CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
"Well, we have our killer, I think.”
May stood outside the interview room of the Dennisville police department, listening to Kerry speak the words in satisfied tones.
"All we need to do now is get a detailed confession out of him, if he's willing to give it. Otherwise, circumstantial evidence and a lack of an alibi will pave the way,” her sister continued, sounding pleased.
This police department looked poorly resourced and the officers seemed overworked. The interview room had no adjoining observation room, the interior light was flickering, and there was a lot of noise from the echoing corridors around them.
But this space was all they had and it would have to work for them. Time was precious now. They glanced through the murky glass panel in the door.
May's gaze went straight to William, who was sitting, handcuffed to the chair behind the rickety plastic desk in the interview room. He was tapping a foot on the floor, but his face was impassive, almost bored. He was just waiting them out, May thought. Even though he’d bragged about being the killer, she didn’t know if he was going to cooperate with them by giving the details.
But Kerry seemed more confident.
"We have the knife; he's been photographed and fingerprinted," Kerry continued. "It's all there for when we get his full confession."
"I'm not so sure it will be that easy," May said. Kerry raised an eyebrow. "I think William is smarter than we thought."
"Oh?"
"Maybe he was lying through his teeth, but there's something that doesn't seem right about such a blatant announcement that he is the criminal."
"You think he's protecting someone?" Kerry asked.
"Protecting someone, on an ego trip, who knows?" May said. "I don't trust his version."
"Well, let's drill down."
Kerry opened the door and walked in. May followed her, and William's gaze focused on them.
"Well, well, if it isn't the cops again," he said mockingly.
"All right, William, let's get this clear. You have confessed to the crime, but you have to answer our questions," Kerry said, sitting in one of the chairs as May took the other. "So do you want to tell me anything that might affect our work on the case?"
"Yeah, I did all those crimes. Bombs, right? I set them off. You go look at my science grades. I had the knowledge. And I made the opportunity." He laughed to himself and May felt a shudder of revulsion. She had to fight to keep her face impassive.
"We need to ask you some questions about the murders," Kerry said.
William shrugged. "I told you, I did them. I don't care about the details."
"That's a shame, because we do," Kerry said. "And you told us that you did them, but haven't told us why. Why did you kill those victims?"
William shrugged. "It's what I do."
"You've killed before?"
"Yeah."
"How many times?"
"I don't know. Six, eight, ten. I don't keep count."
"How did you choose your victims?" Kerry asked.
"We live in a small town community. I see them around, know who they are. It’s fun choosing them. Like shopping, you could say."
"Did you think they'd be easy targets?"