“Online?” saidPaige, gruffly, leaning past Adele and shouldering her out of the way so shecould peer into the back seat. “What do you mean online?”
Melissa glancedbetween the two women. “I mean on the Internet. We have a chat room for expatsfrom America. She wanted to meet up; it can be lonely sometimes in a newcountry if you don’t know anyone.”
“There are a lotof you here?” Agent Paige said. Adele didn’t like the disapproving tone in herpartner’s voice. Paige issued a soft snort of air, but she kept herself mostlyin check. “Don’t like the home country, is that it?”
Melissa fidgeteduncomfortably, twisting the seatbelt in her hands. She still had it attached,even though the car was parked. Adele didn’t blame her; sometimes peoplelatched onto anything for a feeling of safety.
The womanshifted again and seemed unsure whom she ought to address. At last, she settledon looking at Adele. “We don’t dislike our country. At least, not all of us.Not really. There are a lot of reasons someone might move away. Culture,changing jobs. I can’t tell you how many hours most of us had to work backhome. Sometimes it feels like in America you just live to work. In France, itfeels like there is more of a life. Plus there are so many different people youcan meet; a common history and architectural beauty…” She trailed off, shakingher head slightly. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. Don’t get me wrong; I do likeAmerica too, sometimes,” she added quickly. “But everyone has their priorities andtastes. Some people love to travel. Some people want to start over. I can’timagine it’s that strange.”
Adele shook herhead. “It isn’t,” she said, “but you said you met Amanda briefly before. How?”
Melissabrightened at this. “I… I met her while shopping. We…” She hesitated, her toneslipping. And she swallowed. “We met in a checkout line at Le Grande Epiceriede Paris…”
“The grocerystore?” Adele asked.
Melissa’s eyeswere sad, but a bit of humor crept into her tone as she said, “It’s—it’s a bitof a joke among our community. The USA section at the store only carries thingslike peanut butter cups, popcorn, beef jerky—a funny interpretation of whatParis believes are the staples back home…” Melissa hesitated, then shrugged. “It’snot uncommon for Americans to shop there. Some of us find it ironic; others…”
“Like the peanutbutter cups and beef jerky?”
Both womensmiled. But Melissa’s faded first. “I’m one of the moderators of our onlinecommunity. I heard Amanda checking out, speaking to a friend in English. I’m-I’mthe one”—her voice cracked, but she pushed through—“who invited her to ourgroup.”
“Moderator?”Agent Paige said.
“She keeps thecommunity running,” Adele replied quickly, then looked back at Melissa.
Melissainterjected. “I’m one of ten. There are quite a few moderators. I don’t usuallydeal with new members, but Amanda was… she seemed so friendly.”
Adele noddedsympathetically and allowed an appropriate amount of time to pass beforeasking, “Is there anything else you can tell us about her?”
The woman shookher head. “I’m afraid not.”
“The victim hada strange injury,” Agent Paige said, carefully. “Do you know…” She hesitated,as if trying to find a delicate way to put it, but then shrugged and continued,“…why her kidney was missing?”
Melissa’s eyeswidened in horror, and she stared past Adele now, transfixed by the olderagent. Melissa stammered and shook her head, but she turned away again, staringout the window. This time, she didn’t turn back.
Adele exhaleddeeply, but then waved at the two police officers, gesturing back toward thevehicle. She stepped from the street onto the curb and called out, “Thank youfor your time, Ms. Robinson.”
Agent Paigefollowed after her. Muttering beneath her breath, and stepping up the sidewalk,Adele whispered, “What’s wrong with you?”
Paige frowned. “Carefulwho you’re talking to.”
“Are you tryingto scare our witness?”
“No, I wasasking a valid question. I waited until the end of the interrogation.”
“She’s not asuspect.” Adele glanced toward the figure in the back of the police car oncemore and tried to suppress her frown. “It wasn’t an interrogation. We werequestioning a witness.”
“Be that as itmay, I waited until the end of the questions to ask her. It’s an importantpoint. We still don’t know why the kidneys are missing.”
Adele couldn’tdisagree with this, but she still felt a sense of frustration. At her partner’scomment, though, her eyes widened. “Wait, what do you mean kidneys? Morethan one? I thought only one kidney was missing.”
Agent Paigelooked at her fingernails. “Yes, one. But also from the second victim.”
Wait,” Adelesaid. “Both of them were missing a kidney? How come I wasn’t told thissooner? When did you find out?”
Agent Paigewaved airily. “I just received the call a few minutes ago. I wonder why theycalled me instead of you.” Adele glared at her, and Agent Paige shrugged and beganto move back toward her vehicle. “We should check back at headquarters and seeif we can get the social media platform to release the information about this expatgroup.”
Adele continuedto stare at her partner. “Were you even planning to tell me about the secondkidney if I hadn’t asked?”
Paige wasalready opening the driver’s door of her car. “I’m telling you now. Theyemailed the report. I’ll send it along in a minute.”
Adele bracedherself, shaking her head. The two police officers were already getting backinto their vehicle, preparing to take Amanda back home. Adele stood between thepolice vehicles and the old apartment building. It was starting to feel likeshe was in over her head. The killer was still out there. He killed at a three-daypace. That meant he could strike again within the next forty-eight hours.
She shivered atthe thought and tried to avoid looking in Agent Paige’s direction. The sight ofthe older woman only set her blood boiling.
Still, perhapsPaige was right about one thing. They needed to talk with the online forumservice provider to figure out if they could get information about the users.Adele wondered about the reasons why Americans were coming to France. Amandahad been polite about her thoughts of America, but perhaps there were otherswho weren’t so fond of their home country.
Did that havesomething to do with it? Maybe the motive for why the two victims had leftAmerican to come to
