Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jesse tookin the readings from the different monitors studying Renee Valless. After he had showered and changed into decent clothes, Bonnell had walked him through what most of the tech measured. Some were standards he expected. Body temp, general recordings to watch for micro-movements. EMF readings were a little outside the norm, but an understandable precaution. Given some of the entities likely thrown into one of the rooms, the DWO must want to gather every bit of information it could.
Renee Valles, however, was entirely human. At some point, the DWO had taken her mottled gray robe, leaving her in ordinary leggings and a T-shirt. The room’s lights obliterated any shadows, and she seemed run-of-the-mill. Inconsequential. Definitely not like the woman who had tried to rip his throat out for interfering with her plans.
“I want you to take first run at her,” Bonnell said.
“Are you sure?” Jesse asked. “Why me?”
“You know all the pieces in this puzzle, and as personal as this is for you, I know you want answers more than anything else.” Bonnell crossed her arms over her chest. “If I walk in there, I may lose my temper.”
“Alex is tougher than you give him credit for,” Jesse replied. “He seems fine.”
Bonnell shook her head. “I hope he is. But she might slip more to you than to me. See what you can get.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jesse went to the door.
Before he opened it, he took a moment to take in a deep breath and center himself. He didn’t relish facing Renee Valless, but Bonnell was right. There were too many unanswered questions left. He needed answers.
He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
Renee straightened in her seat, but other than that, she didn’t seem to let Jesse’s arrival disturb her. She stared straight ahead at the mirror side of the one-way glass.
Jesse took hold of the chair across from Renee and intentionally scraped it across the floor as he dragged it out. Renee still didn’t budge.
“I have to admit, I don’t know what they plan on doing with you,” Jesse said nonchalantly. “Trying to bring an extra-dimensional being into our world is a little beyond our current legal system. However, premeditated murder is another story.”
Renee lifted her chin. “I had nothing to do with any attempt. Milton shot that agent.”
Jesse leaned in. He had his suspicions about his next questions, but he needed to see Renee’s reaction. “And your brother? Who tried to kill him?”
Renee blanched. “What?”
“I guess you’ve been a little too busy to check in with him. He’s currently recovering from a poisoning. Given how much you don’t care about life in general, it’s going to take some work to convince us you had nothing to do with it.”
“Hurting Ronald wasn’t part of the plan,” Renee said.
“Why not? What’s a little fratricide when you’re trying to end the world?”
“The world is already ending,” Renee replied. “The world is melting. The planet isdying. Humanity isn’t worth saving. The devourers would have at least fed and survived a little while longer.”
“And make you atoms within atoms.”
Renee nodded.
“Then killing your brother makes sense.” Jesse acted as if the accusations didn’t matter, as if he’d already drawn all the conclusions against her. That he didn’t care she was a murderer and traitor.
“I would never hurt Ronald. I wanted him to be with us. She didn’t,” Renee said.
“She? Megan?” Jesse asked.
Renee clamped her mouth shut.
Jesse shrugged, trying not to get overly excited by her small slip. “I mean, you’re willing to fake a robbery and have your follower assault your staff.”
“Stan was never supposed to break into my house,” Renee snapped. “I never told him to do that.”
“So, you were in charge of the cult.”
