She felt anuneasiness as she regarded him.
This man hadspoken with both of the victims before they’d been murdered. He had to knowsomething.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Agent Paigewiggled Mr. Waters’s phone beneath his chin and then dropped it. The suspectprotested with a shout as his device thudded against the surface of the metaltable. “Careful!” he exclaimed. “You’ll break it!”
Agent Paigepointed an accusing finger at the phone, glaring through slitted eyes. “That’swhat you used to communicate with them?” she demanded. “What’s the password?”
The phone restedon the table, glinting beneath the naked bulbs pulsing white throughout theroom. Adele shifted uncomfortably, standing against a wall mirror at the back.Slight cracks ornamented the plaster beneath the mirror, and flakes of whitepaint were scattered on the ground under her feet, but Adele kept her eyesfocused on Mr. Waters, studying the suspect.
He still had thelook of someone who hadn’t showered in a week, but his teeth, she noticed, werein immaculate condition. Whenever he opened his mouth to speak, she noticed aglare of resplendent white.
“The password,”Agent Paige insisted. She jabbed her finger against the metal table again, andloomed threateningly over Gabriel Waters.
The Americanshifted uncomfortably, his hands still cuffed behind him, encircling the metalchair. He shot a pleading look over at Adele.
Adele paused,then said, “I’m not gonna lie to you, Gabriel, it isn’t looking good.”
Mr. Waters’seyes darted between the two agents, and he nervously licked his lips. “I-I canexplain,” he stammered, then trailed off. “What, what exactly is it you think I’vedone?”
He spoke in asly, hedging sort of way that immediately put Adele on guard. She said, “I can’thelp but notice your English is better than your French. How long have you beenliving outside Paris?”
The man shruggedone shoulder, and then winced as his handcuffs scraped against the back of themetal chair. “What does it matter?”
Adele clickedher tongue. “I’ll tell you what matters. How long have you been here? There’ssome discrepancy with your papers.”
Mr. Watersstared at the phone on the table, grinding his perfect teeth. Agent Paigewaited like a gargoyle, her ominous shadow cast by the naked bulb in theceiling.
“I…” he began,hesitantly. “I just… I didn’t do it. Whatever you think I did.” He trailed offagain, glancing up with a desperate look in his eyes.
“Two women weremurdered,” Adele said, biting off each word with venom. “You contacted both;don’t play with us. We know you had something to do with it.” She pushed offthe wall and moved over to join Paige by the table, flanking Waters’s other side.
But at hercomments, the suspect looked up sharply. “Wait, hang on, what did you say?”
“You heard her,”Paige growled in careful English.
Mr. Waters shookhis head wildly and his voice went up an octave. “Murder? I didn’t haveanything to do with murder. Hold on—no, I’m serious, what are you even talkingabout?”
Adele pointed athis phone. “Amanda Gardner. Stephanie Riddle,” Adele rattled off. “Both of themAmerican. Young. Pretty. Is that how you like them? Their kidneys were missing.What do you do with them? Eat them?”
Gabriel Waters’sface had turned the same color as the white walls, and at the comment about thekidneys, his lips took on a greenish tinge. He rapidly shook his head now,shifting violently back and forth in his chair as if his whole body were tryingto protest the accusation.
“Hang on, hangon, just one second—no, that’s not it. I swear, I didn’t know anything aboutkillings. Kidneys? God… Just harmless chatting was all. I didn’t—Christ—didn’t killanyone!”
Paige jutted herfinger into the side of his cheek, her forefinger indenting his flesh. “So youdo admit you had contact with them?”
Gabriel growledin frustration, trying to move his head to avoid the offending finger. “I havecontact with a lot of women, okay! It might happen that some of themwere killed, but that had nothing to do with me. Yes, I’m American so some ofthe women I talk to are American! So sue me. There’s no crime in textingsomeone.”
Adele grittedher teeth. “No, but there is a crime in murdering them and taking their organs.You’re expecting me to believe that it’s just a coincidence the two women youwere talking to ended up dead?”
By now, Waterswas sweating. Quiet droplets of perspiration slipped down the inside of hischeek and twisted toward the tip of his chin. “Hang on; I can explain.”
“I’m waiting,”Adele said, scowling. She felt sick to her stomach, but couldn’t quite say why.The crimes were gruesome, but she’d seen worse. Something about Waters’sreaction, though, left her feeling ill. Almost… almost as if he were tellingthe truth.
She shook herhead, trying to suppress the sense. He had to be the killer. He had tobe. “Why did you run?” Adele snapped.
Waters jerkedhis head away from Paige’s jabbing finger again. “Is this bad cop, bad cop?Just give me a second. Let me think.”
But Paige leanedin on the other side and snapped in French, “No thinking! Tell us. You ran.That’s an admission of guilt.”
The perspirationgrew worse, and Gabriel Waters’s lips were now trembling. He let out aninvoluntary squeak and fluttered his eyelids. “I-I…” he stammered, “I just—Idon’t know what to say. But it’s not-it’s not what you think. I didn’t runbecause I killed anyone! I didn’t even know you were there about the women I’dbeen chatting with. Yes,” he added quickly, “I did talk to a couple of Americangirls—I talk to a lot of Americans. I have twenty conversations goingright now!”
He pointedtoward his phone with his chin. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Idon’t even know who you’re talking about. If two of them are dead it’s thefirst I’m hearing it.”
Adele crossedher arms over her chest, taking a step back and studying Waters from adistance. He cut a pathetic silhouette against the mirror behind him. The doorto the interrogation room was shut, and he was trapped with the two agents.Gabriel Waters had the look of a liar, but he at least seemed to be telling thetruth about the women.
“What’s yourpassword?” Adele said.
Waters shook hishead. He opened his mouth, but didn’t speak, and instead
