Gabriel did understand that. It was the very way he had thought of his relationship with Sara. But he couldn’t wrap his mind around Raphael being innocent. All evidence pointed to his guilt. “Then who did? You were the last one with her. Your DNA was found on her. There was no forced entry.”

Raphael waved his hand in dismissal. “And like my attorney said in court, we were in a relationship. There was reason for my DNA to be on her. But I don’t want to run through all the forensic evidence. I can’t stand the thought of it any longer. I can’t stand what was done to her. I came here to kill myself, you know. To end it. Where it began.” Raphael stacked up the pile of papers neatly and held them out. “My last will and testament, if you please.”

Still unsure of what exactly was going on, Gabriel took the papers, feeling like the last piece to the puzzle was still missing. “Why did you kill Anne? She did nothing to you, and if it was to punish me in some way, why did you testify for the defense in my trial?”

But Raphael just shook his head. “I didn’t kill Anne either. I was upset when she chose you over me because I was fond of her, but I was willing to recognize that you had more money than me, and a prettier face. I also realized that Anne didn’t appreciate my love of the French ménage à trois. I couldn’t resist one last visit to her though that night, but you arrived early and Madame sent me packing.”

Not bothering to hide his disbelief, Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest, crumpling the papers in the process. “So you’re telling me that you had nothing to do with any of these women’s deaths? That you’re just an innocent little lamb prancing around the fucking meadow?”

“I never said I was innocent, any more than you are innocent. We are fallen angels, you know. We’ve sinned, over and over, you and I. But yes, I am telling you that I did not kill those women. But clearly, I am responsible ultimately for their deaths, because in the last one hundred and fifty years, every woman I have had an intimate relationship with has been murdered.” He gave a short laugh. “It rather ruins the ardor.”

“You’re a crazy mother fucker, Raphael. You’re killing these women and you know it.” Gabriel didn’t understand who it could be if it wasn’t Raphael and it wasn’t him. No one else had ties to both Anne Donovan and Jessie Michaels, and it clearly had to be an immortal.

It couldn’t just be a sick and weird coincidence. “Why did you send those pictures to Sara?”

“What pictures?”

“And the absinthe?”