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Glancing down at her phone as it buzzed, Juliette saw it was Sierra texting her.
"How'd it go? You get him?"
In the rush, there hadn't been time to update their IT and hacking expert. Quickly, while Lucien and Wyatt were going through the formalities, she messaged back.
"We got him. Wyatt tackled him. Now they’re questioning him. I'm in the back room, watching."
She looked up again, as Wyatt and Lucien began to ask their questions. Lucien spoke first, his voice harsh and stern.
"Monsieur Blevins, you ran from the police."
"No, no, wait!" Immediately, the American suspect spoke in a harassed voice. "I didn't run from the police! I didn't know you were police! How was I to know that?"
Juliette saw Wyatt's lip curl, and he leaned forward, his face hard.
"Let's cut the evasion out, Blevins. As soon as you had an idea we were law enforcement, you set off at a hard run. We identified ourselves as police several times. You ignored us and did not stop!"
The man's eyes widened, and he glanced around wildly. "Okay, okay," he said, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry. I just... I just panicked. I was scared and confused. I didn't know what to do."
Lucien folded his arms. Juliette had to admit, that with his dark looks and that threatening frown, his presence was intimidating.
"Now you know what to do," he said. "You can answer our questions. Truthfully. No lies."
For a moment, Blevins stared at them mutinously. And then, with a sigh, he nodded.
"So, what do you want to know?"
"Why were you feeling so guilty? You ran from the police. What did you expect to happen?" Wyatt threatened.
Blevins looked down at his hands, and then back up at the two detectives.
"Look, I - er - I wanted to have some fun when I was in Paris," he stammered. "I was looking for - for the right lady. But I wasn't having much luck, and yesterday, someone said she was going to report me to the police for stalking her."
"You took details from the cellphones?" Lucien asked.
He shook his head, looking baffled. "No, no. I wouldn't do that. I don't have much knowledge of phones. But I did hear those women mention the hotel they stayed at, and I admit, I did go to the bar and try to get them to have a drink with me, when they came downstairs. Perhaps I was too pushy. They did seem offended."
Juliette's eyes narrowed. So he was giving an alternative reason? It certainly sounded possible. She didn't know if she believed it, and decided that the real crux of the matter would be if he had a confirmable alibi.
She was about to whisper to Wyatt, through her earpiece, that he should do this, but then stopped herself. Quit being so anxious just because you're not in there, she told herself firmly.
"Is he guilty?"Sierra messaged, obviously feeling as tense about this as she was.
"Not as yet,"she messaged back. "He's given a reason for having run. It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s a reason all the same. Now alibi must be checked."
Lucien spoke in a stern tone. "Your alibi for last night. Can you account for your movements? Was anyone with you?"
Blevins looked confused. "Last night? What time?"
"Just give us your movements, sir," Wyatt said.
The man seemed to relax a little, as if relieved that he wasn't being accused of something specific. "Well, I was at the hotel until about seven in the evening. At the bar, drinking, and talking to a few people. Then I met a friend of mine, who was also staying at the hotel, and we headed out to a restaurant: Pierre's. We met - er - we met two ladies there and made quite a night of it. I think we parted ways at about two in the morning."
Juliette watched as Wyatt and Lucien exchanged a look.She realized that, despite the tension between them, they were actually a good team. Despite their differences, they were working together, and she was glad she hadn't had to intervene.
She knew what they were thinking; if he was telling the truth, then there was no way he could have done what they were accusing him of. He wouldn’t have had time.
Wyatt held up his hands. "Alright, Mr. Blevins. We'll check your alibi and get back to you. But if it turns out to be true, then you're off the hook."
