A silence fellfor a moment, and Adele glanced over in confusion, looking between Paige andRobert.
Paige, though,turned toward the window, not meeting Robert’s gaze, a look of guilt flashingacross her face. But just as quickly, the expression vanished, and she glaredat Robert. “Foucault trusts my opinion. And I provided it. What he decides isup to him.”
Adele continuedfrowning, trying to keep track. “Robert, what’s she talking about?”
Robert’s face wasstill creased. “It’s not important,” he said.
But Adele didn’tlet it go. “No, tell me.”
Robert didn’tspeak, but Paige turned back to Adele. “I guess you and I aren’t so different,”she said with a sneer. “Foucault asked my opinion a few months ago about areaswhere the department could get better.” She shrugged, stretching her mouth andturning the corners of her lips down in an infuriatingly noncommittal way. “Imay have mentioned your old mentor here is out of date. Obsolete.” She slowlyenunciated the last word, emphasizing and dragging out each syllable. She didn’tblink now, staring at Adele as if challenging her to make something out of it.
Adele could feelher blood pulsing in her ears. Her hands were still bunched in fists. “You’rethe one who’s been trying to get Robert out of here? Just to get at me?” Adelewas shouting now. “What’s wrong with you?”
Paige sniffed. “Noteverything is about you.”
Adele’s voicebecame a shout. “I can’t believe Foucault assigned you to me. You’re the worst.John was unprofessional, but he at least knew how to work a case. You—you’reuseless. You’re worse than useless. You’re a liability!”
Paige laughed, ashort, unpleasant barking sound. “John? You want to know about John? The momenthe heard you were coming back, he jumped at the first case they offered.Something in finance, of all things. He didn’t want to work with you!”She watched Adele, as if looking for some bitter fruit to pluck. At a flash inAdele’s eyes, Paige smirked, and continued, “That’s right. You didn’t know. ButJohn didn’t want to work with you. He begged for the first case theyhad. Leaving me stuck with you; he chose to avoid you. So much for yourprecious Agent Renee.”
Adele hesitated,shaking her head. She was so mad her hands were trembling. She had never wantedto punch anyone in the office before, but now, she could feel herselfrehearsing it in her mind.
“Adele,” Robertsaid, quietly, “it’s not worth it.”
Agent Paigejutted her chin up defiantly, her own hands at her waist, but also clenched, asif preparing for Adele’s reaction.
A brief momentof sanity reigned as Adele wondered if Paige was telling the truth about John.Had John really taken another case to avoid working with her? Her mind flashedback to the last time they had talked. It had been awkward, sure. But did Johnreally hate her so much?
She felt a flashof shame and quickly transitioned to the easiest emotion. Anger. But, as wordsburbled up and her fists continued to tighten at her side, there was a suddenchirping sound.
Adele hesitated.The chirping was soon accompanied by a buzzing noise. Then another one. Threering tones echoed in the room. Adele, Paige, and Robert all glanced down attheir pockets, fishing their phones out.
It was as if,for the moment, a spell was broken.
Adele stared ather phone, then answered. As she listened, she could feel the blood leaving herface. After a moment, she closed her phone.
“Told you wewere wasting our time,” Paige said, growling. She turned and stomped out of theroom, and Adele heard her hit the elevator button.
Adele stood inRobert’s office for a moment, glancing at her old mentor. “Third,” she said,nearly breathlessly. “A third murder.”
Robert staredback. “You want me to come with you on this one?”
Adele hesitated,a numb prickle across her skin as the anger and shock continued to coursethrough her. “Yeah,” she said at last. “Couldn’t hurt to have your eyes. Theyhaven’t moved the body.”
Robert nodded. “Letme get my jacket.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Adele stood inthe quiet, cloistered apartment complex, allowing the silence to speak to herin pauses and stuttered breaths. This unit was more rundown than the last andoccupied a more affordable part of the city. Adele’s eyes flicked to the opendoor yawning into the hall. A single chrome locking chain dangled toward thefloor, swaying back and forth. Adele stared at the chain and then glanced overto the body.
She was young.No more than early twenties. Her throat slit in the same way as the othervictims. The pool of blood spread out around her in the hallway. Adele steppeddown the hall past Robert.
Two policeofficers stood in the apartment door, preventing rubber necks and overlycurious residents. Agent Paige postured in stony silence on the opposite sideof the bathroom, regarding the floor.
The partners hadtaken separate cars to the crime scene, and Adele had decided she would act asif Paige wasn’t even there. Time for the high road had faded the moment Roberthad been dragged into it.
For her part, asAdele studied the bathroom, she felt a chill trickle down her spine.
He had dropped athird body. In less than two weeks, he had murdered three young women. Adelelooked down at her phone where she’d received the woman’s preliminaryinformation. Shiloah Watkins. Another American girl—a recent arrival on a visade long séjourby the look of it.
Adele studiedthe poor girl for a second, but then flicked her eyes away, refusing to let heremotions rear their ugly heads. Robert had often told her emotions were bestreserved for commiseration, or talking with a victim’s family. But at a crimescene, they only distracted.
It was hard tocompletely suppress them, though, especially with Agent Paige lingering nearbylike a ghoulish shadow. Adele avoided looking at the gray-haired agent andtried to completely block her out as she scanned the body once more.
No sign ofstruggle. No defensive wounds. Nothing under the fingernails. Nothing tosuggest she’d been alarmed, or even scared. How was he doing it? How was thekiller gaining their trust? How was he getting in?
She glancedtoward the door with all the locks. There had been no forced entry. She let outa sigh of frustration and scanned the body once more.
“Right side,”Robert grunted.
She glanced overat the shorter agent and noticed where he was pointing. She dropped to a knee,and, faintly, with the edge of
