fought him off.” Rachel’s hands moved rapidly. “I should have remembered what Nate showed me. I froze.”
Nate tapped Adeline on her arm. “What’s she saying?”
Adeline signed as she spoke, so Rachel could follow the conversation. “She feels ashamed. She couldn’t do what you taught her and fight him off.”
“Tell her she didn’t do too badly. She survived.”
Adeline signed his words to Rachel and verbalized her response. “I shouldn’t have. He didn’t want me to survive.”
“Can she describe him for us?”
Rachel looked away as Adeline signed. Adeline tapped her arm. “I know it’s hard, but you are the only one who’s seen him up close, Rachel. They can catch him now; punish him for what he did to you and the others.”
Rachel took a deep breath. “Tall,” she signed. “About six foot. Dark eyes. Strong, very strong. His hair was black and tied back—it brushed my face. There was this smell…” She paused, rubbing her throat. “I couldn’t breathe.”
“What smell?” Adeline asked.
“Garlic. Not just his breath—all of him.”
Nate touched Adeline’s arm “Ask her if he said anything.”
She nodded and turned to Rachel, signing Nate’s question.
“I wasn’t really paying attention!” Rachel’s hands moved irately, her face contorting. “I was too busy dying.”
“It’s important,” Dane said. “Tell her the more we know, the better chance we have of catching him before he does this to someone else.”
Adeline repeated it to Rachel and held her gaze. She watched Rachel’s response and her eyes widened. She reverted to signing only, wanting to make sure before she said anything to Nate or Dane. “Are you sure, Rach? You didn’t read his lips wrong?”
“I know what I saw. I know how easy it is to misinterpret sometimes, but he was so close it was hard to miss.” She put a hand in front of her face for a moment. “He was right here. He paused, loosened his grip…” She took a deep breath. “I know what I saw. And he spoke the truth.”
“No, he did not.”
“Yes, he did. I wish he’d killed me. I deserve nothing less. A perfect world does not need someone like me in it. Please, leave. I need to be alone now.” She turned away, tears running down her face.
Adeline turned to the two cops and signed as she spoke. “As he was strangling her, he paused. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Then he told her she was safe now. No one would harm her ever again. He was protecting her, like all the others.”
“Protecting her by killing her?” Nate studied her, confusion filling his blue eyes. “I don’t understand. Protecting them from what?”
Adeline’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away.
Nate moved and stood in front of her. “Protecting them from what?” he repeated.
Adeline signed slowly at him, not wanting to verbalize it.
Nate turned to Dane for a moment and then back to Adeline. “I don’t understand all this hand waving business,” he said, his hands gesticulating in frustration and annoyance. “Just say it out loud and be done with it.”
“All the plants are ones with healing properties. This man feels he’s healing his victims. He is saving them from themselves and their deformities. There, happy now?” She tugged on Ben’s leash and hurried from the cubicle, wanting out of there as soon as possible. Before her emotions got the better of her.
4
Reaching the fresh air of the main road, Adeline sank against the wall, her breath coming in gasps and tears flowing in a never ending stream down her face. Her hands moved over Ben, petting his head.
“Saving them from their deformities? Am I deformed as well, helping to defile a perfect world? I live a normal life. I dance and sing and play the piano and watch TV with the subtitles on. Dane does that so he can hear the TV over the noise of the children playing. I went to a main-stream school and was accepted by almost everyone. This is me. Adeline
Nate tapped Adeline on her arm. “What’s she saying?”
Adeline signed as she spoke, so Rachel could follow the conversation. “She feels ashamed. She couldn’t do what you taught her and fight him off.”
“Tell her she didn’t do too badly. She survived.”
Adeline signed his words to Rachel and verbalized her response. “I shouldn’t have. He didn’t want me to survive.”
“Can she describe him for us?”
Rachel looked away as Adeline signed. Adeline tapped her arm. “I know it’s hard, but you are the only one who’s seen him up close, Rachel. They can catch him now; punish him for what he did to you and the others.”
Rachel took a deep breath. “Tall,” she signed. “About six foot. Dark eyes. Strong, very strong. His hair was black and tied back—it brushed my face. There was this smell…” She paused, rubbing her throat. “I couldn’t breathe.”
“What smell?” Adeline asked.
“Garlic. Not just his breath—all of him.”
Nate touched Adeline’s arm “Ask her if he said anything.”
She nodded and turned to Rachel, signing Nate’s question.
“I wasn’t really paying attention!” Rachel’s hands moved irately, her face contorting. “I was too busy dying.”
“It’s important,” Dane said. “Tell her the more we know, the better chance we have of catching him before he does this to someone else.”
Adeline repeated it to Rachel and held her gaze. She watched Rachel’s response and her eyes widened. She reverted to signing only, wanting to make sure before she said anything to Nate or Dane. “Are you sure, Rach? You didn’t read his lips wrong?”
“I know what I saw. I know how easy it is to misinterpret sometimes, but he was so close it was hard to miss.” She put a hand in front of her face for a moment. “He was right here. He paused, loosened his grip…” She took a deep breath. “I know what I saw. And he spoke the truth.”
“No, he did not.”
“Yes, he did. I wish he’d killed me. I deserve nothing less. A perfect world does not need someone like me in it. Please, leave. I need to be alone now.” She turned away, tears running down her face.
Adeline turned to the two cops and signed as she spoke. “As he was strangling her, he paused. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Then he told her she was safe now. No one would harm her ever again. He was protecting her, like all the others.”
“Protecting her by killing her?” Nate studied her, confusion filling his blue eyes. “I don’t understand. Protecting them from what?”
Adeline’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away.
Nate moved and stood in front of her. “Protecting them from what?” he repeated.
Adeline signed slowly at him, not wanting to verbalize it.
Nate turned to Dane for a moment and then back to Adeline. “I don’t understand all this hand waving business,” he said, his hands gesticulating in frustration and annoyance. “Just say it out loud and be done with it.”
“All the plants are ones with healing properties. This man feels he’s healing his victims. He is saving them from themselves and their deformities. There, happy now?” She tugged on Ben’s leash and hurried from the cubicle, wanting out of there as soon as possible. Before her emotions got the better of her.
4
Reaching the fresh air of the main road, Adeline sank against the wall, her breath coming in gasps and tears flowing in a never ending stream down her face. Her hands moved over Ben, petting his head.
“Saving them from their deformities? Am I deformed as well, helping to defile a perfect world? I live a normal life. I dance and sing and play the piano and watch TV with the subtitles on. Dane does that so he can hear the TV over the noise of the children playing. I went to a main-stream school and was accepted by almost everyone. This is me. Adeline
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