Andre spoke up, smiling. “A public defender, huh? No offense, sir, but...well, we all thought Hartfield here had real power. That he was part of a superpowered group of six people who looked out for each other. One would think someone out there had money. Fake identities, travel...enough money to buy the best attorneys out there. Again, no offense meant, Mr. Rutger.”

“Again, is there a question anywhere in there, or are we wasting time?” Rutger asked.

“How do I word this in a question?” Andre mused. “All right. Brian Denholm and Aubrey Freehold were murdered. You and Jennie became them. They were part of your six. You were ordered to kill Jennie, and that hurt you, I believe. You loved her, in your sick way. And you believe in some twisted way that you’re immortal. But you’re not. You and Jennie easily got jobs on the movie because Carly Britton was one of you. She told law enforcement the truth because she knew we would find out soon enough. And so...it was established that you had worked under assumed identities. Like you, she was totally loyal to the big man, the guy out there who really wants to be the Axeman. But here’s something you might not know yet. The Axeman, or the Axeman’s Protégé, as they’re calling this killer, went out and attacked people today who didn’t die. They’re not well, but they’re not dead. Carly Britton was his getaway girl, and you know what he did for her in return? He killed her. Hacked her to pieces in her office. Now, you’re about to go to jail, and we all know jails and prisons can be dangerous places. I’m going to suggest that, if you want to keep this mortal shell you have and not gamble on getting a new one, you tell us who the big man is, the man who ordered you to kill Lou and Virginia Delaney and Anita Calabria, who ordered you to kill again in Orlando, and then started doing the killing here himself with you all obeying his every command, right down to killing one another.” He took a breath, then continued. “So here’s my question... What can you tell us?”

Katie thought Sonny Hartfield turned a bit white. He wasn’t smiling.

He turned to his attorney. She also thought his voice had changed, was wavering.

“I don’t want to see these people. They can gather their evidence. They can ask me anything they want, in a court of law.”

Rutger looked at the two of them unhappily. He probably didn’t want a deranged killer out there, either. He probably had family himself or even worried for his own life. But he did his duty.

“You heard him. Interview is over,” he said.

Katie and Andre stood to leave. In the outer offices, they met up with Dan, Axel and Ryder.