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Ronald leaned back in his chair, his eyes widening in surprise. "You know about the sheet bend knot?" he asked, looking over at Charlie with a newfound respect.
Charlie nodded confidently and replied, "Yes. I've had some sailing experience."
Ronald smiled and nodded, leaning back in his chair. He seemed to be impressed by Charlie's knowledge of knots and said, "Well then, it looks like I'm speaking to the right person." He looked around the room at them all before adding, "It feels pretty good when you're working on some rigging and you get that knot nice and tight. Nothing or nobody is moving when it's done right. Don't you think?"
Will shuddered as he heard these words. He had a feeling that Ronald was more dangerous than his laid-back demeanor suggested. He could sense the underlying threat in his voice, and it made him uneasy. He wondered what else Ronald was capable of if he wanted to, and why he seemed so unperturbed by their presence.
He glanced at Carter and Valerie, trying to gauge their reactions, but they were both calm and collected, their faces unreadable masks. They seemed to be considering the man intently, which only made Will feel more unsettled. There was a palpable sense of danger brewing in the back of his mind.
It was clear now that Ronald was an experienced criminal who could hide his true intentions behind an amiable façade. Will wondered if he'd used that tactic to get close to the victims. Many serial killers had done just that before. He would have to keep an eye on him if they were going to get any real answers out of him.
"Where is your wedding ring?" Will asked.
Ronald seemed confused. "I'm not married."
Will nodded and pointed to the hand on Ronald's left hand. "I see a white band of color on your finger, where a wedding ring would have been."
A flicker of anger rippled across Ronald's face momentarily before he regained his composure. He looked away from Will and stared at his hands for a moment, as if trying to remember something. He then muttered under his breath, "It's gone now."
Will was quickly building a profile in his mind, and he was certain that Valerie would be doing the same. That flinch of anger was because Will had uncovered something about the man's life. It told Will that Ronald Queen always wanted to be in control. He always wanted to keep the façade going.
"Was it a woman?" Will asked.
Ronald’s face hardened, and his grip on the arms of the chair tightened. He was angry now, and Will knew he had touched a nerve. He waited for Ronald to answer but all he got was an icy stare in response.
"Tell me, Sheriff Carter," Will turned to his colleague. "Did Ronald here tie up just women or men too?"
"Both," he answered.
"Ah, that makes sense," Will said. But this was only said to get a response.
Ronald's face twisted in rage. "What makes sense?" he spat out. "What kind of sick game are you trying to play? I know you people. I can tell, psychiatrists and psychologists, I can smell them a mile off. Ya think you can figure everyone out." He sneered as he said the word "psychiatrists", and Will could smell the contempt emanating from him.
"You think you can come into my room and ask me questions about my life? You don't know anything about me! Get out!"
Will hoped that Valerie would pick up on his 'good psychiatrist, bad psychiatrist' technique. He was glad that she did.
"Excuse my colleague," Valerie said, gently, moving over and sitting in another chair next to Ronald. "He can be a bit brash. We're here because we want to make sure you haven't hurt anyone, Ronald. Did you tie someone else up?"
Ronald bowed his head and looked guilty. He ran his fingers through his hair, as if trying to think of a way out of the situation. After a few moments, he sighed heavily and looked up at them.
"Yes," he said quietly. "I tied someone up."
Valerie looked at Will and then back to Ronald. "And did it get out of hand?"
Ronald nodded, his confident demeanor now sheepish.
"No one's judging you," Valerie offered. "We get it. Things got out of hand. But doing it once wasn't enough was it?"
Will watched as Ronald shook his head. He could see the wheels turning in Ronald's mind as he tried to find a way to explain.
"I was just ... playing," he said finally, looking up at them with a look of desperation on his face. "It wasn't like I was going to hurt them or anything. I didn't even know who it was most of the time. I just wanted ..." His voice trailed off, and he looked away from them, embarrassed.
Valerie placed her hand gently on his arm, and Will watched as Ronald slowly regained his composure once more.
"You wanted to feel powerful," Valerie finished for him softly. "That's why you tied people up."
"When did you decide to kill them?" Carter said impatiently.
