potential suspect.
"It made me feel disappointed," Ellis said. Her voice had gone quiet. "But not because Crawford used my work. I failed because I was in over my head. I refused to accept that at the time, but it was the truth. Having a good framework doesn't mean you know how to run a business. I learned that the hard way."
Murphy squeezed her knee again. "But you're doing great now. The bookkeeping business is steady, and we're making progress on the debt."
Ellis smiled at him, grateful for the support. "I work as a freelance bookkeeper now. It's not glamorous, but I'm good atit. I'm slowly paying down what I owe from the business failure. It'll take another year or so, but I'll get there."
Kate watched the interaction between Ellis and Murphy. There was genuine affection there, the kind of partnership that develops when people support each other through difficult times. It didn't fit the profile of someone consumed by rage and revenge.
But Kate wasn’t all that surprised to find that Sloane wasn't done. "When was the last time you had contact with David Crawford or anyone from Second Act Success?" she asked.
"Not since I resigned," Ellis said. "That was almost three years ago. I haven't spoken to Crawford or anyone else from the program since then."
"Have you followed the program's success? Maybe just checking them out online to keep track of which participants succeeded?"
Ellis shook her head. "No. I’ve wondered about it from time to time, but kept my distance. That part of my life is over. I made my peace with it and moved on."
Kate could see Sloane's frustration building. The younger agent had been certain they'd found their killer, and Ellis wasn't reacting the way a guilty person should. But Sloane pushed forward anyway, undeterred.
"Where were you on Thursday night?"
Ellis took a moment to think about it and finally answered: “Here. I finished my last bookkeeping appointment at five, came home, and Kevin made dinner. We watched television most of the evening."
"Can anyone verify that besides Mr. Murphy?"
Ellis thought for a moment. "I video-called my sister around seven. We talked for maybe twenty minutes. She can confirm the time."
Murphy nodded. "I can verify all of it. We were both here all evening. I stay here most nights, too."
Sloane looked at Kate, and Kate could see the younger agent struggling with what to ask next. The interview wasn't going the way Sloane had planned, and she was losing her momentum. Kate decided to step in before it started to take its toll on Sloane.
"Ms. Ellis," Kate said gently, "we're investigating the murders of three women who graduated from Second Act Success. All of them built successful businesses using elements of your framework."
Sloane looked over to her with a slight look of surprise. Maybe a bit of disappointment, too.
Ellis's hand went to her mouth. "Oh my God. Who?"
"Rachel Thornton, Patricia Holmes, and Susan Hayes," Kate said, watching Ellis's reaction carefully. “They were all quite successful with the program. Do you know the names?”
Ellis's shock appeared genuine. "Holmes… Patricia Holmes sounds familiar but I couldn’t tell you why." She looked at Murphy, her eyes wide, and then back to Sloane. "This is about murder? You think I killed those women? That I was… what? Angry about my time with Crawford and his program?"
"We're simply investigating all connections to the program," Kate said. "Your framework was used in their business plans, so it was only natural that we needed to talk to you."
"I didn't kill anyone," Ellis said firmly, showing a spark of anger for the first time since they arrived. "I've been working sixty-hour weeks trying to rebuild my life. I don't have time for revenge even if I wanted it. And I don't. What happened with Crawford and the business failure, that was my own fault for being unprepared."
Murphy put his arm around Ellis's shoulders. "Maggie's been through enough. Her piece of shit ex-husband cheated on her, her business failed, she went bankrupt. She's been workingincredibly hard to put her life back together. She doesn't deserve to be accused of murder."
Kate noticed the detail about the divorce and the cheating. Another loss in what had clearly been a difficult few years for Ellis. But none of it added up to the kind of focused rage that had driven someone to kill three women with personalized letter openers.
Sloane had gone quiet now, typing notes into her phone but clearly unsure how to proceed. Kate could see the younger agent's frustration, the way she kept glancing at Ellis as if trying to see past some imagined façade. It was both impressive and irritating. Sloane's instincts had led them to Ellis, which showed good investigative thinking. But her aggressive questioning style had pushed too hard too fast, revealing their hand before they'd gathered enough information.
"What about yesterday afternoon around three or four?" Sloane asked, apparently deciding to push forward despite the setbacks.
Ellis shook her head in disbelief. "I was at work, downtown in my little hole of an office. I can give you the name of the client I was working with, as well as electrician that was in there pretty much all day working on some faulty wiring.”
