Adele watched asPaige leaned in, and through the interrogation room speakers, she heard, “Whydid you do it?”
No answer.
“What’s yourname?”
No answer.
John was bored,and had already maneuvered to the corner of the viewing room where he bouncedan empty Coke bottle against the wall. For her part, Adele stood next to thethird member of their viewing party.
This woman,standing next to Adele, had short, bristly hair and smooth, dark skin. Herexpression was tender but intelligent as she peered through the viewing roomglass, examining the suspect. Adele glanced over at the woman. “Well? Dr. Tyra?What do you think?”
The smallerwoman regarded Adele, but then just as quickly returned her gaze to thespectacle from within interrogation.
“I don’t believethe questions are registering,” she said, softly.
Adele exhaled infrustration through her nose. “We found his dad’s corpse in the back of his caralong with three rotting kidneys. The fact that he’s not riddled with diseasealready is a miracle. What makes someone do something like that?”
“Can I just say,”John called from the corner, raising his hand, “there is a chance…” He trailedoff for dramatic effect.
Adele glared.
“That perhaps…”he said, still dragging out his sentence.
“John!” Adelesnapped.
“I maybe,” hewinced, “was wrong about the killer being arrested along with the organharvesters.”
Adele reacheddown to rub her hand. It was bandaged, with twice as much gauze and padding asJohn’s had been. She also had stitches along her cheek and hand. Despite thepain and her frustration with Agent Renee, it would’ve been foolish to blameJohn for what had transpired that evening. She was the one who’d fallen asleepfirst. She had left the house, giving the killer opportunity for entry.
“Are hisfingerprints in the system?” This question she directed at John.
The tall agentshook his head. He went back to bouncing his Coke bottle off the wall.
“It’s hard tosay,” said Dr. Tyra, still peering through the glass. “He seems distracted,yes. Tired. But I need to be honest, I’m not sure how much I’m going to getjust standing out here with you.”
Adele scratchedher chin and looked into the room, watching as Sophie Paige launched intoanother line of questioning.
“Go in,” saidJohn. He shooed his hands toward Adele. “I’m the one who slapped the Serb. Youdidn’t hit anyone.”
Dr. Tyra’seyebrows flicked up ever so slightly, but she kept her peace.
Adele consideredthis, still staring at the see-through mirror. They’d been instructed to keepJohn out of the interrogation room. When she’d seen Agent Paige, she’d decidedto sit out as well.
Through theglass, Adele watched as Agent Paige growled and began to shake her head. “Whathappened to your kidney?” she demanded, glaring at the victim.
At this, though,the suspect started babbling, shaking his head side to side. “Couldn’t help…Had to—he was going to die. I needed to, needed to save him. I was good enough!”He shouted this part. “I was good enough! Top of my class at Sorbonne! I wasgoing to be a surgeon. I could do it. I know it. It-it was hard. But no onewould help me. Please,” he said, his voice cracking now, his lips trembling.The dazed look had returned to his eyes. “Please, I didn’t know how painful itwas going to be. I hadn’t done the anesthesia right. I thought I did. But itwas so… so painful. I tried. I really did.” A sob creaked from his lips.
Adele stared atthe suspect in alarm, trying to piece it all together. “Top of the class. He’sa medical student. He removed his own kidney to try to put it in his father?”she asked, glancing at Dr. Tyra.
The psychiatristdidn’t reply. She continued to watch through the glass as the man broke intotears which began slipping down his cheeks. “Of course,” he shouted at AgentPaige, “of course. I would do anything for him. He’s my best friend. Please,can I see him? I just need to speak with him.”
Adele feltconfusion fading to be replaced by a welling sadness and horror. She felt aheaviness weighing on her, and she shook her head, no longer looking at thesuspect; she addressed John. “I’m sure you’ll find his name if you talk toSorbonne—ask for any dropouts from last year. I don’t think he’s lying.”
She felt a handon hers and glanced down. Dr. Tyra looked up, meeting her gaze. The young,kind-eyed doctor stared at Adele, her eyes unblinking, her lips pressedtogether. “A psychotic break, most likely. He thinks his father is still alive.He avoids the question, or discussing it when it comes up. He doesn’t believehe’s dead.”
Adele ran a handalong the edge of her jaw, shaking her head in disbelief. “So he’s been drivinghis dead father around for nearly a year? That’s how long it appears he’s beendead.”
Dr. Tyrashrugged. “I don’t know how long. But he thinks his father is alive. And itsounds like he tried to take his own kidney and put it in his father. I can’teven imagine the psychological stress that would put on someone. Sounded likethe operation didn’t work. Maybe that’s when his father died. Under his own son’sknife.”
Adele shivered,staring at the doctor.
The psychiatristshrugged. “I can listen in for more—perhaps ask a few more questions. But Ithink you’re right. I think he’s telling the truth about medical school. Aboutbeing a stand-out student. You’ll likely find his name with registration.”
Adele hesitated,then said, “Honestly, I might leave that up to Agent Paige.”
Dr. Tyra studiedAdele, then nodded. “It is sad.”
They dwindledinto silence once more, listening to the crying from the interrogation room.Adele felt her stomach twist, and she closed her eyes to stave off a dawningheadache.
“Why?” she said,hesitantly. “Why was he calling me a volunteer? He said the same thing abouthis other victims—what was the point of the kidneys? Why did he kill them?”
Dr. Tyrahesitated. “Sometimes, with a psychotic break, you only see things you want tosee, and you hear things you want to hear. For all I know, in his
