Swimsuit - James Patterson [65]
“I started to mount the girl, but Gina said, ‘No, Henri, you don’t understand. Finish her.’
“She reached over to the bedside table, held up the keys to her Ferrari, swung the keys in front of my eyes. It was an offer, the car for the girl’s life.
“I killed that girl. And I made love to Gina with the dead girl beside us. Gina was electrified and wild under my hands. When she came, it was like a death and a rebirth as a softer, sweeter woman.”
Henri’s body language relaxed. He told me about driving the Ferrari, a leisurely three-day ride to Florence with many stops along the way, and about a life he believed was becoming his.
“Not long after that trip to Florence, Gina told me about the Alliance, including the fact that Jan was an important member.”
The travelogue of Western Europe had ended. Henri’s posture straightened, and the tempo of his voice changed from languid to clipped.
“Gina told me that the Alliance was a secret organization composed of the very best people, by which she meant wealthy, filthy rich. She said that they could use me, ‘make use of my talents’ is the way she put it. And she said that I would be rewarded handsomely.
“So Gina didn’t love me. She had a purpose for me. Of course, I was a little hurt by that. At first, I thought I might kill her. But there was no need for that, was there, Ben? In fact it would have been stupid.”
“Because they hired you to kill for them?”
“Of course,” Henri said.
“But how would that benefit the Alliance?”
“Benjamin,” Henri said patiently. “They didn’t hire me to do hits. I film my work. I make the films for them. They pay to watch.”
Chapter 85
HENRI HAD SAID he killed for money, and now his story was coming together. He had been killing and creating films of these sexual executions for a select audience at a premium price. The stagelike setting for Kim’s death made sense now. It had been a cinematic backdrop to his debauchery. But I didn’t understand why Henri had drowned Levon and Barbara. What could possibly explain that?
“You were talking about the Peepers. The assignment you took in Hawaii.”
“I remember. Well, understand, the Peepers give me a great deal of creative freedom,” Henri said. “I picked Kim out from her photos. I used a ploy to get information from her agency. I said I wanted to book her and asked when would she be returning from — where was she shooting?
“I was told the location, and I worked out the rest: which island, her time of arrival, and the hotel. While I was waiting for Kim to arrive, I killed little Rosa. She was a tidbit, an amuse-bouche —”
“Amuse what?”
“It means an appetizer, and in her case, the Alliance hadn’t commissioned the work. I put the film up for auction. Yes, there’s a market for such things. I made some extra money, and I made sure the film got back to the Dutchman. Jan especially likes young girls, and I wanted the Peepers to be hungry for my work.
“When Kim arrived in Maui for the shoot, I kept watch on her.”
“Were you going under the name of Nils Bjorn?” I asked.
Henri started. Then he frowned.
“How did you know that?”
I’d made a mistake. My mental leap had connected Gina Prazzi to the woman who’d phoned me in Hawaii telling me to check out a guest named Nils Bjorn. This connection had apparently struck home — and Henri didn’t like it.
Why would Gina betray Henri, though? What didn’t I know about the two of them?
It felt like an important hook into Henri’s story, but I gave myself a warning. For my own safety, I had to be careful not to tick Henri off. Very careful.
“The police got a tip,” I said. “An arms dealer by that name checked out of the Wailea Princess around the time Kim went missing. He was never questioned.”
“I’ll tell you something, Ben,” Henri said. “I was Nils Bjorn, but I’ve destroyed his identity. I’ll never use it again. It’s worthless to you now.”
Henri got up from his seat abruptly. He adjusted the awning to block the lower angle of the sun’s rays. I used the time to steady my nerves.
I was swapping out the old audiotape for a new one when