Adele shifted. “Itold you, I just saw evidence missing, and—”
“And you should’vecome to me. Your direct supervisor.”
“Maybe. No,really, I mean it. I’m sorry. I really, truly am. I didn’t know what was goingon. I was young. I am sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’ttake it back. If the killer from downstairs told you sorry, would you forgivehim?”
Adele passed a handover her face, and again wanted to turn back and leave. Her left foot took aslight step, moving down one stair. But she stood there, one hand stillgripping the railing, the other dangling uselessly at her side.
She couldpractically feel the attention of the officers below, watching, cataloging. Shedidn’t like to be the center of attention, especially not in circumstances likethese. She again inwardly cursed Foucault for pairing the two of them. Perhapsit was the DGSI executive’s quiet protest of Interpol’s arrangement. Maybe hedidn’t like the coordination between the agencies—perhaps someone higher up hadapproved it against his wishes. Adele also wondered about John. He wanted toavoid working with her. Adele brushed aside both these thoughts with a steadyexhale, focusing on the moment.
She needed tohead back downstairs, to continue the investigation. “I don’t know,” saidAdele.
Agent Paige didn’tsay anything, but judging by her posture, the defiant way her cheekbonespressed against her skin and her jaw clenched, Adele surmised the woman wouldn’ttake this answer with satisfaction.
They lingered insilence for a moment, and the pressure to give a more complete response weighedon Adele. At last, she said, “I don’t think it’s my place to forgive anyone weinvestigate. My job is to bring them to justice. And if they were forgiven, Istill wouldn’t trust them. People like that can’t be allowed in society. They’lljust hurt others more. It’s like you said, a mother lost her child today. Whatcould be worse than that?”
“Exactly,” Paigesaid, jumping on the words as if she’d been waiting for just this. Spittle flewfrom between clenched teeth. “When you went to Foucault and you told him aboutMatthew, what do you think my husband thought? Did you think it wouldn’t getback to him also? He was told. They questioned him. In front of my daughters.My sons.”
Adele swallowedagainst a suddenly dry throat, trying to keep up. “I’m sorry, are we talkingabout the killer, or—”
“Yes! We’retalking about him. We’re talking about you! You’re just as bad. He took adaughter from her mother. But you did the same. You cost me more than you canimagine.”
Adele shifted. “I’msorry, but I thought that your husband stayed with you. That’s what I heard…”
“He did.” Paigepaused, staring out the window. Her expression softened, if only for a moment,but when she turned to regard Adele once more, the look of hatred returned. “Hestayed. He’s a strong man. But my daughters? My oldest is twenty-three. Hertwenty-year-old sister does everything she says. They won’t talk to me. Haven’ttalked to me in years. She was eighteen at the time and moved out. She doesn’treturn my calls. She won’t ever forgive me for what I did to their father. Youtook my daughter from me. For five years now I haven’t spoken with her.” Paige’svoice cracked for a moment, but this small veneer, the shattering of her rage,only seemed to propel her to further fury. She clenched her fist and pounded itagainst the glass. “You think you’re better than the killer, but you’ve donethe same. You cost a mother her daughter. My second oldest also left; moved inwith her sister. I made a stupid mistake, I admit that. My husband understood.You, you cost me my career. I’ll never advance now. You cost me my daughters. I’llnever forgive you for that.”
Adele juststared, trying to keep up. She wasn’t sure what to say, certain, in thatmoment, that no matter what, her words wouldn’t change anything. She wasbeginning to understand the extent of Paige’s loathing.
“I didn’t know,”Adele said, softly. “I’m sorry.”
Paige turnedaway again, her shoulders sagging a bit, as if the sudden explosion of angerhad worn her out. She was shaking her head, her silver hair shifting. “You justdon’t know,” she muttered.
Adele turned andbegan to move back down the stairs, abandoning any thought of furtherconversation. There was nothing she could say that would make Paige feel better.Nothing that could restore their partnership. Nothing that could make the womanforgive her. Perhaps, now, it made sense why she’d been going after Robert’sjob. Adele felt a cold shiver through her heart. Maybe a selfish emotion, butin that moment, she felt a flush of fear at what Paige would do if given thechance. Adele had never had someone hate her this much. Paige blamed Adele forthe loss of her children. Five years without speaking to her oldest daughter…Adele felt a surge of guilt, but tried not to focus on it.
She left AgentPaige and moved past the officers at the base of the stairs. Neither of themlooked in her direction. Adele surmised this probably meant they’d heard everyword.
“It’s just…” shebegan, slowly, but then she abandoned the utterance with a shrug and movedtoward the lower window, glancing at the street outside.
She peered outinto the busy road, watching as cars drove by. She tried to focus on the job;the one thing that helped her focus, that realigned her thoughts.
Had the killerused a car? Had he walked?
Adele continuedto stare into the street, her eyes flitting along the glass and stone, the oldbuildings and the new crammed together. She examined the pedestrians, movingabout, some of them carrying shopping bags, others trundling along carts andstill others laughing or talking as they moved with groups up the Boulevard.She could just glimpse the edge of a plage along the Seine—an artificialsand-free beach along the river stippled with red and white umbrellas.
Her eyes moved tothe nearest businesses and settled on a furniture store, with large blockletters displaying announcements for sales and golden stars attempting toattract the eye of potential customers.
Adele tried notto focus on the obvious. In her job, it was important to focus on the thingsthat weren’t so clear.
Vaguely, shethought of the small puddle of water. The apartment had been warm. Someone hadturned on the heat.
