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What was that ahead?
Her heart pounded fast and hard as she saw the man standing near the corner, with his stony looking flesh, the blank stare, the immobile stance.
Was this him, luring her in?
She felt almost hypnotized as she drew closer, watching carefully, but there was no movement here at all. Nothing to make her think this was anything other than an edifice of gray stone.
She stood in front of it. Reached out a hand.
Gasping, she almost laughed, as her hand touched real, cold stone. She'd just been tricked by one of Paris's genuine statues.
She turned away, feeling suddenly discouraged, hope draining as fast as it had come.
Juliette tried to draw some motivation from the fact that she was just one of the cogs in the wheel. There were ten others. There was realistically a one in eleven chance that the killer would show himself to her.
What she needed to do was her job as well as she could. Not to miss anything, not to skip over any detail that might make a difference. And perhaps the team needed to hear the same. A bit of encouragement might go a long way.
She spoke into her mic. In French. Speaking to what she hoped would be the hearts and minds of the other actors in this sting operation, to encourage them.
"It's late and we are tired. Some of you are probably thinking this is it, that he won't appear. There's a time in every operation where you feel like this, and it's normal. Just don't let yourself shut off your surroundings. Keep alert and keep looking. We need to keep trying, every step of the way. This is our one chance to catch the killer. Let's keep going. Together, we can do this."
She hoped that her feedback would have the desired effect. She knew that she was the stranger in the group, and hoped that it was not going to be taken out of turn.
For herself, for Wyatt, for Lucien, and above all for the victims, she needed to keep everyone on the same side and pulling together.
The team responded with a wave of positive comments. It was an encouragement that bolstered everyone.
"Thank you for that," someone said.
"I'm glad you mentioned it. I was feeling discouraged," another woman said.
"I guess this is a time when we feel tired. I'll keep very alert now," someone else added.
And then, she heard Lucien's voice.
"Keep focus, keep striving. Thanks, Juliette. We all needed that."
She felt reassured that even though they had been searching for hours, they would not give up. And Juliette felt her own courage swell. She was determined to catch this killer, and she wouldn't let anyone stand in her way.
Just as she'd done on previous jobs, knowing that she was still giving her all and that her team was alongside her, gave her a wave of determination. It was time to keep going. Keep looking in all the nooks and crannies. Keep hoping. Keep believing.
She walked on, listening to the others' comments in her ear. There was more enthusiasm in the voices now.
"I am remembering to keep in character," one said. "I am feeling bored with work, wanting to get home."
"I am looking for something interesting, to brighten up my dull life."
"I am tired, and slowing down, looking to see what is there, on the side road," another one said. And then, her voice sharpened. "And I have seen something," she hissed. "Moving forward. It’s a human statue, a man painted in silver and gold."
Striving her best to keep in her own character, not to drop her cover yet, Juliette felt her heart pound, because it sounded like this was a serious lead. This was something!
"What is this?" the woman said, pretending to be in character. And then, with loud assurance in her tone, she blurted out the code word they'd all been waiting for. "Comme c'est étrange!"
Juliette didn't hesitate, but broke into a full run.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
As Juliette hurtled down the street toward the crossroad, she heard Sierra's voice intervening urgently.
