Page 14 of Gianna

"Backpack, average height, blonde hair, stocky build. You can see his features fairly clearly from the photo," Juliette said as Sierra zoomed in.

"We need to get out there and look for him," Wyatt said.

"Agreed," Juliette confirmed. "He seems to have kept to an area he’s comfortable with. If he's been hunting victims in the public places, or scouting for them, or even surveying the lay of the land, then we might spot him."

"If we triangulate the area between where he was last seen, and the recent crime scene, we could start searching there," Lucien added. "It's late afternoon. There will be people moving now, going to and from work, out to eat. We could pick him up if he's out again."

"So, what's the plan? Each take one main street and patrol it?" Wyatt asked.

"Sounds like a good idea," Juliette agreed. "Let's split up and cover as much ground as we can."

Now, Sierra switched views and focused on the map. There was Paris and, she had to admit, it seemed like a daunting task to try to find him. Look at the size of the city. Look at the mazes of streets, the hiding places, the Metro undergrounds, and all those highways branching out of it, leading to the rest of France, to Europe.

Then, Sierra zoomed in further, and Juliette forgot her misgivings as she scrutinized the map.

"Here are the main streets in this local area," their tech expert confirmed. "And a few of them have cameras. I can log into those, and keep a lookout for him. I've got AI facial recognition technology here and I'll try to use it on as much of the footage as I can livestream."

"Can you organize that?" Juliette asked Lucien.

"Of course," he said. "It might take a half-hour or so, but it will be done as fast as we are able." In French, he snapped out a command to the officer nearby.

Wyatt drew in a breath, and Juliette had the unmistakable feeling that he was going to say something about how it would have happened faster in America. With that in mind, she said hastily, "Let's pick our streets. I'll take that one."

It was Quai Jacques Chirac, and she vaguely remembered the name.

"I'll take that one." Lucien pointed out Avenue de Suffran.

Already, Sierra was calling up the streets on the map, and as Juliette watched, the first of the camera feeds came through.

"Okay. I'll take that other one there." Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "Avenue de la Bourdonnais." His pronunciation made Juliette flinch, but at least he was giving it a go. "Is that a type of cheese?" he asked.

From his tone of voice, it was a genuine question. Juliette had to suppress a snort, but Lucien was clearly triggered.

"It is not a cheese! You want to spend all day here practicing your nonexistent French? Or go catch a killer? He could be there, now!"

He grabbed his laptop bag and marched out, with Juliette and Wyatt following behind. She felt encouraged.

They were going straight to this American's hunting ground. And, if their plan worked, they would soon have their suspect in their sights.

CHAPTER EIGHT

By the time they reached the demarcated area surrounding the Eiffel Tower, reinforcements were being summoned, and communication equipment had arrived. Lucien pulled up with a squeal of brakes next to a white unmarked Renault.

They got out, and the Renault's doors opened. A stylish woman with dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and gold earrings, who looked far too glamorous to be a cop in plainclothes, got out.

"I have earpieces here. These are state of the art technology. Spy Bluetooth devices. They look like ordinary earphones, but you will be able to communicate with each other, and with your base at the Paris police station," she said, in clear but accented English.

Juliette accepted one of the tiny devices, and put it in her ear. She could hear the faint hum of the Paris traffic, but over and above that, she could clearly hear Sierra's voice.

"Come in. Are you hearing me there?"

"Loud and clear," Juliette said, appreciating the clarity of the transmission that was a hundred times better than the crackle of police radios, and had the advantage of being undetectable.

"Got you, too."

She looked around. Lucien and Wyatt were putting in their earphones, too.

Beyond them, seeming incongruous at this time, was the Eiffel Tower, its quirky steel structure silhouetted against the darkening sky. She stared at it, taking in its magnificence, its outline bright with twinkling lights, wishing she could have seen this incredible landmark again in happier times, instead of while trying to catch a killer that might be lurking nearby.

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