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Finn lunged at Terrance, tackling him to the wet ground. But Terrance was strong and quick-thinking. He grabbed wet soil from the ground and shoved it into Finn's face.
The wet soil impaired Finn's vision, but he was determined to stay in the fight and, he had no idea if Terrance had a knife on him or not. Despite his blurred vision, Finn managed to dodge Terrance's punches and retaliated with a front kick to the chest, sending him flying backwards into the mud.
Finn scrambled up and approached Terrance with clenched fists. He could feel rage run through his veins as he glared at his suspect with a cold fury. But before he could do anything more, Amelia appeared from nowhere.
"It's okay, Finn. You got him. Calm down."
"Give it up, Terrance!" Finn growled, pinning the struggling man beneath him. Out of breath, Terrance finally stopped fighting, the reality of his situation sinking in.
Amelia stepped forward, handcuffs ready.
"Terrance Feldman, you are under arrest on suspicion of murder," she announced, securing the cuffs around his wrists. As they led him away, Finn couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Despite the weight of his own personal struggles, he'd managed to help capture a dangerous criminal. That was a victory he needed.
But the job wasn't done yet. They would have to break him in the interview room.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Finn still couldn't shake the cold from his bones. The fight in the rain had seeped into him, but they had to make sure that Terrance was the killer, and get him to admit as much.
The clock on the wall read 11:00 PM. The dimly lit, rundown interview room of Helford police station was eerily silent. Finn and Amelia sat on one side of a rickety wooden table, facing Terrance Feldman, their suspect. Terrance's dark eyes darted around nervously, beads of sweat glistening on his brow. He seemed tense, his hands balled into fists.
"Listen, Terrance," Finn leaned in, breaking the silence. "I know being here isn't fun for anyone."
"Damn right, it ain't," Terrance muttered, avoiding eye contact. "I think you broke one of my ribs!"
"You've been seen by a doctor, you're fine," Amelia said.
"Let me tell you something about myself," Finn continued, trying to find common ground. "I used to work on construction jobs before I became an agent. It's tough work, and I get that."
Terrance glanced at Finn, curiosity piqued. "Yeah? So what?"
Finn leaned back, his voice calm and steady. "So, I understand how sometimes the workers can get a little carried away, wolf-whistling at passing women."
"Hey, we're just having a laugh," Terrance said defensively.
"Yes, but at someone else's expense," Finn replied with a knowing smile. "And sometimes things can escalate unintentionally."
"Like what?" Terrance asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Maybe you saw one of the victims at the castle and you shouted something. Maybe you shouted nothing. But you did see a woman you liked. Perhaps your intentions were benign, but then... You followed her," Finn suggested, watching Terrance's reaction closely. "You didn't mean to hurt her, you just wanted to tell her you liked her, but things got out of hand. Before you knew it, you had fallen onto old habits, habits you had tried to keep under control since prison. The woman died, and then, maybe, the other two women were witnesses, and you saw red and killed them, too. Placing the bodies in the path of the river, knowing it was about to break its banks. You hoped they would be swept away, but that didn't happen."
"Are you out of your mind?" Terrance shot back, anger flaring in his eyes. "I wouldn't do that!"
"Take it easy, Terrance," Finn reassured him, raising his palms in a calming gesture. "We're just trying to figure out what happened. Help us understand your side of the story."
"Look," Terrance muttered, his voice shaking with frustration, "I didn't kill anyone. You got the wrong guy."
"Terrance, we're not accusing you outright," Amelia chimed in. "But you were at the castle recently, you have previous for hurting a woman with a knife, and we need your cooperation to piece everything together. Make it easy on yourself."
Finn could see the turmoil in Terrance's eyes. He knew that connecting with him on a personal level had opened the door, but it was up to Terrance whether he'd walk through it or not.
"Fine," Terrance conceded, finally meeting Finn's gaze. "What do you want to know?"
"Did you ever see a pretty woman at the castle?" Finn asked.
Terrance nodded. "But I didn't do anything. You see a lot of people in my line of work."
"Tell us about the day you saw her at the castle," Finn asked gently. "Start from the beginning."
