Page 39 of If She Sensed

"So, you identified women in the group whose situations resembled that sort of woman," Sloane said.“That sort ofstory.”

"Yes."She practically gasped the word and Kate was sure that something was giving way within Ruth.Maybe she wasn’t fully understanding what she had done, but it wasn’t far behind.

"And you used the forum to monitor them," Kate said.

"I never posted anything," Ruth said."I just read.Checking in.They announcedeverything.When things were going well, when they'd had a breakthrough, when they felt like themselves again."Her voice was flat and even and—yes, Kate was sure of it now,resentful."They couldn't wait to say so."

"And that's when you acted," Sloane said.

Ruth didn't answer that directly.She looked at the wall to Kate's left as though she was working through something internally and had forgotten they were waiting.

"Ruth," Kate said.She made a point to keep her voice soft and conversational."The victims.Carol Paige.Donna Holt.Nancy Briggs.How did you select them specifically?"

Ruth looked at her, unblinking."Honestly?There was no reason.It just… it came down to whatever I saw that made me feel like things were just unfair.Carol… she was so over the moon about this new guy.A date or two under her belt and she’s talking like her entire world had changed.It was… I couldn’t handle it.That’s all there is to it.”

“And the others?”Sloane asked.

“I just told you.I didn’t premeditate any of them.I would just see posts and then go… gored.Just so fucking angry…” She started almost growling the words near the end and seemed to recognize how emotional she was getting.She took a moment to collect her breath and then looked to them both as if everything was as fine as it could be.

"You accessed their addresses through the intake files?"Sloane said.

"Yes."

"Did it occur to you," Sloane said carefully, "that these people were in that group because they were suffering?That what they were posting was the result of a lot of pain?"

"Yes," Ruth said."It occurred to me."

"And?"

Ruth looked at her steadily and shook her head."My husband's girlfriend was also suffering, apparently.She had a difficult childhood and a lot of unresolved grief and she was doing the best she could.He told me all about it when he explained why he was leaving."She unfolded her hands and placed them flat on the table."Suffering is not a defense.With all due respect."

Kate paused; she couldn’t tell if she was legitimately considering Ruth’s comment or was just trying to let the woman see that she was listening—that she was paying attention, rather than just passing her off as a psychotic murderer.

“Is there anything else you want to add before we’re done here?”Kate eventually asked.

"Richard Hale should have locked his laptop," Ruth added."He asked people to trust him with the worst things about themselves and then he left it sitting open on his desk.He’s just as guilty as I am.”

"Oh, I think that’s a bit of a reach on your part," Sloane said."However, he's currently being questioned in another room about his security practices."

Something passed across Ruth's face at that, brief and unreadable.Then she nodded once and looked back at the table.

Sloane closed the notepad and stood.Kate stood with her, and neither of them said anything further to Ruth.Kate did notice that Ruth kept her eyes locked on them as she left, with a bit of dashed hope in her eyes.

In the hallway, Sloane pulled the door shut behind them and stood with her back against the wall for a moment.Kate stood across from her.

"Hale," Kate said.“What’s going on there?”

"His attorney got here an hour ago," Sloane said."He's going to cooperate.He doesn't have much choice.The intake forms, the data storage, the access logs on his laptop, it's all there."She crossed her arms."It’s obviously not a crime, but he's looking at serious exposure.Negligence at minimum, possibly more depending on what the legal team decides to pursue."

"He built a program asking vulnerable people to share everything about themselves and then treated that information like it was his personal filing cabinet," Kate said.

"His attorney keeps using the wordinadvertent," Sloane said.

"I imagine he does."

Sloane looked at the closed door of the interrogation room.Through the narrow reinforced window, Ruth Calder was still sitting exactly as they had left her, hands flat on the table, looking at nothing.

"She's not going to fall apart in there," Sloane said."I think once the shock wears off, though—maybe when she’s in a holding cell and has to sit with it…"